This fall, my colleague and friend Julie Schumacher Cohen and I have a new book coming out with Orbis Books called Palestine, Israel, and Catholic Social Teaching: A Guide. Even though we’re still a few months out from publication day, U.S. Catholic magazine has published an adapted excerpt in their August issue and online, and I’m glad to be able to share this preview. It comes from the final chapter of our book, where we offer readers suggestions for implementing the main lessons of the book. For this excerpt, we focus on a few things that Catholic institutions, especially schools, should prioritize.
Right now, mainstream media attention has largely turned away the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank, but the devastating impacts of the genocide and occupation continue. To name but a few of the current crises: the historic Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh is increasingly choked off the by Israeli military and violent settler groups; Palestinians continue to be killed and imprisoned unjustly, including a Christian young woman, Natalie Abu Dayyeh; and Israeli groups continue to take vital resources from Palestinian residents. All of this demonstrates the need for continued (and more robust) U.S. Catholic engagement on Israel-Palestine.
You can read the full excerpt here and check out the five key takeaways below:
From the intro: Catholic educational institutions have a long tradition of helping students understand and engage a range of social issues—from immigration and the economy to environmental degradation and international conflict. Yet many Catholic schools, especially institutions of higher education, have been unsure how to foster conversation and encourage activism around the crisis in Israel-Palestine. Even as other challenging issues are tackled head on, there has often been a tendency to sideline the cause of justice, peace, and equality in the Holy Land.
As we write…the core tenets of our faith compel us, as American Catholics, to pay attention to Israel-Palestine, to advocate for those who are suffering, and to promote the common good. In doing this, we have a valuable tool—the principles of Catholic social teaching.
We flesh out each of these points in the full piece, so I encourage you to check it out.
You can also pre-order a copy of the book now and receive it in late fall (just in time for Advent).
If you’re at a Catholic institution and want to join a spring 2027 book club on Palestine, Israel, and Catholic Social Teaching, let us know.
Want to dig deeper? Check out this list:
You can also listen to Julie and I talk about the book on U.S. Catholic’s podcast, Glad You Asked.
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