Oktoberfest in Taybeh and Taybeh to USA

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Oktoberfest in Taybeh will be celebrated September 24-25, 2016

FDA approves Taybeh Golden Beer label for import to USA by 2017

By Eileen Fleming

Taybeh is the last all-Christian and self-sufficient community in the West Bank.

“Taybeh” means delicious when referring to food or drink.

“Taybeh” means “kind” and “good” when referring to people or places.

Following the signing of the Oslo Peace Agreement [1993] and inspired by their late father, Canaan David Khoury, David and Nadim returned to their home village of Taybeh in 1994 after more than twenty-years of life in the United States.

The brother’s established the Taybeh Brewing Company the first microbrewery in the Middle East.

The Khoury Family’s goal was to boost the local economy and introduce new styles of natural hand crafted micro-brewed beers according to the German Purity Law and without preservatives or additives.

Nadim’s hobby of making beer during his college days in Boston led to his career as master brewer and he passed his passion and expertise onto his daughter, Madees Khoury, who is the first and still only female master brewer in Palestine.

PHOTO COPYRIGHT: Mareike Enghusen — PHOTO Madees Khoury copyright:
Mareike Enghusen

Madees’ aunt is author Dr. Maria Khoury, who graduated from Harvard University (1985) and Boston University (1992) and holds a doctorate in education. Born in Tripoli, Greece, Maria was raised in Denver, Colorado but has lived in Taybeh since the Khoury’s return to the Holy Land in 1995.

Dr. Khoury volunteers at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Taybeh, helping to sustain the dwindling Christian community.

She explained that the sun on the Taybeh Beer logo is a symbol of hope for a bright future for Palestine.

According to the 1922 British census, 10 percent of those living in Palestine were Christian; today less than 2 percent are Christian.

In 2010 Taybeh’s population was 2,300, with 12,000 former residents and their descendants living in the U.S., Chile and Guatemala.
Dr. Maria Khoury continues:

My personal goal is to tell others not to be afraid to visit us.

Taybeh is one of the most ancient places in Palestine and it sits on one of the highest hills, more than 900 meters above sea level.

Here in Taybeh since 1994 our nonviolent action and peaceful resistance is doing good things under harsh conditions.

Americans need to understand they are spending too much hard earned American tax payers money to continue this very complex deep conflict at the tune of 10 million dollars per day in blind support to Israel; money that can better be spent in the USA in educational grants or social security or health care.

If Americans truly knew the truth I know they would support our just cause, which seeks to end Israel’s military occupation so that all people will be treated as equal.

Taybeh is the only village left in Palestine where 100 percent of the landowners are Christian.

Jesus came to our area for refuge before he walked in to Jerusalem and was captured and crucified…

Today, Taybeh is also the site of Palestine’s only annual Oktoberfest celebration, which will be celebrated in 2016 on September 24 and 25

Taybeh’s Oktoberfest was established in 2005 after Maria’s husband; David Khoury became the first democratically elected mayor of Taybeh.

The Khoury’s also established the Taybeh Winery in 2013 as the first family owned boutique winery in Palestine and opened the doors to the 80-room Taybeh Golden Hotel in 2015.

Taybeh beer is anticipated to be on the shelves in the U.S.A. by 2017

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