MadisonRafah.org

The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)

Posts

Apr 3, 2025

❝Random Quotes❞

I think it’s a foreign concept for many Americans, what it’s like to live under military occupation. ― Allegra Pacheco, Israeli human rights lawyer, Occupation 101, 2006

  • Sep 25 – Nov 13, 2014
    The Joe Deane Memorial Series on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

    Madison Central Library, Rm. 104 201 W. Mifflin Thurs. Sept. 25th 6:30 pm The Zionist Colonization, The British Colonial Regime, and the 1948 War and Founding of Israel Thurs. Oct. 30th 6:30 pm A Dispossessed People, the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Wars of 1956, 1967, and 1982, and Evolution of the Palestinian National Movement Thurs. Nov.…

  • 2014 BobFest Shame Flyer

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BobfestShameflyer.pdf”]

  • September 28, 2014
    DAVID ROVICS IN CONCERT

    With Clare Norelle Sunday, September 28, 4 – 6 pm The Brink Lounge, 701 E Washington Ave, Suite 105 $10 at the door – proceeds benefit Gaza emergency relief and scholarships for children of Arcatao, El Salvador DAVID ROVICS grew up in a family of classical musicians and became an early fan of populist regimes.…

  • Palestinians in Gaza are still waiting for the siege to end

    Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 10 September 2014 Destruction everywhere UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs A new United Nations assessment published this week lays out the massive scope of the needs facing the nearly 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza following the “unprecedented” destruction wreaked by 51 days of Israeli bombing in July…

  • 40 Holocaust survivors condemn ‘massacre’ of Palestinians, call for BDS against Israel

    Alex Kane, Mondoweiss, August 26, 2014 Holocaust survivors printed an ad in the New York Times condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (Photo: Alex Kane) A group of Holocaust survivors and descendants of those targeted by Nazi Germany have harshly criticized Israeli actions in Gaza and called for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Following…

  • August 12, 2014
    Interfaith Circle of Grief for Gaza

    http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/circle-of-grief-announcement-for-Aug-12.pdf

  • Strike near UN school in Gaza leaves 10 dead

    Palestinians evacuate a survivor of an Israeli air strike that hit the Al Ghoul family building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014. At least 40 people were inside the Al Ghoul family building in Rafah Camp when it was targeted by Israeli jet fighters, according to the Red Crescent and Gaza health…

  • August 10, 2014
    Prayer Vigil for the Holy Land

    http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/VIGIL-FLYER.pdf

  • An open letter for the people in Gaza

    The Lancet, Volume 384, No. 9941, p397–398, 2 August 2014 [pdf-embedder url=”http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Lancet-Mads-Gilbert-PIIS0140673614610448.pdf” title=”Lancet Mads Gilbert PIIS0140673614610448″]

  • Judith Laitman: A Jewish grandmother’s plea to Barack Obama

    JUDITH LAITMAN, Cap Times, Jul 25, 2014 I’ve learned a few things during my more than seven decades on this planet. One of the most important is that when we are witness to evil and we do nothing about it, then we are complicit in that evil. As a Jew born in 1942, I was…

  • Under Siege: A Report from Gaza on WORT FM

    Broadcast on the WORT 89.9 FM program Third World View: Mahmoud Abu Rahma, the Communications and International Relations Director at the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights – Gaza, and Mimi Rosenberg & Ken Nash of Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report Mahound Abu Rahma recently wrote in “Understanding Israel’s Actions”: “It is essential…

  • July 19, 2014
    Madison Gaza Protest

    [slideshow_deploy id=’451’] [slideshow_deploy id=’451′]   More photos at The International Socialist Organization (ISO) Facebook posts here and here.

  • Upcoming Events and Gaza Links on the Israeli Attack

    Friday, July 18: Mahmoud Abu Rahma from Rafah on WORT with Max Blumenthal Saturday, July 19: Emergency Demonstration for Gaza Thursday, July 24: Online Event: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions: A New Path to Peace AND links on Gaza Plus: Cartoon of the Week: What if… Friday, July 18: Mahmoud Abu Rahma of Al Mezan on…

  • France’s main Jewish group fined for defaming Palestine charity

    France’s highest appeal court has ordered the country’s major Jewish organization to pay damages Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 11 Apr 2014 Article falsely claimed charity raised money for Hamas France’s highest appeal court has ordered the country’s major Jewish organization to pay damages for falsely claiming that a charity supporting Palestinians collected money for…

  • April 17, 2014
    Academic Freedom and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)

    Students for Justice in Palestine – UW-Madison Chapter invites you to a teach-in on Academic Freedom and the Palestinian Popular Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Thursday, April 17th 7:00 pm Union South Agriculture Room UW-Madison The speakers at the event are: Prof. Samer Alatout, Dept. of Community and Environmental Sociology; Prof. Phil Gasper,…

  • Call to action: Join Palestinian political prisoner’s day

    Free all Palestinian political prisoners! Tell Bill Gates to Divest from G4S! 3 April 2014, Occupied Ramallah – Addameer and the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee call on campaigners and people of conscience to take action Palestinian prisoner’s day on April 17 to stand in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners. The Bill and…

  • It’s World Water Day! Say No to Water Apartheid

    US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Ramah Kudaimi, March 22nd, 2014 Support Palestinian Water Rights Today marks the start of the first International Week Against Mekorot, Israel’s state-owned water company that is responsible for implementing "water apartheid" on Palestinians.  Mekorot has been responsible for water rights violations and discrimination since the 1950s, depriving Palestinian communities from…

  • May 5 – 6, 2014
    Mark Braverman in Madison

    Mark Braverman, author of Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land and A Wall in Jerusalem: Hope, Healing and the Struggle for Peace in Israel and Palestine, will be speaking in Madison. Mark is an American Jew with deep family roots in the Holy Land. He is on the…

  • March 7 – 13, 2014
    Film Omar at Sundance Cinema

    The Oscar-nominated Palestinian film Omar is showing at the Sundance Cinema 608 in Hilldale Mall. The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation says: “Omar opened in more than 40 US cities this past Friday. If it is playing in your city, please ask your supporters to watch it this week to help keep it…

  • March 31, 2014
    Rev. Mitri Raheb at Edgewood College

    Edgewood College Anderson Auditorium Predolin Humanities Center 3:00 pm [Directions] Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and director of the Diyar Consortium, will be speaking in Madison as part of a tour for his new book Faith in the Face of Empire: the Bible Through Palestinian Eyes. Since 1992 Rev. Raheb…

  • Letter to President Obama from the Wisconsin Middle East Lobby Group

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Lobby-Feb.-2014-letter.pdf”]

  • Madland: Madison-Rafah Sister City Project ambassador impressed by local youth facilities

    Anees Mansour says he loves everything about Madison — except our winter weather. Catherine Capellaro, Isthmus, 01/30/2014 I caught up with the 27-year-old Palestinian visitor at the Madison Children’s Museum on Tuesday (when it was -17° F) as he was wrapping up a weeklong visit to Madison hosted by the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRCSP).…

  • When dreams are arrested: Students stuck in Gaza at the Rafah crossing

    Esraa Yaseen, Mondoweiss, November 5, 2013 The Rafah border crossing. (Image via RafahToday.org) I was supposed to be in Egypt on Sunday October 27 to start my trip to Doha along with a distinctive group of Palestinian students. We were planning to attend the WISE conference. We spent three months preparing for it to speak…

  • November 19, 2013
    Josh Ruebner in Madison

    Humanities Building, Rm 2650 UW-Madison 7:00 pm Josh Ruebner of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation will speak and sign copies of his new book Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine-UW Madison and the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, this is free and open all.…

  • How does Palestine’s economy work?

    Its legal status is contested, its land is divided and thousands of its citizens emigrate every year – so how does Palestine’s economy function? A Palestinian labourer works at a construction site of a residential project funded by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Photograph: Said Khatib/Getty Images Mona Chalabi,…

  • Rafah Prep School Water Filter

    Girls Preparatory School A, Rafah A gift from the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and others, Dedicated to Karin Sandvik [slideshow_deploy id=’795’] [slideshow_deploy id=’795′]   More on the Maia Project from the Middle East Children’s Alliance: Completed Maia Project Water Purification and Desalination Units, January 2014 Maia Project Photo Album  

  • World Bank Report on Area C and the Future of the Palestinian Economy

    World Bank Report No. AUS2922 October 2, 2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i. Restrictions on economic activity in Area C of the West Bank have been particularly detrimental to the Palestinian economy. Area C constitutes about 61 percent of the West Bank territory. It is defined by the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and…

  • October 12, 2013
    Rachel Corrie Library Benefit

    Saturday, October 12th 2013 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm High Noon Saloon $5 Suggested Donation Music con Brio w/ special guest Yid Vicious, Intemperance Collective Family Friendly Benefit/fundraiser with proceeds going to the Rachel Corrie Library Center in Rafah. There will also be a craft sale to raise extra funds for the library. Please Join…

  • Stephen Zunes On U.S. Involvement In Syria

    WORT 89.9FM Madison Regardless of the position taken Syrian involvement, it is important to analyze all of the factors and possible consequences of action or lack thereof. On Thursday September 12th, our host Allen Ruff talked with Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, about one of his…

  • Quakers Call For Israel Boycott & Divestment

    Breakthrough! Quakers Spanning 3 States Call For Boycott & Divestment Anna Baltzer, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation National Organizer, September 4th, 2013 Quakers call for boycott & divestment! Exciting news! Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, a regional Quaker organization encompassing Ohio, Michigan, and Western Pennsylvania, has become the first Quaker Yearly Meeting to officially…

  • Anthony Bahl Obituary

    Anthony “Tony” Joseph Bahl, age 72, of Chicago, died peacefully on August 1st after a courageous battle with Mesothelioma surrounded by his daughters, Michele Bahl of Madison, WI, and Amy Lee of Chicago, and son-in-law Brendan Lee. Tony was a dedicated high school English teacher and a steadfast social justice advocate and longtime participant at…

  • It’s Kosher to Boycott Israeli Goods

    Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, July 1, 2013 An extensive list of 153 signatories from 24 different countries (below and at http://www.bdsmovement.net/2013/150-orgs-stand-french-repression-11117) have signed a solidarity message in support of French activists on trial for their BDS campaigning work. Updates about the trial and demonstrations outside are being posted on twitter hashtag #solidariteprocesbds and on…

  • McDonald’s Israel rejects West Bank branch proposal

    Burger Ranch, a rival, announced it would open a branch in Ariel “for the glory of the state of Israel” Israelis eat at a kosher McDonald’s restaurant in Tel Aviv. Photograph: Getty Images Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem, The Guardian, 27 June 2013 McDonald’s has refused to open a branch in an Israeli settlement in the…

  • 150 organizations join with BDS activists in France

    US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, June 26, 2013 USACBI is a signatory of the following statement in solidarity with BDS activists in France facing repression and criminal charges for their organizing for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. International solidarity with French BDS activists facing repression http://www.bdsmovement.net/2013/150-orgs-stand-french-repression-11117 June 26 2013 – As more…

  • Open Letter Opposing the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act

    http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Open-Letter-for-Co-Sponosrs-of-S-462.pdf

  • April 28, 2013
    Susan Abulhawa Talk in Madison

    Playgrounds for Palestine Annual Benefit Dinner Nile Restaurant [Map] 5:30 pm-8:00 pm The Madison chapter of Playgrounds for Palestine is pleased to invite you to attend a talk given by Susan Abulhawa, a Palestinian-American writer and political commentator. She is the author of the 2010 international bestselling novel Mornings in Jenin and founder of Playgrounds…

  • April 1, 2013
    WORT Interview about Elias Chacour Play

    “A Public Affair” WORT 89.9 FM 12 noon “A Public Affair” will be previewing the performance this Thursday, April 4th, of a one man play — We Belong to the Land — based on the life of world-renowned Palestinian peacemaker Elias Chacour. The Archbishop of Galilee of the Malkite Greek Catholic Church, Chacour is also…

  • Rachel Corrie’s Rafah Legacy

    Ramzy Baroud, CounterPunch, March 21, 2013 “Hi Papa .. Don’t worry about me too much, right now I am most concerned that we are not being effective. I still don’t feel particularly at risk. Rafah has seemed calmer lately,” Rachel Corrie wrote to her father, Craig, from Rafah, a town located at the southern end…

  • Not Enough Water in the West Bank?

    Click image for full screen Visualizing Palestine, March 2013 DESCRIPTION In partnership with EWASH (a coalition working in the water and sanitation sector in Palestine), VP produced ‘West Bank Water’, which describes the ways in which the Palestinian water supply in the West Bank is appropriated by the Israeli government before it reaches Palestinian homes.…

  • February 28, 2013
    Film: 5 Broken Cameras

    Trailer "5 Broken Cameras" from Guy Davidi on Vimeo. Hummus and a Movie: Screening of 5 Broken Cameras Our Saviors Lutheran Church 550 Lincoln Drive, Sun Prairie 6:30 pm [Map] Academy award-nominated movie by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, Palestinian refreshments served, fair trade Palestinian gifts for sale. Free admission. Contact person: Susan Berggren ph:…

  • Tsela Barr and Veena Brekke at East High School

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://madisonrafah.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HumanRightsWeekPresenters.pdf”]

  • Palestinians call for a boycott of Israeli diamonds

    9 February 2013 Palestinians call for a boycott of Israeli diamonds Over 50 Palestinian organisations, representing a cross-section of Palestinian civil society, including women’s groups and trade unions, and international organisations in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for equality, justice and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, have issued an appeal to women…

  • March 17, 2013
    Annual Rachel Corrie Commemorative Dinner

    Sunday, March 17 Nile Restaurant, Madison 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:15 pm March 16, 2013 will mark the tenth anniversary of the killing of Rachel Corrie in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. As we have for the last few years, MRSCP will mark this occasion with our annual dinner benefit, once again at the Nile…

  • Tell Obama: Condition aid to Israel on compliance with international law

    Annie Robbins, Mondoweiss, January 10, 2013 There’s a big rally coming up on Inauguration Weekend in Washington DC and we’re all invited. The “No Blank Check Rally,” sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee and Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace is a chance, as the promoters say, to                                          Tell President Obama:…

  • January 19, 2013 March and Rally
    No Blank Check For Israel!

    The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January 9, 2013 Saturday, January 19th 2013, 4-6 pm Washington, DC Rally at Farragut Square (Conn. Ave., 17th and K Streets, NW) at 4 pmFollowed by Candlelight Procession to the White House Tell President Obama: Israel should not be above the law. Condition US aid to Israel on compliance with…

  • The people of Gaza suffer

    Palestinians warm themselves by a fire inside a house, which witnesses said was damaged in an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip last week. Joyce F. Guinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 27, 2012 On Nov. 5, along with 20 members of an Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation, I entered the Palestinian Rafah crossing into the…