Holy Land Fund

With a population of 9.6 million, Israel covers an area of 20,770 sq km on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The State of Israel came into existence as the homeland for the Jewish people in 1948. Today, Israel has the largest Jewish community in the world. In 2022, the civil government recorded 73.6% of the population as Jews, 21.1% of the population as Arabs, and 5.3% as non-Arab Christians.

Over the last decade, large numbers of migrant workers from Romania, Thailand, China, Africa, and South America have settled in Israel. Hebrew is the primary language of the state and is spoken every day by the majority of the population. Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority, with Hebrew taught in Arab schools.

Figures from the Israel Democratic Institute show that the Christian population in Israel rose by 1.5 per cent in the last year, making it the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing. The same study showed that 84 per cent of Christians are satisfied with their lives in this country; as an example, the most educated women in Israel are from the Christian community.

While Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and has normalised relations with a number of other Arab countries, it remains at war with Syria and Lebanon, and efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have thus far stalled.

Jerusalem – a noble, sacred city for Christian, Jew and Muslim alike.

Efforts for peaceful coexistence

Despite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are many organisations in Israel which are openly embracing pluralism and promoting peaceful existence through actions in education, healthcare, cultural exchange and interreligious dialogue, and which are thereby serving the common good to the benefit of all, irrespective of creed and ethnicity.

Nowhere is this more so than in the creation of the East-West Divan Orchestra: “This conflict is not like those normal ones between two nations that argue about borders or water or petrol, which they would eventually resolve militarily or politically,” says Daniel Barenboim, its founder. “Here we have two nations which are absolutely convinced that they have equal claims to live on the same little patch of earth, preferably without the other…Each side needs to accept the impossibility of that dream. Our orchestra is like a laboratory, an experiment in two peoples living together in proximity. This can happen because the orchestra provides something that does not exist on the ground, and that is equality. This is the first condition for dialogue.”

A Rabbi and Sheikh embrace in friendship

Why we need your help

We ask for your prayers for a lasting solution to this conflict and for your support for our projects in education, healthcare and inter-religious dialogue in Israel.

St Louis Hospital of Jerusalem

The façade of St Louis Hospital of Jerusalem

Saint Louis Hospital of Jerusalem was founded in 1851 in the Christian quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem and gifted to the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition. In 1881, the hospital was relocated to its current building near the New Gate of the Old City.

Saint Louis is a non-profit hospital and the first healthcare institution in Jerusalem to open an oncology department and to offer palliative care. Renowned for its quality, compassionate and specialist care to terminally ill patients, the staff are a diverse team including international volunteers, committed to serve all the population of Jerusalem, regardless of background or belief. The hospital is licensed for 57 beds by the Israeli Ministry of health. It has 80 staff and 15 volunteers.

One patient described St Louis as ‘a soulful place, with a dedicated staff of Jewish doctors, Jewish, Arab and Christian nurses, and scores of volunteers from international Catholic organisations. It is here that one can find Muslims, Jews and Christians offering each other a cup of tea or an embrace, as a gesture of comfort and compassion in the face of suffering and death’.

Since 1948, Saint Louis Hospital has functioned as a hospice for terminally ill cancer and AIDS patients. It is now the only hospital in Jerusalem offering palliative care.

‘We can’t add days to their life, but we can add life to their days’

In the midst of violence and tension in the Middle East, Saint Louis Hospital is a beacon of hope, standing as a true testament that harmonious coexistence and mutual respect are possible among all peoples in Israel.

Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, at St Louis Hospital

The Need

Funding is urgently required to renovate the electricity and water systems, which are very old and not fit for purpose and pose a danger to patients, visitors and staff. Electrical engineers have confirmed that the existing electrical wiring poses a serious fire risk and could soon cause power outages.

Plumbing engineers have confirmed that the water system and pipes are very old and need replacing. The old water tanks are corroded and leak; legionella bacteria has been found in the tanks, posing a serious risk to the health of patients and staff. The heating pumps, showers and thermostats in the patients’ rooms also need renovating. The existing heating pump is faulty and does not heat the water sufficiently for the patients.

FACE seeks support to fund the works for the renovation of the water system, which will include:

Purchase and installation of new heating pumps, with more storage capacity, and which will maintain the hot water at a constant temperature of 131 °F. A new hot water system will eradicate the problem of bacteria in the water tanks.
New anti-corrosion water tanks which will also be easier to maintain
Installation of a water filter and softener
New faucets and shower thermostats in all patients’ bedrooms
Installation of solar panelling to pre-heat the water in an eco-friendly way