On my first trip to Palestine as an adult, I visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where I was drawn to a large, painted wooden sculpture of St. George slaying a dragon. According to the inscription at its base, it was a gift from the town’s prominent Dabdoub family—my maternal family, who have lived in Bethlehem since the Crusades. When I asked my local guide why the statue was there, he shrugged and gave a one-word answer in Arabic: “ Sumud .” St. George is regarded as a hero among