Samia Khoury is a leading Palestinian Jerusalemite social activist who has dedicated her life to building institutions that educate the next generation and uplift refugees and the Palestinian Christian community. She is also a prolific writer.
Early Years: Family Life and Education
Khoury was born in Jaffa in 1933. In 1945, her family moved to Jerusalem.
Her parents, Musa and Linda Nasir, were both deeply devout Christians, raising Khoury, her brother, Hanna, and sister, Rima, to value faith. They all attended St. Paul’s Church in the New City. Religious devotion continues to play an important role in Khoury’s life.
The Nasir family was very involved in social work, and Khoury was thus exposed to community service throughout her childhood. Her father, Musa, was her main inspiration,1 but so were several of her aunts and uncles. Her aunt Elizabeth Nasir founded Rawdat El-Zuhur (which Khoury would later direct), and her aunt Nabiha Nasir founded an elementary school in Birzeit (Birzeit School for Girls) that evolved into Birzeit University, the first university in Palestine.2 These institutions, established by her aunts, shaped her future career.
Because her father was a civil servant, Khoury’s family moved around and lived in many cities in Palestine, including Ramallah, Nablus, Nazareth, and Safad, eventually settling in Jerusalem in the mid-1940s.3 Khoury and her siblings attended the boarding school established by her aunt in Birzeit.
As a child, Khoury benefited greatly from the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) located on Mamilla Street in the New City. Her parents lived at one of the hotels the YMCA owned until their own new apartment in the Palestinian neighborhood of Upper Baq‘a in the New City was ready. Khoury remembers enjoying the organization’s many facilities during holidays.4 It was there that she also participated in plays and piano recitals and learned how to type in both English and Arabic.
Khoury spent those happy youthful days playing with friends and cousins, going to restaurants and coffee shops, gardening, cycling, visiting neighbors, watching movies in the cinema, and reading books. Khoury describes this period of her life as “simple and joyful,"5 vividly recounting her early days in their neighborhood:
These memories include, of course, the Sunday treats at the National Restaurant hosted by our twin aunts Victoria and Lizzy. . . . The National Restaurant was near Barclays Bank, not far from New Gate. Afterwards we would walk to the end of the road near the post office where we would have delicious Syrian ice cream at the famous Umayyah shop. All that after we were done with our regular visit to the orthodontist. . . . In 1946 we enjoyed being in our new home in Upper Baka’a where we would spend weekends and other holidays. It was a beautiful quiet area with nice neighbors. . . . We used to spend time working in the garden and sitting on the veranda reading the books we borrowed from the YMCA library and watching the boys heading to St. Francis Club, down the hill from our house. . . . On the main road to Bethlehem, not very far from our house and across the street from the Orthodox Club, we used to rent bicycles and enjoy biking around the area. The Orthodox Club was open to the entire community, irrespective of faith, and we used to enjoy many activities and different kinds of bazaars.6
A Turning Point
This blissful existence was soon disrupted. Musa Nasir had a premonition that the situation in Jerusalem would be unstable, and his foreboding was confirmed in 1946 when he was visiting a colleague at the King David Hotel, the same day that the building was bombed by the Irgun. (He was lucky; at the last minute, he decided to have lunch elsewhere before his meeting.) At the time, 13-year-old Khoury was spending the summer in Birzeit. She recalls her mother waking her up and her siblings from a nap and ordering them, “Go on your knees and thank the Lord that your father has been spared.”7 This was Khoury’s first frightening realization that things were about to change; as she put it a few decades later, “Things were never the same again for us Palestinians.”8
During the 1948 War, Khoury and her family were forced into exile from Jerusalem. They relocated to the family’s hometown of Birzeit. She shared this nostalgic memory of the time:
Ever since 1948, when my family had to leave our beautiful cozy home in Upper Baka’a in West Jerusalem, my dream as a young person was to have a magic wand to carry me back there just to see what had become of our neighborhood. When I watched UN cars driving through the Mandelbaum gate, which separates the east side of Jerusalem from the west side at a point right behind the East Jerusalem YMCA, I wished I were invisible so that I could hide in one of those cars. I wanted so badly to see home again, especially since I was in boarding school at the moment that my parents left, and I did not get a chance to have a last look and collect whatever I thought was precious at that time.9
As an adult, Khoury recalled the dispossession she and three-quarters of the Palestinian population faced and seeing streams of refugees, half-starved and almost delirious, arrive in Birzeit from Ramallah and Lydda.10 Nabiha Nasir opened the college’s stores for all the incoming people and let them have whatever they wanted.
Higher Education and Early Career
Khoury graduated from high school in 1950 and went on to Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in 1954.
That same year, she returned to Birzeit College and served as its executive secretary, registrar, and director of women’s activities until 1960.11
At the beginning of the Israeli occupation, in 1967, the Israeli military confiscated several of the buildings at Birzeit College that had belonged to the Nasir family.12 (The property was never returned.) Khoury recalls the events:
Again I was in Birzeit, but this time I was married and worried to death about my two little children who were six and four years old at the time. Of course I thought an occupation cannot last for more than a few months, and I would not need to worry about bringing up my children under occupation. By November the UN Security Council had adopted Resolution 242 calling on Israel to withdraw from territories occupied in the course of the War of 1967. Thirty-five years later I continue to worry about my children and grandchildren, especially as they try to make it through checkpoints on the way to work or to school every day.13
Khoury served as Birzeit University’s executive secretary from 1974 until 1977, the period during which it transitioned into a four-year university that offered bachelor’s degrees.14 She served on the university’s Board of Trustees from 1976 until 2004 and is one of its founding members.
Working with Jerusalem Organizations
Khoury served as national president of Jordan’s Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) for two terms, beginning in 1950; when the Jerusalem branch was reestablished in 1991, she served as its very first president from 1991 to 1996. Serving it in different capacities both locally and on an international level, Khoury’s governing policy was to “empower women and train young leaders.”15 When criticized for her readiness to change or replace the institution’s members, she responded, “If there was no mechanism for change then our younger members would not be encouraged to run for elections, and the older ones would find it difficult to admit that it is time to go."16 Khoury was also very vocal on disarmament during her presidency, which sometimes cost her support. In one instance, she recalls:
As I kept thinking of war as a business, I could not help but recollect an encounter I had many years ago with a gentleman from the Rifle Association. He knew I was involved with the YWCA and was very blunt that he would not support the work of the “Y” because of its World Council resolution on disarmament. These are business people, and they certainly do not want a group of women ruining their business. The YWCA has been [an] avant garde and way ahead of Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair in demanding disarmament from everybody around the world. What would Mr. Bush do with all the armaments that the U.S. has and how are the manufacturers of those arms going to stay in business if wars are not made to erupt here and there every few years?17
In 1965, Khoury volunteered at the Helen Keller Society assisting the visually impaired and continued to do so until 1967.18
In 1989, she cofounded the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, a community of Palestinian Christians who support theological liberation and social action for justice.19 Khoury not only helped establish an organization that facilitates intra-religious dialogue and a network of activism, but also created what grew into a global community of prayer (the Sabeel organization has its friend institutions in Australia, France, Germany, Canada, America, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Sabeel regularly launches prayer services in solidarity with anyone in need throughout the world. Additionally, Khoury has been instrumental in organizing international conferences with Sabeel.
Of course, she also has a personal connection to the organization, joining its communal prayers and Bible reflection sessions. This space for reflecting on the divine word, she explains, also provides a form of resistance, where the faithful can find strength:
How refreshing it was the other day during worship at Sabeel when we read and reflected on the first letter of Peter (2:19-25): “[W]hen they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” We the Palestinians continue to trust in God who judges justly, although I must admit we sometimes think he is taking his time regarding our region. But both Christians and Muslims have this trust based on a deeply rooted faith where God is revealed as a God of Justice not only in the Bible, but in the Koran as well, and in more than one Sura.20
Working with Children
Khoury asserts that working with children has been “the most rewarding part of my long years of volunteer work.”21 Her work focused almost entirely on children and education when in 1986 she became president of Rawdat El-Zuhur, a coeducational elementary school for the lower-income community in East Jerusalem.
Her involvement with the school began unofficially when, as a young woman, she would drive her aunt Lizzie around and see the girls begging on the street whom her aunt would help. While Khoury was officially elected as Rawdat El-Zuhur’s president in 1986, she had been volunteering at the school for years before that, helping with administration, accounts, and daily errands.22 She wrote of her work:
All through the different stages of the development of Rawdat El-Zuhur, we continued to have big dreams for this small educational institution so that we could bring up a new generation with a commitment to moral values, discipline and public welfare. I continue to feel very strongly that no change can be brought about in our society if there are no radical changes in our educational system.23
Lizzie, in fact, surprised everyone with news of her retirement in 1986.
Khoury’s service and commitment to the school and its children remained unwavering for 17 years, even as the school was threatened with closure after her retirement because of low funds. Khoury stepped in and raised money to help keep the school running. Her priority was to preserve the children’s spirits and teach them lessons that would serve them for the rest of their lives. One of Khoury’s friends wrote to her about the importance of the school and Khoury’s work, saying:
When I get pessimistic and worried about the condition of Palestine and Jerusalem Palestinians, I find thinking of Rawdat El-Zuhur is a message of the strong heartbeat still continuing there. Life will continue and flourish for you all in your homeland. It is sustained not by might, not by power, but by spirit—and you are the keepers and nourishers of that spirit. Ou[r graduates all over the country are a living testimony of that spirit.24
Khoury wrote this on the occasion of her own retirement from Rawdat El-Zuhur:
But my father, the late Musa Nasir, who was president of the college and one of the founders of Birzeit, was a lovely role model for me. He graciously started relieving himself from responsibilities, encouraging the younger generation to run the institution. His sister, my aunt Lizzy, who had founded Rawdat El-Zuhur, also saw the potential in the young members of the board and surprised us with the announcement of her retirement in 1986. I had the honor of being chosen by the board to head the organization, until last month when we had new elections. 17 years were more than I had expected to serve as president, and I did not realize how privileged I was to have been able to carry on the legacy of dear Aunt Lizzy until it was time to say goodbye. But I said it with pride, dignity; love, and the determination to bless a healthy and positive change.25
A Family under Occupation
Samia Nasir married Yousef Khoury, an engineer, in 1960. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Her family has had first-hand familiarity with Israel’s violence. Her cousin, the poet and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) spokesman Kamal Nasir, was assassinated by Israel in Beirut in 1973. Her brother, Birzeit University President Hanna Nasir, was deported by Israel in 1974. He was only allowed to return to Palestine in 1993, after the Oslo Accords were signed. Her son, Suhail, was arrested on several occasions under false charges; so was his wife. Their son, Shadi, was just 16 when he was violently detained by Israeli forces who broke into his home in Beit Hanina in the early hours of October 16, 2022. They beat him repeatedly, breaking his nose, and imprisoned him for 40 days, all the while torturing and interrogating him.26 During this time, Khoury wrote:
Shadi, a child, is being “interrogated” without the presence of his parents or a lawyer, a tactic used systematically to terrorize children into submission, and ultimately using their own words to incriminate them. Shadi is a case among so many Palestinian children that are being harassed, tortured and imprisoned for no reason other than being a Palestinian seeking to live in dignity and freedom in their own country.27
Like the children of Rawdat El-Zuhur, Khoury’s children and grandchildren inspire her fight for Palestinian liberation.
Thank heavens for children who make life so meaningful. When my granddaughter walks into my kitchen with a bunch of flowers from their garden, or when my grandson presents me with one of his drawings, they make my day, and make me forget all about the brutality of the occupation. Yet at the same time, it is for our children that we are struggling for liberation and for an end to the occupation. We want to guarantee a brighter future for the coming generation. We want a meaningful future full of hope and prosperity, where justice and peace will prevail for all the peoples of our region.28
Retirement
After serving as president of Rawdat El-Zuhur for 17 years, Khoury retired in 2003.
I look at retirement as a form of liberation. Liberation from the daily routine and from responsibility. It is an acquired freedom to do whatever you feel like doing, when there was never enough time for those hobbies or for reading all those books waiting on the shelf. So much was left undone. But many people cannot cope with retirement. In fact, in many societies and countries the laws regarding retirement age are being reconsidered. But will they be doing justice to the younger generation if the retirement laws are completely eliminated?29
She still maintains her post as treasurer of the board of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in East Jerusalem.
Khoury has written many articles in newspapers, blogs, and magazines over the years. She writes on justice, peace, and interreligious relationships between people and land, specifically Jerusalem. Her writing is also concerned with children traumatized by the heavy experience of living under occupation. Her autobiography Reflections from Palestine: A Journey of Hope—A Memoir, published in 2014 (Rimal Publications), offers an account of life under Israeli occupation and a valuable lens on a wide array of daily social, political, and economic problems Palestinians face.
She addressed the United Nations (UN) forums on two occasions. The first took place in New York in 1996, where she participated in the UN North American NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine. Khoury discussed issues of self-determination and state-building, Palestinian refugees, and Jerusalem.30 Her second address was in Athens in 2000, where she was also invited to speak in a symposium dedicated to the issue of Palestinian state-building.31 Part of the solution, Khoury argued, is not only to develop democratic procedures but also to empower civil society and spread awareness about civil responsibilities.32
For more than five decades, Khoury has been a leading active member of the Jerusalem community. Her work has helped children, refugees, and the Palestinian Christian community, and her writing conveys vividly the Palestinian experience under Israeli occupation. When Khoury retired, she reflected on her career that pivoted around social activism and education, aptly concluding, “So what more can I ask for but to retire in grace, and watch over the school and its new leadership and say: ‘That is good.’”33
Sources
“About.” Samia Khoury’s Blog. Accessed December 13, 2024.
“Conclusion of International Meeting for Peaceful Settlement of Palestine Question and Establishment of Peace in Middle East.” United Nations, May 24, 2000.
“Interview with Samia Khoury about 1948.” 1948: Creation & Catastrophe. August 17, 2021.
Khoury, Samia Nasir. “Memories of Jerusalem.” This Week in Palestine, no. 289, May 2022.
“Khoury, Samia Nasir (1933-).” Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. Accessed December 13, 2024.
Khoury, Samia. “The Business of War.” Samia Khoury’s Blog, February 20, 2003.
Khoury, Samia. “Finding Hope in Political Dialogue between Women.” Samia Khoury’s Blog, September 1, 2001.
Khoury, Samia. “From Desperation to Hope.” Samia Khoury’s Blog, May 3, 2002.
Khoury, Samia. “Holy Land: Letter from 89-Year-Old Grandmother.” Independent Catholic News, October 18, 2022.
Khoury, Samia. “Remembering May 15 and June 5.” Samia Khoury’s Blog, June 13, 2002.
Khoury, Samia. “Retiring in Grace.” Samia Khoury’s Blog, November 12, 2003.
Khoury, Samia. “Stand with Shadi.” Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), October 18, 2022.
Khoury, Samia. “Trapped in Hot Discussions.” Samia Khoury’s Blog, January 9, 2022.
Khoury, Samia. “Will Abbas Need a Magic Wand?” Samia Khoury’s Blog, February 4, 2005.
Knight, Harold. “A Haven for Palestinian Children in Jerusalem.” Sumnonrabidus’s Blog, January 18, 2014.
“Mission” and “Vision.” Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. Accessed December 13, 2024.
“Mrs. Samia Khoury.” Birzeit University. Accessed December 13, 2024.
“Report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.” United Nations, 1996.
“Samia Nasir Khoury: My Childhood.” [In Arabic.] Najah Awadallah, May 11, 2020.
[Profile photo: Birzeit University]
Notes
Samia Khoury, “Retiring in Grace,” Sami Khoury’s Blog, November 12, 2003.
Khoury’s father, Musa Nasir, owned land in Jerusalem, and at some point, Nabiha wanted to move the school there. However, it remained in Birzeit because the area had few educational institutions, especially for girls. See “Interview with Samia Khoury about 1948,” 1948: Creation & Catastrophe, August 17, 2021, 30:09.
Since Khoury was a boarder at the school in Birzeit, most of her youth was in fact spent at that village, only visiting Jerusalem on holidays. She eventually moved back to and settled in the city when she got married in 1960.
Samia Khoury, “Memories of Jerusalem,” This Week in Palestine, no. 289, May 2022.
Khoury, “Memories.”
“Khoury, “Memories.”
“Interview.”
“Interview.”
Samia Khoury, “Will Abbas Need a Magic Wand?” Samia Khoury’s Blog, February 4, 2005.
Samia Khoury, “Remembering May 15 and June 5,” Samia Khoury’s Blog, June 13, 2002.
“Mrs. Samia Khoury,” Birzeit University, accessed December 13, 2024.
Samia Khoury, “Finding Hope in Political Dialogue between Women,” Samia Khoury’s Blog, September 1, 2001.
Khoury, “Remembering May 15 and June 5.”
“Mrs. Samia Khoury.”
Samia Khoury, “Retiring in Grace,” Samia Khoury’s Blog, November 12, 2003.
Khoury, “Retiring.”
Samia Khoury, “The Business of War,” Samia Khoury’s Blog, February 20, 2003.
“Samia Nasir Khoury (1933-),” Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, accessed December 13, 2024.
Samia Khoury, “From Desperation to Hope,” Samia Khoury’s Blog, May 3, 2002.
Khoury, “Retiring.”
“Samia Nasir Khoury: My Childhood” [in Arabic], Najah Awadallah, May 11, 2020.
“Samia Nasir Khoury: My Childhood” [in Arabic], Najah Awadallah, May 11, 2020.
Harold Knight, “A Haven for Palestinian Children in Jerusalem,” Sumnonrabidus’s Blog, January 18, 2014.
Khoury, “Retiring.”
Samia Khoury, “Stand with Shadi,” Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), October 18, 2022.
Samia Nasir Khoury, “Holy Land: Letter from 89-Year-Old Grandmother,” Independent Catholic News, October 18, 2022.
Samia Khoury, “Trapped in Hot Discussions,” Samia Khoury’s Blog, January 9, 2022.
Khoury, “Retiring.”
“Report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,” United Nations, 1996.
“Conclusion of International Meeting for Peaceful Settlement of Palestine Question and Establishment of Peace in Middle East,” United Nations, May 24, 2000.
Khoury, “Retiring.”