John N. Tleel (1928-2018)

John N. Tleel was born in Beit Jala on August 3, 1928. He was Rum (Greek) Orthodox Palestinian. In 1945, he graduated from the Greek Orthodox Gymnasium (Classical Secondary School) of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the Old City of Jerusalem. In 1949, he received the Diplome De Docteur En Chirurgie Dentaire de la Faculte Francaise de Medecine de Beyrouth. He was the founder, owner, and editor of the monthly Al - Zambaka (To Triphyllo) magazine. For two decades (1952 - 1972), this multi lingual periodical served the various communities of Jerusalem. From 1965 until 1985, he represented the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the Middle East Council of Churches as a lay delegate. He was founder member of the National Christian Association, the contributor of the essay My Jerusalem to the book entitled Jerusalem City of the Ages, published by the American Academic Association for Peace in the Middle East (1987), and the author of the Ecumenical Life in Jerusalem, a study sponsored by the World Council of Churches (1991). He translated from Greek into English the five Memoranda of Constantine Mavrides (The Siege of the Old City of Jerusalem from May 14 until December 15 of 1948), published in the book entitled Jerusalem 1948, by the Institute of Jerusalem Studies and Badil Resource Center (1999). John Tleel was the author of I Am Jerusalem, a self published memoir (2000). He also wrote a number of articles concerning the Holy City of Jerusalem, and extracts from thwas book appeared in various publications. Dr. John Tleel was a recipient of several awards and decorations. Dr. Tleel passed away in his beloved city Jerusalem on May 1st 2018.