Mayors of Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Ramallah, Beit Jala, and Birzeit “

Dr. Victor Batarseh, Bethlehem Mr. Hani Naji Hayek, Beit Sahour Ms. Janet Michael, Ramallah Mr. Raji Zeidan, Beit Jala Dr. Yousef Nasser, Birzeit

HCEF  toll free at 866-871-HCEF (4233)  www.hcef.org

The Christian mayors of five traditionally Christian cities and towns in the Holy Land will be among the speakers at the Ninth International Conference of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF), to be held in Washington on October 26-27.

Under the constitution of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, there are thirteen "traditionally Christian" cities and towns in Palestine, and they must have Christian mayors and heads of councils.

Although the Holy Land’s Christians accounted for about 20 percent of the population of the area sixty years ago, massive emigration and economic hardship under military occupation have contributed to a significant drop in the Christian population.  Today only about two percent of the population of the Holy Land is Christian.

The mayors will report on the current situations in their areas of Holy Land, the status and effects of programs designed to alleviate human suffering there, and the role of Christians in building a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis. 

The mayors and their cities are these:

Mr. Raji Zeidan, Beit Jala
Dr. Victor Batarseh, Bethlehem
Ms. Janet Michael, Ramallah
Mr. Hani Naji Hayek, Beit Sahour 
Dr. Yousef Nasser, Birzeit

The Ninth HCEF International Conference will take place at National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, on October 26 and 27. All those interested in peace in the Holy Land are cordially invited to attend.

The Ninth HCEF Awards Banquet will be held at 7pm on Friday, October 26, at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center, 6701 Marinelli Rd., North Bethesda, MD 20852 (White Flint Metro).

For specific information about the conference, consult the following web sites:

Conference Registration  : https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm/ID/466.cfm

Award Recipients 2007:   https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm? mod=arts&id=453   

Hotel Accommodations:   https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm? mod=arts&id=450

Endorsement Letters:   https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm? mod=arts&id=459

To be a sponsor:  https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm? mod=arts&id=456

To place an ad:  https://www.hcef.org/index.cfm? mod=arts&id=462

To donate a gift to the Silent Auction: https://hcef.org/publicfiles/conference/8thconference/Do nationForm.pdf

”