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| Generations of Commitment: The American Task Force on Palestine is proud to announce that the renowned Syrian-American composer and pianist Malek Jandali will be performing at ATFP's 10th anniversary Gala on October 29th... Jandali is an internationally recognized, award-winning artist as well as a human rights activist. He was the recipient of the 2011 “Freedom of Expression” award in Los Angeles. In 2012, he was recognized in New York City with the “Arab-American Cultural Achievement Award.” Among his outstanding artistic achievements include the album "Echoes from Ugarit," which is based on ancient Hurrian songs inscribed on clay tablets that were discovered in Ugarit, Syria, and are considered to be the oldest notated music in the world. Jandali is also known for his inspiring song of freedom, “Watani Ana.” |
http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/the-anxiety-of-exodus/?ref=international
Dear Editor,
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you... Golden Rule living is a good recipe for mental health, personal relations, peace negotiations, and for creating a more inclusive and enduring happily ever after no matter who you are, or how you chose to define yourself.
"Jews fleeing the Nazis, only to have their grandchildren flock back to Germany a few decades later" mainly proves that modern Germany has enlightened compassionate policies in welcoming home returning refugees... and fair and just laws... and thus a bright future.
In sharp contrast modern Israel is obviously not as compassionate and enlightened, nor is today's Jews-preferred Israel as mindful of the importance of respecting universal basic human rights including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees inalienable right to return to original homes and lands.
Israel's ongoing pattern of demolishing Palestinians homes, usurping Palestinian land and pushing the native non-Jewish population of the Holy Land into poverty and forced exile is cruel. How much worse is "The Zionist enterprise" going to get ? No wonder Israeli Jews are anxious- and nervous about being abandoned by their offspring!
"Jews fleeing the Nazis, only to have their grandchildren flock back to Germany a few decades later" clearly indicates that life moves on and narratives can change... and sometimes if you are lucky your grown children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and all their friends will have the freedom and the ability as well as the desire to live nearby, or at least visit you often, making nice memories.
Fair and just laws and polices are a necessary part of helping make that happen for everyone, regardless of any one's supposed race or religion.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
Tel Aviv conference plans for Palestinian return: Israel is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians who were displaced from their villages in 1948 but remained inside the new state’s borders. Many of these communities ended up as refugees only mere miles from their original villages but were forbidden to return by the State of Israel.
A quest to preserve Palestinian heritage in the digital stacks: Sami Batrawi's struggle to open an online Palestinian Library of Congress is part of a broader effort to recover lost Palestinian intellectual heritage.
Pomegranates in season along the path!
VERY CATCHY Theme song for THE MUSLIMS ARE COMING! ... please help pass the word [The film now out on iTunes and Amazon for rental/purchase]
ATFP Galas: Palestine's Washington Showcase... "One of the most crucial aspects of ATFP's mission has been to change the image of Palestine and Palestinians in Washington, moving beyond the traditional binary stereotypes of menacing terrorists or wretched refugees. There is an all-American story to be told about Palestinian immigrants to the United States, and a need to celebrate their contributions to our country and to the world."
Grape festival begins in Hebron area
Peace & Israel... "It was the theft of that land that led to the continuing hostility of Arab and Muslim countries, a hostility that will only go away when the Palestinians receive justice." Guardian letter by Karl Sabbagh, author of Palestine: A Personal History
Obama urges world to take risks for Mideast peace... "All of us must recognize that peace will be a powerful tool to defeat extremists, and embolden those who are prepared to build a better future," he said.
Jordan's King Abdullah II explains that extremism has "grown fat" off of the longstanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
CSM: Israel increases rate of home demolitions as peace talks chug along- Human rights activists say home demolitions show that protection for Palestinian human rights is missing from the peace process.
Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region
"Where, after all, do
universal human rights begin? In small places,
close to home - so close and so small that they
cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet
they are the world of the individual person; the
neighborhood he lives in; the school or college
he attends; the factory, farm, or office where
he works. Such are the places where every man,
woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal
opportunity, equal dignity without
discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning
there, they have little meaning anywhere.
Without concerted citizen action to uphold them
close to home, we shall look in vain for
progress in the larger world." Eleanor Roosevelt
The Office of International Religious
Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/)
Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the
international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable
right of every human being, the United States seeks to:
Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the
world as a fundamental human right and as a source of
stability for all countries
The Golden Rule... Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you
Live by the Golden Rule
Dear President Obama... Let Freedom Ring
194
Globalizing Martin Luther King, Jr.
Help Build A Golden Rule Peace for the Holy Land
- All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
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