John Na'em Snobar

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New Lamentations

For the past several weeks, I have been in prayerful contemplation following my revision of the sermon I delivered at Union Theological Seminary. I made that revision to remove an anti-Semitic reference, and to assure Jewish members of the Church of God that I do not intend to walk the

Unsettling Events - by John Na'em Snobar - November

Unsettling Events - by John Na'em Snobar - November

Eine Krone für Zion Remains perhaps the most relevant critique of the dangerous relationship that defines the alliance between Jewish anti-Semites and Aryan anti-Semites. 'If Zionists and anti-Semites share a worldview that is already a poor one, then it must soon be over', Kraus noted. The so-called reluctant

Revised Sermon: Palestinian Church - Faith and Hope

James Chapel, Union Theological Seminary – 12 November 2024 Revised - 8 October 2025 Good afternoon, I would like to start by acknowledging the land where we are standing today. This land is Manhata, which means ‘land of hills’ in the Algonquian language of Unami, spoken by the Lenni-Lenape people. I

Divine Authority and why the Church is the State

Divine Authority and why the Church is the State

Authority to rule has long been understood as ordained from God. Although the Church of England is the only national Church in the world, the notion that the Monarch as God is actually a well-established diplomatic convention, particularly as relates to matters regarding the Head of State. In the Church

Sermon: Preaching the Parable of the Corrupt Steward

Sermon: Preaching the Parable of the Corrupt Steward

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Today’s Gospel is one of the strangest in Luke, the Parable of the Corrupt Steward. At first it almost seems like Jesus is commending corruption. A steward is caught wasting his master’s wealth, and in desperation he reduces debts so that others will

Sermon: Mount Hawthorn Community Church

Sunday 4 May, 2025 Thank you for the kind introduction, and the warm welcome that my fellow Palestinians and I have received here today. I wish to acknowledge the land on which we gather as Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar – I pay my respects to the indigenous people of this land. Only

Palm Sunday Prayer for Peace, St George's Cathedral, Western Australia

I am pleased to share the words I delivered at today's 'Palm Sunday Prayer for Peace', hosted by the Anglican Social Responsibilities Commission, at the front of St. George's Cathedral, in Perth, Western Australia. My reflections were delivered as we received news that the

Unsettling Events - by John Na'em Snobar - February

Unsettling Events - by John Na'em Snobar - February

Antisemitism & the Palestinian experience Antisemitism and the Palestinian experience are deeply connected. After all, the State of Israel was created due to antisemitism experienced by non-Palestinian Jews. For Palestinians, antisemitism is sometimes experienced as erasure of Palestinian identity, due to the demographic reversal of the Palestinian people. It was

Unsettling Events by John Na'em Snobar - January

Unsettling Events by John Na'em Snobar - January

How Palestinians view the Jewish Worldview Demographic reversal, done through the first Palestinian Exile of 1948AD (known to Arabs as the 'Nakba') heavily shapes how Palestinians engage on the Jewish worldview. The way that the 'Jewish State' - whose national emblems, courts, and character could not

Unsettling Events by John Na'em Snobar - November

Unsettling Events by John Na'em Snobar - November

While many await the arrival of a Palestinian King, I continue to turn my mind to the devastating effects of anti-semitism by the non-Palestinian Church, and its impact on non-Palestinian Jews, Palestinian Jews, and Palestinians. The State of Israel/state of Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people continues,

Sermon: 'Palestinian Church: Faith & Hope' by John Na'em Snobar

James Chapel, Union Theological Seminary – 12 November 2024 Good afternoon, I would like to start by acknowledging the land where we are standing today. This land is Manhata, which means ‘land of hills’ in the Algonquian language of Unami, spoken by the Lenni-Lenape people. I pay my respects to the

Unsettling Events by John Na'em Snobar - September Edition

Divinity I write to you from Union Theological Seminary, in New York, where I have commenced a Master of Divinity. I am on the ‘Ministerial Leadership’ track, which leads to a small gate, and a narrow road. Ordination is the process through which one is invested ‘with ministerial or priestly

Unsettling events by John Na'em Snobar - July edition

Unsettling events by John Na’em Snobar – July edition ‘State of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank’ vs Palestine Most recently, nearly 200,000 Palestinian civilians were killed by the State of Israel, and many more are maimed, or starving. This genocide, which commenced in 1948, resulted in the retaliation

Speech: A former Australian diplomat's perspective on the changing world order

Rotary Club of Booragoon Western Australia 28 May 2024 JOHN NA’EM SNOBAR Thank you to Booragoon Rotary Club President Peter Best, and to John Feary for inviting me to speak here today. I wish to acknowledge the indigenous people of the land on which we gather today, the Beeliar

Unsettling Events by John Na’em Snobar – May edition

Since my last newsletter, more diplomats and public officials have resigned from their roles, citing their inability to continue to support a system which is responsible for the genocide of the Palestinian people. These include US State Department Arabic spokeswoman Hala Rharrit, Jewish-American US Interior Department political appointee Lilly Greenberg,

Announcing my newsletter - Unsettling Events

My new newsletter is called ‘Unsettling Events’. It focuses on a number of pressing politically and spiritually relevant events, namely decolonisation. The name of the newsletter comes from the description of my the appointment of the first Palestinian Bishop of Jerusalem in the Anglican Church, my grandfather Bishop Faik Ibrahim

Unsettling Events by John Na'em Snobar - Inaugural Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter, which like me, and you, is not, and will never be perfect. As I have figured out that the meaning of life is service to others, you can consider this, and and the next couple of editions as my gift to you.

Former Australian diplomat: Economic Corridor Express Way is the Fastest Route to Hell.

My grandfather, Bishop Faik Ibrahim Haddad, was the first Palestinian Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem. From him, I learnt my sense of service and duty, always seeking to apply myself to do what is good, and just. My love of community led me to serve Australia for nearly 20 years at