CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A television documentary chronicling the lives of three Arab Americans living in New York following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, includes a segment featuring the Rev. Khader N. El-Yateem, pastor of Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, N.Y.
The documentary, "Caught in the Crossfire: Arab Americans in Wartime," will air on most PBS television stations Sept. 4.
The program also features segments with Ahmed Nasser, a New York police officer from Yemen who was stationed near the site of the World Trade Center, and Raghida Gergham, a Lebanese American diplomatic correspondent and journalist working at the United Nations in New York.
El-Yateem is from the West Bank town of Beit Jala. The program will show how his congregation has become a haven for Arabs, both Christian and Muslim, who lost their jobs and were harassed following the Sept. 11 attacks, according to information about the program at http://www.pbs.org/itvs/caughtinthecrossfire/index.html on the PBS Web site.
"Caught in the Crossfire" will show how El-Yateem, while working in post-Sept. 11 New York, has been concerned about family members living in the West Bank. They have been directly impacted by this year's incursions by Israeli Defense Forces.
"My sister, her house was destroyed during the Israeli shelling," El-Yateem said. "I'm worrying about my four sisters and my brother and my grandmother and those of the extended family."
The producers began their work with El-Yateem in October and followed him for several weeks. El-Yateem told the program's producers he believes he is meant to serve God in New York.
"I feel like all of us are people in exile, and God calls me to be here," he said. "It's like being a prophet to people in exile, to remind them about who they are and their faith. I never expected that the work of a prophet would be this demanding or this complicated. The requirements are sometimes overwhelming," said El-Yateem.
The program was produced by Lumiere Productions Inc. through the Independent Television Service, which is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The ELCA Department for Communication, ELCA Division for Outreach and ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod each provided financial support for the production. ---
Local air dates and times for "Caught in the Crossfire: Arab Americans in Wartime" can be found at http://www.pbs.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
