Khader El-Yateem (Arabic: خضر اليتيم ; born October 20, 1968) is a Palestinian-American community organizer and Lutheran pastor. He is the Director for Evangelical Mission Assistant to the Bishop (South Region) Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA. El-Yateem was a candidate for
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
.
Early life and education
El-Yateem was born in
Beit Jala
Beit Jala ( ar, ) is a Palestinian Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude. In 2017, Beit Jala had ...
in the
Bethlehem Governorate
The Bethlehem Governorate ( ar, محافظة بيت لحم, Muḥāfaẓat Bayt Laḥm) is one of 16 Governorates of Palestine. It covers an area of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Its principal city and district capital is Bethlehem. Accordin ...
in 1968, and emigrated to the United States in 1992. He holds a
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
from the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), also known as the ''Philadelphia Seminary,'' was one of eight theological seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in North ...
, and a bachelor's degree from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt.
Career
El-Yateem is the founder of Salam Arabic Lutheran Church. It is a congregation primarily consisting of recent immigrant Arab Christians, many of whom fled from the
unrest in the Middle East. His work at the congregation has been praised by a fellow cleric, Bishop
Gregory John Mansour, who has described him as "a great bridge builder."
[Farrell, Stephen]
"As Lutherans Exit Pews In Brooklyn Church, Arab Christians Move In"
''The New York Times'', 23 December 2013.
El-Yateem was a clergy liaison to the
NYPD
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
, acting as a connection between the community and law enforcement. He is a co-founder of the Bay Ridge Unity Task Force, formed in 2000 by Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religious leaders, civic activists, and business leaders to combat
post-9/11 bigotry.
[Katinas, Paula]
"Bay Ridge Unity Task Force Meet Trump"
''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', 17 December 2015.
In 2012, the Bay Ridge Community Council presented the Civic Award to El-Yateem for his work at Salam Arabic Lutheran Church and the Bay Ridge Unity Task Force.
[Bredderman, Will]
''Brooklyn Daily'', 12 June 2012.
El-Yateem has served on
Brooklyn Community Board 10
Brooklyn Community Board 10 is a New York City community board that encompasses the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Fort Hamilton. It is delimited by Upper New York Bay on the west, Bay Ridge R.R. Yards and Long Island Ra ...
, and the boards of St. Nicholas Home and Lutheran Augustana Home for over a decade, and formerly worked at
Maimonides Medical Center
Maimonides Medical Center is a non-profit, non-sectarian hospital located in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Borough Park, in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Maimonides is b ...
.
In 2017, El-Yateem began a campaign for
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
in District 43.
In August 2017, El-Yateem played a key role in getting the
Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the counties of Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, which comprise Long Island, New York. It is in Province 2 and ...
to remove a plaque commemorating Confederate General
Robert E. Lee from a cemetery in
Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton is a United States Army installation in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. It is one of several posts that are part of the region which is ...
, placed there by the
United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...
, in the wake of the violence surrounding the
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
to protest a similar memorial's removal in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
.
In May 2018, El-Yateem announced he would be moving to Florida.
City Council
El-Yateem ran in the Democratic primary for
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
, District 43, covering
Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Sunset Park to the north, Dyker Heights to the east, the Narrows and the Belt Parkway to the west, and Fort Hamilton Army Base and ...
,
Dyker Heights
Dyker Heights is a predominantly residential neighborhood in the southwest corner of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is on a hill between Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and Gravesend Bay. The neighborhood is bounded by 7th and ...
,
Bensonhurst
Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22nd ...
and
Bath Beach
Bath Beach is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay. The neighborhood borders Bensonhurst and New Utrecht to the northeast across 86th Street; Dyker Beach ...
. His campaign had been endorsed by organizations such as the New York State Immigrant Action Fund, the New Kings Democrats and the
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
, of which he is a member.
El-Yateem finished second in the primary with 31% of the vote to
Justin Brannan
Justin Lee Brannan (born October 14, 1978) is an American politician and musician. A Democrat, he is the current New York City Councilmember for the 43rd district, based in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. A former musician, he was a founding member of the ...
's 39% in a five-way race.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yateem, Khader
1968 births
21st-century American Lutheran clergy
Palestinian emigrants to the United States
American politicians of Palestinian descent
Living people
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America
Palestinian Lutheran clergy
People from Brooklyn
20th-century American Lutheran clergy