Episode 321: Leyla King
In this episode, I sit down with Episcopal priest and author Leyla King to explore her deeply moving memoir Daughters of Palestine. Told through the voices of five generations of Palestinian women, Leyla’s book offers a powerful counter-narrative to the dominant Western framing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through personal and ancestral stories, she sheds light on the lived experience of Palestinian Christians - stories of displacement, resilience, and unshakable faith. We talk about the intersection of identity and belief, the legacy of generational trauma, and the need to name injustice while holding on to hope. Leyla helps us see why understanding history through human stories is crucial, how reconciliation must be rooted in truth and accountability, and how small acts of listening and proximity can disrupt cycles of vengeance. This is a conversation about the power of story, the pain of loss, and the possibility of healing. It invites us not only to see the full humanity of Palestinians but to reflect on how we might live more faithfully in a fractured world.
Leyla K. King is a Palestinian-American Episcopal priest and author. She is a founding member of both Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies (www.palestiniananglicans.org) and The Small Churches Big Impact Collective (smallchurchesbigimpact.org). She writes about her experiences as a Palestinian, a clergywoman and a mother at thankfulpriest.com. Daughters of Palestine is her first book.
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