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The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project

More September Events!

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Admin

Friday, Sept. 22:

Palestine Writes Literature Festival Live-Streamed Session

From 12:30 pm CT to end of day

Some of you may have heard of the spectacular Palestine Writes Literature Festival being held this coming weekend at Penn State University.

While this is primarily an in-person event, there will be livestreaming of the Friday opening session. You must register for that here. The livestream begins at registration, with the camera walking around the space and talking with people before the festival begins. There will be live translation to Arabic during the official opening sessions, including opening remarks, spoken word, first plenary, and more.

Also, you may be interested to know that the Festival has been subjected to a shameless and intense campaign by pro-Israel groups seeking to shut it down; you can read about that here.

Saturday, September 23:

Palestine Partners at the Northside Festival

1-5 pm

Warner Park, 2920 N Sherman Ave Madison WI 53704

Palestine Partners will be tabling at the Northside Festival. Come and purchase beautiful crafts from Women in Hebron and delicious Aida brand Palestinian olive oil from Playgrounds for Palestine.

Festival information here. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events: September 13 — 21, 2023

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Admin

Wednesday, Sept. 13: Storytelling as Resistance
Thursday, Sept. 14: The Legacy of Oslo: Thirty Years Later
Thursday, Sept. 14: Palestine Partners at the Madison Night Market!
Friday, Sept. 15: The Developers: Land/Life Grabbers in Palestine
Sunday, Sept. 17: March for Peace at Willy Street Parade
Sunday, Sept. 17: Virtual Tour of the Gaza Strip with Green Olive Tours
Sunday, Sept. 17: Adam Manasra speaks in Madison
Thursday, Sept. 21: Art Under Occupation
Thursday, Sept. 21: Online Screening and Discussion of Film Boycott

Wednesday, Sept. 13:

12 noon CT online

Storytelling as Resistance: Palestinian Identity and Resilience in Literature for Young People

In this webinar, we will hear from a diverse panel of professionals – Christian, Muslim, and Jewish – who through their teaching and writing about Palestine for young people, convey a challenging subject in engaging and educational ways that overcome the all-too-common erasure of the Palestinian people and their story.

Topics will include the importance of representation and truth-telling and how children can learn about difficult subjects in age-appropriate ways. Booklists, curriculums, and other resources will be shared that can help us learn how best to convey the Palestinian story to children. Our discussion and resources should provide valuable insights and learning for Palestine-related conversations and communications with adults as well.

Registration and full information here.

Thursday, Sept. 14

5 — 9 pm

Palestine Partners at the Madison Night Market on State Street!

400 Block of State Street, in front of Warby-Parker Store

Palestine Partners returns to the Madison Night Market with fabulous crafts from Women in Hebron and a great supply of Palestinian Olive Oil from Playgrounds for Palestine.

Thursday, Sept. 14:

2 pm CT online

The Legacy of Oslo: Thirty Years Later

On this 30th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, Palestinians throughout historic Palestine and beyond are still denied their fundamental rights guaranteed under international law. The last 30 years are representative of an Israeli annexation process, as opposed to a peace process. … This webinar will reflect on these 30 years, and how we move forward toward justice and liberation for the Palestinian people.

Online live on Facebook or YouTube. (Full information at either link)

Friday, Sept. 15:

5 pm CT via Livestream from Berkeley, CA

“The Developers” and the Land/Life-Grabbers in Palestine: Between Silwan and the Armenian Quarter

Prof. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s research focuses on trauma, state crimes and criminology, surveillance, gender violence, law and society. She studies the crime of femicide and other forms of gender based violence, violence against children in conflict ridden areas, crimes of abuse of power in settler colonial contexts, surveillance, securitization and social control.

Watch the livestream here

Sunday, Sept. 17

Continue reading →

September 17, 2023
Virtual Tour of the Gaza Strip

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Admin

Sunday, September 17th
8PM Jerusalem, 7PM Berlin, 6PM London, 1PM NYC, 12PM Central

Gaza is frequently referred to as the largest prison in the world and has been under closure since 2007.

Join us for a virtual tour showcasing the way Israeli policy has created an ongoing humanitarian and political catastrophe. With almost annual military assaults by Israel and a near total ban on international observers, we will use virtual technology to cross the militarized border zone, visit major historical sites, and imagine a future in which freedom of movement will be guaranteed to all residents of the Gaza Strip.

Register for the Webinar

Please help us spread the word and share this event with relevant activist, faith, and learning communities. We know many people are looking for perspective in this moment and want as many people as possible to benefit from the invaluable perspective Alex Jones will provide about contemporary reality in the Gaza Strip.

Green Olive Collective is a Palestinian/Israeli organisation, working to end the occupation and foster respect for human rights, political rights, and freedom for all. More than 400 Investors and Members from over twenty-two countries support the mission.

Upcoming Events: August 29 — October 16, 2023

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Admin

Tuesday, August 29, 7 pm CT
Reparations and the Palestinian Right of Return as Teshuvah (Repentence) for the Nakba: An online talk by Peter Beinart

Organizers suggest you may want to read this article by Beinart in Jewish Currents before the talk.

Details and registration here. Part of a series sponsored by Reconstructionists Expanding the Conversation on Israel-Palestine.

Saturday, September 16, 7 pm CT
Sep 16: Bright Stars of Bethlehem’s Virtual Fundraising Gala

Monday, October 16, 12 noon – 1:05 pm
Arab Women’s Revolutionary Art: Between Singularities and Multitudes
Ingraham 206, UW-Madison

Profesor Nevine El Nossery will discuss her latest book in which she explores the ways women in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa have re-imagined revolutionary discourses through creativity and collective action as a means of resistance. More information here.

September 16, 2023
Bright Stars of Bethlehem’s Virtual Fundraising Gala

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Admin

Join us on Saturday, September 16th at 7 P.M. CDT for Bright Stars of Bethlehem’s Be The Hope 4th Annual Virtual Fundraising Gala! We’ll take you on a virtual trip to Palestine by sharing student stories, hearing from special guests, and getting Dar al-Kalima University updates from Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb.

More information and registration

Upcoming Events: July 23-25, 2023

Posted on July 20, 2023 by Admin

Sunday, July 23: Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour on WORT Radio
Monday, July 24: Online: Taking on AIPAC to Fight for our Future
Tuesday, July 25: No Way to Treat a Child Campaign Webinar

Sunday, July 23:

Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour on WORT Radio’s World View

5:30 pm (approximately)

89.9 FM or listen live on line

Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour, Palestinian child trauma expert, spoke in Milwaukee on July 15. Tune in for a taped interview with him conducted by Gil Halstead on WORT’s World View program; interview should begin at approximately 5:30 pm (the show starts at 5 pm with news). (If you miss the show, you can find it later in the WORT archives.)

Dr. Abusrour, is the founder and general director of Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society located in Aida refugee camp-Bethlehem. Alrowwad’s mission is to create a Palestinian society free of violence where women and children are empowered through art, social entrepreneurship and innovation through self-expression.

For more information, see this article from the Milwaukee Muslim Journal.

Monday, July 24:

7 pm Central Time

Sponsored by If Not Now

More Information and Registration Here.

Tuesday, July 25:

No Way to Treat a Child campaign webinar
11 am Central Time
Please join the monthly webinar from AFSC and Defense for Children International – Palestine on advocacy for Palestinian rights. This webinar will feature lessons learned from Palestinian rights advocates who engage with elected officials in local communities and on Capitol Hill. The webinar is timed before the August recess when members of Congress return to their home districts.

Information and Registration here.

July 16, 2023 Webinar on the Film My Tree

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Admin

Event Date: July 16, 2023

Time: 3 pm ET/ 2 pm CT/ 12 noon PT

Using children’s donations collected via “little blue boxes,” the Jewish National Fund has planted more than 250 million trees in Israel/Palestine. Ostensibly to “make the desert bloom,” the planting has radically altered the land’s biodiversity. My Tree follows filmmaker Jason Sherman’s journey to find the tree planted in his name on the occasion of his bar mitzvah. When he discovers that “his” tree is in a forest covering up a Palestinian village destroyed in 1967 – one of many forests hiding scores of destroyed villages – he seeks to learn the motivations behind JNF’s tree-planting enterprise and to understand his own culpability.

Watch the film for free at your convenience; Join the Q&A Discussion

Jason Sherman: Jewish Canadian playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker

Seth Morrison: Treasurer, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, publicly resigned from Washington D.C. Board of Jewish National Fund

Mazin Qumsiyeh: author, founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History (PMNH) and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University

Iymen Chehade (moderator): Professor of Middle Eastern History, Columbia College; founder, Uprising Theater

You must register to get the free film link and to participate in the Q&A discussion: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-July2023

Watch the Trailers: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-MyTreeTrailer

The July 2023 Online Film Salon is Co-Sponsored by:

Kehilla Community Synagogue Middle East Peace Committee

Israel-Palestine Mission Network, PCUSA

SUPPORTER Organizations: Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ♦ Episcopal Peace Fellowship-Palestine Israel Network ♦ Churches for Middle East Peace ♦ Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace ♦ Quaker Palestine Israel Network ♦ Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East ♦ Indiana Center for Middle East Peace ♦ Disciples Palestine-Israel Network ♦ Virginia Coalition for Human Rights ♦ Mennonite Palestine Israel Network ♦ Friends of Sabeel North America ♦ Center for Jewish Nonviolence ♦ United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network ♦ Northern New Jersey Jewish Voice for Peace ♦ Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service ♦ Kairos Puget Sound Coalition ♦ Pax Christi USA ♦

Upcoming Events: June 28 – July 5, 2023

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Admin

Wednesday, June 28: No Visa Waiver Program for Israel
Wednesday, June 28: First Madison Banner Drop for ‘Stop Cop City’ campaign
Sunday, July 2: Webinar: Gaza’s Ongoing Catastrophe
Wednesday, July 5: Resisting Lawfare Webinar: Building on a Win
Wednesday, July 5: Second ‘Stop Cop City’ banner drop

AND…Article of the Week #1: Why We Are Anti-Zionist Jews
Judith Laitman and MRSCP member Tsela Barr had this opinion piece published in the Capital Times earlier in June.

AND…Article of the Week #2: ‘Apartheid-Free Communities’ Campaign launched targeting Israeli Apartheid

UPCOMING EVENTS DETAILS

Wednesday, June 28:
Stopping Israel’s Entry into the Visa Waiver Program
1-1:30 pm Central Time via Zoom

On Wed. June 28 on Coffee and a Column, I will be joined by Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), who will speak about his recent letter calling on the Biden administration to pause Israel’s entry into the US Visa Waiver Program until Israel meets compliance with the statutory requirements for full reciprocity.

We will discuss the baffling decision by some in the Biden Administration trying to accelerate the admission of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program, a decision that would be insulting to every Arab American.

In case you missed it, you can read this week’s Washington Watch column here.

Please register here to receive the dial-in information for the Zoom call Wednesday June 28th, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. After you register, you will automatically get the dial-in information for the call.

I hope you can join us then.

Regards,
Jim Zogby

Wednesday, June 28:
First Recurring Madison #StopCopCity Banner Drop
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Campus Drive Pedestrian Bridge

Come stand with organizers fighting to Stop Cop City, the proposed police training center in Atlanta that will cost $90 million and over 85 acres of wilderness. All are invited to come and stand in solidarity with Atlanta-area activists and with the Movement for Black Lives and other organizations fighting to reallocate funds from police forces to the health of our communities.

More Information (The next banner drop will be on July 5.)

There is also this local petition that you can sign.

NOTE: Supporters of Palestinian rights have a special stake in the fight against Cop City due to the connections between US police, including in Atlanta, and the Israeli police and military; see for example “Law Enforcement Delegation Visits Israel” and this article in the Progressive Magazine.

Sunday, July 2:
Gaza’s Ongoing Catastrophe
12 Noon Central Time

Gaza is often called the largest prison in the world, and has been under closure since 2007. The Green Olive Collective and Gisha present a webinar about the ways Israel has created a humanitarian and political catastrophe there. With frequent military assaults and severe restrictions on information, it is more important than ever to expose the systems of violence that permeate daily life in Gaza.

More information and registration

Wednesday, July 5:

1 pm Central Time, Online

The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) recently won a resounding victory in the case brought against them by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) when a US court stopped the JNF’s baseless attack aimed at stopping pro-Palestinian advocacy. You are invited to learn more about this victory and the way forward.

More information and registration

Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition hosts Nelson Mandela’s grandson at launch of Nakba tour

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Admin

Sandra Whitehead, Wisconsin Muslim Journal, May 23, 2023

Photos by Mouna Photography

Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, the grandson of globally respected icon of resistance against injustice Nelson Mandela, meets members of Milwaukee’s Muslim community.

About 40 community and interfaith leaders joined the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition at the Islamic Resource Center in Greenfield May 15 to welcome the grandson of anti-apartheid activist and South Africa’s first president Nelson Mandela on the launch of his six-city U.S. tour to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland.

Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition president Janan Najeeb (left) welcomes activist and South African parliament member Nkosi Mandela (center) to the Islamic Resource Center in Greenfield.

Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, the South African parliament member and chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council, repeated the well-known message of his grandfather: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.” In his weeklong U.S. tour, Mandela spoke in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

Following the dinner at the IRC, Mandela began his tour with a speech at Turner Hall in Milwaukee in which he called on the audience to consider what they could do individually and collectively to support the Palestinian cause. He spoke about how the BDS movement (boycott, divestment and sanctions) had been effective in South Africa and would work to liberate Palestinians.

“His message was uplifting,” said MMWC president and IRC director Janan Najeeb. “If it is possible for South Africa to be free after 350 years of colonialism and six decades of apartheid, it is possible for Palestinians to also one day be free.”

MMWC president Janan Najeeb (left) welcomed community leaders to a reception for South African activist and parliamentarian Nkosi Mandela (right). Haitham Salawah (center) represented the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which co-sponsored Mandela’s U.S. tour.

Continuing his grandfather’s legacy

Haitham Salawdeh, the U.S. Palestinian Community national treasurer and Milwaukee chapter co-chair, introduced Chief Mandela. The national tour was hosted by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network and the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression. Madison for Palestine was also instrumental in bringing Mandela for this tour.

Salawdeh thanked Mandela for visiting six U.S. cities “to tell the story of our people. Coming from the leadership of anti-apartheid and speaking on the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, your visit here today is historic.”

After thanking USPCN and Madison for Palestine for the invitation, Mandela said, “When the invitation came, I immediately accepted the call to duty.”

He shared a story about his first experience of meeting his grandfather “at the young, tender age of 9-years-old in Pollsmoor Prison “I met my grandfather at the young, tender age of 9-years-old in Pollsmoor Prison … It was in 1983. I didn’t know where I was going or who I was going to meet. Suddenly, I saw him coming down the corridor.”

After his grandfather hugged members of the family, he turned to Nkosi. “You must be my grandson.

“I had 100 questions in my head. I saw bars on every window and every door. This was clearly a prison and if my grandfather was in prison, he had shamed our family. For a 9-year-old boy, a prison is a place for those who have done wrong in society. I became very angry and very bitter from that experience.”

He learned later that his grandfather wrote a letter to his friend Helen Joseph, a white woman who was a South African anti-apartheid activist.

He told her he recently had a visit from his grandson whose English was bad and would she please assist him. “It was the only letter I ever saw from my grandfather that was not heavily censored,” he said.

Young Nkosi was embarrassed because “my grandfather thinks I can’t speak English,” but what his elder was really communicating to his comrade was that his grandson didn’t know who his grandfather was and the ideals and principles he stood for. He wasn’t familiar with the struggle for liberation. He was asking Joseph to educate his grandson about the cause.

Continue reading →

Upcoming Events: May 21-28, 2023

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Admin

Sunday, May 21: WORT Show Her Turn with Cassandra Dixon
Sunday, May 21: Zoom Film & Talk Back: Two Kids a Day
Tuesday, May 23 – Thursday, May 25: Online: Palestine Digital Activism Forum
Tuesday, May 23: Webinar on Palestinian Children & Families Act
Thursday, May 25: Rev. Don Wagner discusses his book Glory to God in the Lowest: Journeys to an Unholy Land
Friday, May 26: Palestine Partners at The Bodega, Breese Stevens Field
Sunday, May 28: Green Olive & Zochrot present From Nakba to Return

UPCOMING EVENTS DETAILS

Sunday, May 21:
WORT Radio’s Her Turn interviews Cassandra Dixon
11-11:30 am

Cassandra will be the guest on WORT’s Her Turn, a magazine radio show by and about women. Cassandra will discuss her recent trip to Palestine including the situation on the ground and her assault by Israeli settlers.

Tune in at 89.9 FM or listen live online.

And here’s WORT’s earlier interview with Cassandra and Masafer Yatta activist Ali Awad.

Sunday, May 21:
Film Screening & Talk Back: Two Kids a Day
2-4 pm CT

On average, two Palestinian kids are arrested every night by the Israeli army. They are interrogated, tried, and sent to prison. The film Two Kids a Day describes the use of minors’ arrests to control and repress Palestinian society. Join Churches for Middle East Peace on Sunday May 21st at 12 pm Pacific/ 3 pm Eastern for a virtual screening of the film and a conversation with the film director and co-producer. If you are interested in hosting a satellite screening of this event at your church, contact Jennifer at jennifer@cmep.org.

More Info and Registration

Tuesday, May 23:
Zoom Webinar on Rep. McCollum’s
Palestinian Children and Families Act, HR 3103
11:00 am Central

HR 3103 aims to prohibit Israel from using our taxes to violate Palestinian human rights. More information about the bill

Join this webinar sponsored by the No Way to Treat a Child campaign and Defense for Children International-Palestine to learn how you can help push this critical bill forward. More information and registration (If you can’t attend but would like to get a recording of the event, please register and it will be sent to you afterwards.)

ALSO NOTE: Rep. Mark Pocan is an original co-sponsor of this act, so if you are a constituent, please consider thanking him.

Tues May 23 – Thurs May 25: Online:
Palestine Digital Activism Forum

NOTE: YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THIS IN ADVANCE.
A comprehensive three day online conference aiming (1) to develop Palestinian digital activism and create a space for exchange of experiences and expertise with local and international counterparts; (2) to increase awareness among members of the Palestinian public about digital rights issues and challenges; and (3) to increase Palestinian digital rights activists access to local and international power holders to facilitate changes in policies and practices.

Sponsored by 7amleh- Arab Center for Social Media Advancement
More information and registration

Thursday, May 25:
Book Talk and Signing
1301 Regent St, Madison
7 – 9 pm

A free event co-sponsored by MRSCP.
More info and reservation
Review of the book

Friday, May 26:
Palestine Partners
The Bodega, Breese Stevens Field
5-9 pm

Come and shop all the beautiful products from Women in Hebron marketed by Palestine Partners at Madison’s Bodega market, located at Breese Stevens Field on East Washington Avenue.

Sunday, May 28
From Nakba To Return webinar
12 Noon Central Time

Green Olive Collective and Zochrot present: From Nakba To Return, a webinar imagining how Palestinian return could look in practice.

As we mark the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, it is more important than ever to imagine the end of ongoing displacement and a reality beyond apartheid, partition, and occupation.

We will speak with Umar Al-Ghubari of Zochrot about how to focus on the past as a key to a future of collective freedom where the rights of Palestinian returnees are honored.

More information and registration