The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP)
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Apr 3, 2025
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The Israeli leadership and the Israeli public didn’t think about the occupation, didn’t talk about Palestinians. . . I mean, they blockaded a place that is one of the most densely populated places in the world for almost 20 years. . . And now that everybody understands that they do exist and that it is back on the table, then they are very, very vengeful. ― Merav Zonshine, Israeli journalist and commentator in Israel’s Reel Extremism, Jun 18, 2024
Veena Brekke, December 19, 2012 On Sunday afternoon, December 16, citizens of the Madison area were fortunate to hear a presentation by Iyad Burnat, a Palestinian farmer and leader in non-violent protests currently on a four-month speaking tour of the United States. About 60 people gathered at Memorial United Church of Christ in Fitchburg to…
WORT 89.9 FM 6:00-6:30 pm MRSCP member Michele Bahl will be interviewed about the struggle of Palestinian prisoners and other issues raised in her recent trip to Gaza. For current news on this issue, see: Podcast: Israel wants to criminalize human rights defenders, says head of Palestinian prisoner’s rights group raided by army. The Electronic…
Craft and Cookie Sale to benefit Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem Saturday, December 15 Memorial Memorial United Church of Christ 5705 Lacy Road, Fitchburg [Map] 9 am 12 pm Annual holiday event benefits Memorial UCC partnership with the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem in the West Bank of Palestine. Fellowship Hall will be transformed into…
Sunday, December 16 Memorial United Church of Christ 5705 Lacy Road, Fitchburg 2:00 pm [Map] Trailer "5 Broken Cameras" from Guy Davidi on Vimeo. Iyad Burnat is head of the Bilin Popular Committee and a leader in the villages non-violent popular resistance movement. Since 2005 citizens of Bilin have held weekly demonstrations against the building…
Memorial Library, Room 126 UW-Madison [Map] 7:00 pm An extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, 5 Broken Cameras is a deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. 5 Broken Cameras was shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who initially purchased…
TSELA BARR AND MICHELE BAHL | members, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Cap Times, Nov 22, 2012 Picture this normal scene: Teenage boys are playing soccer in front of their house on a sunny day in November. Just one problem: These boys live in the Gaza Strip. Suddenly a 13-year-old drops bleeding to the ground, shot…
Yasmin Mogahed, Nov 19, 2012 For Jennifer Loewenstein, April 19, 2002 was a “waking nightmare”. She stood silent at the edge of the camp, in disbelief–and horror. Listening to the sound of wailing, she watched as medical workers lay out the bodies of the dead. The corpses, wrapped in white, were loaded onto the back…
Demands End to Siege in Gaza and Justice for Rachel Corrie Ongoing Attacks in Gaza Underscore Urgent Need for Human Rights Defenders in Occupied Palestine Washington, DC | www.adc.org | November 19, 2012 — Last Friday, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), CODEPINK, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), and the U.S. Campaign to End the…
The Four Guilty Parties Behind Israel’s Attack JONATHAN COOK, November 19, 2012 Nazareth — A short interview broadcast by CNN late last week featuring two participants – a Palestinian in Gaza and an Israeli within range of the rocket attacks – did not follow the usual script. For once, a media outlet dropped its role…
John Quinlan, WORT 89.9 FM – A Public Affair, November 19, 2012 On Monday November 19th, host John Quinlan was joined in conversation with visitors from a peace delegation sponsored by the Interfaith Peace-Builders. The delegates just returned this past week from Gaza and and the West Bank. Permission for foreigners to obtain passage to…
Breaking Truce, Israeli Strikes Kill "Moderate" Hamas Military Chief, Palestinian Civilians in Gaza Democracy Now!, November 15, 2012 Israel is threatening to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip after breaking an informal ceasefire with an ongoing series of deadly attacks. At least 13 Palestinian civilians have been killed, including a baby and a…
On the day that the Interfaith Peace Builders delegation (with four women from Wisconsin) safely left Gaza, Israel’s attacks began … please read the following message and watch the news. The great fear is a repeat of Operation Cast Lead, launched exactly four years ago following the U.S. presidential election … emergency demonstrations are being…
Michele Bahl, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, November 14, 2012 Yesterday we visited the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. Since the siege, which started in 2006 when Hamas won the election, there has been a medication shortage. Israel controls everything that comes into Gaza, and we were told that cancer medications are not allowed in. There…
[slideshow_deploy id=’2832’] Michele Bahl and Tsela (Carol) Barr of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project entered Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on November 5, 2012 as part of a 21-member delegation from Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB). This was the first IFPB delegation to enter the Gaza Strip since 2003. From the Interfaith Peace-Builders report: “Like other…
Interfaith Peace-Builders, November 5, 2012 November 5, 2012 – Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) is pleased to announce that our 21 member delegation to the Gaza Strip passed safely through the Rafah Crossing Monday morning and is now safely in the Gaza Strip. Interfaith Peace-Builders has sent more than 44 delegations to Palestine/Israel since 2001. This is…
Veena Brekke, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, October 31, 2012 On October 28th we departed the beautiful city of Nazareth to visit Palestinian towns, villages, farms and spend two nights in Palestinian homes. I would like to share my experience of visiting the small farming village of Nusf Jubayl, West Bank (Area A – occupied territory)…
Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine Interfaith Peace-Builders, October 23, 2012 October 23, 2012 – Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) is pleased to announce that our 32 member delegation to Israel/Palestine arrived at Ben-Gurion airport Tuesday morning and is now safely in Jerusalem. The purpose of this delegation, the 42nd to make the trip since 2001, is…
Daoud Nassar: “The most effective way to reach peace is meeting people face-to-face. It’s possible to resolve grievances in a nonviolent way.” Palestinian farmer and Tent of Nations representative speaks on “Steadfastness” Monday, November 5 Anderson Auditorium Edgewood College, Madison 7 pm Daoud Nassar’s family owns a farm on a hillside outside Hebron, in the…
Miko Peled, activist and author of The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine The Pyle Center 702 Langdon Street University of Wisconsin-Madison [Map] 7:30 pm In 1997 a tragedy struck the family of Israeli-American Miko Peled: his beloved niece Smadar was killed by a suicide bomber in Jerusalem. That tragedy propelled Peled onto…
Arab Voices, KPFT 90.1 FM, September 26, 2012 mp3 audio file Jennifer Loewenstein Political activist and Faculty Associate in Middle East Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is an expert on contemporary Middle East: history, politics, culture, religion, and U.S. foreign policy in the region. She is a freelance journalist, a human rights activist,…
BARB OLSON, Cap Times, Aug 31, 2012 The verdict in the civil lawsuit against the state of Israel for the killing of peace activist Rachel Corrie more than nine years ago was announced Aug. 28 at the District Court in Haifa, Israel. While many human rights advocates had high hopes that the court would provide…
WORT 89.9 fm | Madison WI, 30 August 2012 On Thursday August 30th, Allen Ruff interviewed Craig Corrie about the recent verdict from an Israeli Judge regarding his daughter, Rachel Corrie’s death. Judge Oded Gershon rejected the parent’s negligence lawsuit, stating that Corrie’s death was an accident that she brought upon herself. Over nine years…
I am not permitted to live with my wife in the country of my birth YOUSEF MUNAYYER, New York Times, May 23, 2012 Washington I’m a Palestinian who was born in the Israeli town of Lod, and thus I am an Israeli citizen. My wife is not; she is a Palestinian from Nablus in the…
The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project has a library of films about Palestine available for free public showings or household viewing. We can also help introduce the films and facilitate discussion. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee’s Palestine in Film, May 15, 2012 To commemorate the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announced the online publication…
Anderson Auditorium Edgewood College 7:00 pm Diyar Dance Theatre of Bethlehem: 40 talented, enthusiastic and committed dancers, male and female, of different age groups and backgrounds. The vision of Diyar Dance Theatre is to celebrate Palestinian culture and history through traditional dances, while promoting creativity. Diyar Dance Theatre is the only dance troupe in Bethlehem…
ABEL KERSHNER and FARES AKRAM, New York Times, April 1, 2012 The woman, Hana Shalabi, 30, from the northern West Bank, was the second Palestinian this year to have challenged and changed the terms of their “administrative detention,” a practice of the Israeli military courts that allows imprisonment based on secret informants or information and…
The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project invites you to the Third Annual Rachel Corrie Commemorative Benefit Dinner Sunday, March 18, 5:00 pm The Nile Restaurant [Map] 6119 Odana Road, Madison, WI Featured guests: Craig and Cindy Corrie, parents of Rachel (Program information to follow) Cost: $20 per person/$35 per couple for a Middle Eastern dinner of…
“What We Saw, What We Can Do” April 12, 2012, 7:00 pm 180 Science Hall, UW-Madison Campus Book signing to follow Dr. Mads Gilbert, one of two Norwegian doctors who remained in Gaza under fire during Israeli Operation Cast Lead, will be in Madison to speak about his experiences. Both he and his colleague, Dr.…
Children at the Tuyar Al-Jena Kindergarten in Rafah turn on the tap Here in Wisconsin we’ve hardly been hibernating. So much is happening at the state and local level, to say nothing of the 2012 presidential campaign. But now and again we need to stick our noses out of our local dens and act as…
Please do this today. Atfaluna Society for the Deaf is one of our crafts suppliers as well. Middle East Children’s Alliance, 19 November 2011 Every holiday season, the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) and Joining Hands sponsors a bazaar of Palestinian crafts and goods. Throughout each year, we spend time building relationships with creative and…
Supporting the Next Generation of Unarmed Resisters Sunday, Nov. 20 at 5 pm in Anderson Auditorium, Predolin Hall, Edgewood College Monday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 pm on the UW-Madison campus (see Today in the Union) The past year has seen a tremendous resurgence of unarmed revolt throughout North Africa and the Middle East as millions…
Palestine: Past, Present and Future Ilan Pappé Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, 1948-1967" Tuesday, November 15, 7pm, 2650 Humanities "Squaring the Circle: the Failure of the Middle East Peace Process" Wednesday, November 16, 7pm, 2650 Humanities Open Seminar for Students, Faculty and Public Thursday, November 17,…
You are invited to view the photo exhibit “Windows into Gaza” at Edgewood College’s Sonderegger Hall in Madison from Sept. 24 to October 6. A formal opening program for the exhibit will take place on Monday, September 26 from 6 to 7 pm at Sonderegger Hall. The program will include remarks by UW Professor Joe…
As part of the annual World Music Festival sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate and others, an innovative, exciting new film will have its Madison premier. Cultures of Resistance explores how art and creativity can be the ammunition in the battle for peace and justice on a world-wide scale. As a celebration of cultural diversity,…
Passengers Determined to Free Captain and Set Sail Again U.S. to Gaza, July 2, 2011 Contacts: In Athens 30-694-266-3852 In New York Leslie Cagan, 347-581-1782 After a two hour stand off at sea, the U.S. Boat to Gaza The Audacity of Hope was seized by the Greek Coast Guard and forced to return to the…
I want to begin by thanking the members of AIPAC the Jewish Zionist community who are here tonight. I am glad that they decided to set aside time to express solidarity with the people of Palestine. I know that you will listen to the tapes and view the recordings of my remarks tonight and you…
Dear Members and Friends of MRSCP, Here is a special request regarding the upcoming Freedom Flotilla 2, the second effort to break the siege of Gaza by sea which will be heading to Gaza in the next few days. This time, there is a U.S. Boat, The Audacity of Hope, participating in the Flotilla. Please…
Progressive Radio News Hour, Jun 12th, 2011 Jennifer Loewenstein teaches at the University of Wisconsin and is Associate Director of its Middle East Studies Program. She’s also a board member of the Israeli Coalition against House Demolitions-USA branch, founder of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, and a freelance journalist. Libya, Occupied Palestine and other Middle…
Joe Klein, Time, May 26, 2011 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in Washington on May 24, 2011 [Jason Reed / EPA] Of all the petty annoyances, misdemeanors and felonies of public life, there is none that Barack Obama detests more than to have his words twisted or oversimplified. It…
Commercial traffic to pass through border points with Israel Adel Zaanoun, Agence France Presse, 28 May 2011 RAFAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Egypt on Saturday reopened its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, allowing people to cross freely for the first time in four years, in a move hailed by Hamas but criticised by Israel. Among…
The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) was started in 2003 by a group of concerned citizens in Madison, Wisconsin and Rafah, Palestine. The goals of the project include building wider public awareness of issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and lasting person-to-person relationships between people in the U.S. and in Palestine. MRSCP is…
‘I can continue defending you to the hilt, but if you give me nothing to work with, even America can’t save you.’ HELENE COOPER, The New York Times, May 22, 2011 WASHINGTON — President Obama struck back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in a speech to a pro-Israel lobbying group on Sunday, defending…
Mr. Netanyahu Explains, Jeff Danziger, May 22, 2011
EVENT INFORMATION Sat, May 14, 2011 1:00 – 3:00 pm St. John’s Lutheran Church 322 East Washington Ave Madison, WI Background: On September 24, the FBI raided the homes and offices of peace activists in Minneapolis and Chicago. They seized computers, phones, documents and other personal items. The FBI has also been contacting other activists…
Anderson Auditorium Edgewood College Madison 7:00 pm A one-person drama based on the writings of Father Elias Chacour. You who live in the United States, if you are pro-Israel, on behalf of the Palestinian children I call unto you: give further friendship to Israel. They need your friendship. But stop interpreting that friendship as an…
MATC Downtown Education Center 211 N. Carroll Street, Room D240 Madison [Map] 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Ziad Abbas will speak on Water and Solidarity with Palestine. He will discuss Palestine’s water crisis in the broader context of ongoing displacement, military occupation, and the current political events in the Arab world. He will tell you…
National Lawyers’ Guild Regional Conference Panels University of Wisconsin Law School 975 Bascom Mall, Madison 3:00 – 4:15 pm: Piecing Together Peace: Countering Israeli Apartheid Through Action Featuring Jennifer Loewenstein, UW Professor, and a speaker from Minnesota’s Break the Bonds Campaign, an organization calling for the state of Minnesota to support the breaking of economic…
4 – 5:30 pm Room 336, Ingraham Hall UW-Madison [Map] Ziad Abbas will speak on “Palestine amid the Arab World Uprising: Facts on the Ground and Prospects for the Future”. A Palestinian whose family was uprooted from Zakariah in 1948, Ziad Abbas will discuss his experiences growing up under Israeli Occupation. He will discuss the…
Cash bar/socializing 5:30 pm Dinner 6:00 pm Program 7 – 9 pm Bunky’s Cafe 2425 Atwood Avenue Madison [Map] Film: One Family in Gaza Speaker: Ziad Abbas of the Middle East Children’s Alliance This year’s dinner will be a benefit for the MAIA clean water project of the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA). The program…