George Bannoura

George Bannoura is the founder of Bethlehem Handicrafts. Born and raised in Bethlehem, George immigrated to the United States in 2000 with one goal: bring authentic hand carved olive wood from his hometown to Catholic families across America.

From Bethlehem to Aurora, Colorado

George grew up in Bethlehem, surrounded by the centuries old tradition of olive wood carving. The Bannoura family has lived and worked in Bethlehem for generations, and the family workshop, still active today, has carved olive wood pieces for Christian homes since long before George was born.

He came of age watching this tradition slowly endangered. War, economic hardship, and the steady departure of Bethlehem's Christian families from their ancestral home put the craft and the community at risk. Young craftsmen were leaving the trade because there was no reliable market. Tourist sales had collapsed. Something had to change.

The Move to America

In 2000, George moved to the United States and founded Bethlehem Handicrafts in Aurora, Colorado. The mission was simple: connect Catholic families in America directly to the Bannoura family workshop and the broader Christian craftsmen community in Bethlehem. No middlemen. No tourist markup. Real olive wood, hand carved at the source, shipped from Aurora directly to your door.

The model worked. More than two decades later, Bethlehem Handicrafts has shipped hand carved olive wood pieces to Catholic homes, parishes, schools, and religious goods retailers in all 50 states.

What Makes Bethlehem Handicrafts Different

Every piece is hand carved in Bethlehem by Christian families, including George's own family workshop
Olive wood is sourced from groves around Bethlehem, the same groves that have surrounded the city since biblical times
No middlemen. Pieces ship from Aurora, Colorado directly to your door
26 years of trust with Catholic families across America
Top Quality Store badge on Google
30 day free returns on every order

A Personal Note from George

Every cross, rosary, nativity, and statue you receive carries the work of a real Christian family in Bethlehem and the prayer that it brings peace and faith to your home. Thank you for supporting the Christian community in the Holy Land that I still call home in my heart.