Featured in the News
Bethlehem Handicrafts has been featured in major Catholic and Christian news outlets across the United States and Latin America. Each article tells the story of how the Bannoura family supports Christian artisans still living in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
This page is a media kit for journalists, writers, editors, and researchers. You are welcome to quote the facts and boilerplate below with attribution to Bethlehem Handicrafts. For interviews or high resolution images, email info@bethlehemhandicrafts.com.
Fast Facts
- Company: Bethlehem Handicrafts
- Founded: 2000
- Founder: George Bannoura, born in Bethlehem
- Based in: Denver, Colorado, United States
- What we make: Hand carved olive wood and mother of pearl crosses, crucifixes, nativity sets, rosaries, statues, and Christian gifts
- Who makes it: Christian artisan families in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala
- Serving: Christian homes and parishes across the United States for more than two decades
- Website: bethlehemhandicrafts.com
- Press contact: info@bethlehemhandicrafts.com
The Bethlehem Handicrafts Story
George Bannoura was born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and the historic home of Holy Land olive wood carving. In 2000 he brought this ancient craft to the United States so American families could own a piece of the Holy Land carved by the hands of the people who still live there. Today Bethlehem Handicrafts works directly with Christian artisan families in Bethlehem and the neighboring towns of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala, keeping a sacred tradition and its makers alive.
Why These Stories Matter
The Christian community in Bethlehem has shrunk from 85 percent of the population to less than 15 percent in just one generation. Every piece you purchase from Bethlehem Handicrafts directly supports a Christian family that is choosing to stay in the Holy Land, keeping a centuries old craft alive in the place where Christianity began.
About the Craft (facts for citation)
- Olive wood carving in Bethlehem traces back to the fourth century, when the craft grew alongside Christian pilgrimage after the building of the Church of the Nativity.
- The art was refined by Franciscan friars and local master carvers between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, and has been handed down from parent to child ever since.
- Olive wood is harvested from the pruned branches of cultivated olive trees, not from cutting down the trees, so the craft works with the land.
- Every grain pattern is unique, so no two hand carved pieces are ever exactly alike.
- Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala remain the historic center of Holy Land olive wood carving today.
Boilerplate (copy and paste)
Short: Bethlehem Handicrafts sells authentic hand carved olive wood and mother of pearl Christian art made by Christian families in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Founded in 2000 by George Bannoura, the company has brought the Holy Land into American homes for more than two decades. Learn more at bethlehemhandicrafts.com.
Long: Bethlehem Handicrafts is a family run business founded in 2000 by George Bannoura, who was born in Bethlehem. The company works directly with Christian artisan families in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala to bring authentic hand carved olive wood and mother of pearl religious art to Christian homes and parishes across the United States. Its mission is to sustain the Christian community and the ancient carving tradition of the Holy Land, where the Christian population has fallen from 85 percent to under 15 percent in a single generation.
Press Features
Denver Catholic | April 2018
The official publication of the Archdiocese of Denver featured Bethlehem Handicrafts with quotes from Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila and Father James Spahn, who has personally visited the Bannoura family workshop in Bethlehem.
Read the Denver Catholic feature on our site | Read on denvercatholic.org
Catholic News Agency | 2018
Catholic News Agency profiled the Bannoura family's mission to support 400 Christian artisans in Bethlehem and bring authentic Holy Land olive wood to Christian homes across America.
Read the Catholic News Agency feature on our site | Read on catholicnewsagency.com
ACI Prensa | 2018 (Spanish)
ACI Prensa, one of the largest Catholic news agencies in Latin America, profiled how Bethlehem Handicrafts and the Bannoura family preserve the centuries old tradition of olive wood carving in Bethlehem.
Lee el artÃculo de ACI Prensa en nuestra página | Leer en aciprensa.com
For Press and Media
For interviews, quotes, or high resolution images of the artisans and their work, contact info@bethlehemhandicrafts.com. We are glad to help writers and researchers covering the Holy Land, Christian art, olive wood carving, or the Christians of Bethlehem.
How to cite this page: Bethlehem Handicrafts, Press and Media Kit, bethlehemhandicrafts.com/pages/featured-in-the-news.