Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal ( ar, رياح حنا أبو العسل, , he, ריאח אבו אלעסל; born 6 November 1937 in

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

) is an Israeli

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, who was the Bishop in Jerusalem from 1997 to 2007.

History

Abu El-Assal graduated from

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

school where he also taught. While at

he was a member of the PLP, the

Progressive List for Peace The Progressive List for Peace ( he, הרשימה המתקדמת לשלום, ''HaReshima HaMitkademet LeShalom'', ar, القائمة التقدمية للسلام) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed from an alliance ...

– a joint Jewish-Arab political party which, while existing only for eight years (1984–1992) is considered to have broken many previously sacrosanct taboos and profoundly influenced subsequent Israeli politics. During his time in Nazareth he was vicar of

Christ Church, Nazareth Christ Church ( he, כנסיית המשיח; ar, كنيسة المسيح) is an Anglican church located in the town of Nazareth, Israel. Due to financial troubles the church couldn't be completed by 1871 and lacked its intended spire, until one w ...

. In 1997, Abu El-Assal became the thirteenth

Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem ( ar, أبرشية القدس الأنغليكانية) is the Anglican jurisdiction for Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is a part of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Mi ...

and head of the

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is a province of the Anglican Communion. The primate of the church is called President Bishop and represents the Church at the international Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings. The Centra ...

until his retirement on 31 March 2007 at the prescribed retirement age of 70 years, though he was only seven and a half months short of his 70th birthday.History of the Episcopal Church in the Holy Land, The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
Since retirement, Abu El-Assal has been engaged in a legal dispute with his successor and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem over the ownership of the Bishop Riah Educational Campus, a school established by him when he was bishop.

Ministry

Abu El-Assal has traveled widely, raising support and finances for the Bishop Riah Educational Campus and other community programmes with a vision of peace in

The Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy L ...

. Abu El-Assal traveled to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 2006 where he attended the

Black Stump Music and Arts Festival The Black Stump Music and Arts Festival (called 'Black Stump,' 'Black Stump Festival' or just 'Stump' for short) was a four-day Christian festival that was held in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region over the Labour Day long weekend, often t ...

Family

Riah Abu El-Assal is married to a niece of

Emile Habibi Emile Shukri Habibi ( ar, إميل حبيبي, he, אמיל חביבי, 28 January 1922 – 2 May 1996) was a Palestinian-Israeli

. His grandfather started the first modern pilgrim service in 1893 and opened branches in

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Nazareth and

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...

. His son Hanna is currently principal of the Bishop Riah Educational Campus in Nazareth.

References

External links

Robbie Low interviews Riah Abu el-AssalChurch urges action over Israel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu El-Assal, Riah Hanna Anglican bishops of Jerusalem Palestinian Anglican priests Palestinian bishops People from Nazareth 1937 births Living people Arab citizens of Israel Israeli Anglicans Israeli Arab Christians

History

Ministry

Family

See also

References

Further reading

External links