From my dear friend Mike: "This ancient #Palestinian #olive tree existed well before #Jesus was born and local farmers date it at well over 2,000 years old"
Saturday, February 24, 2018
This ancient #Palestinian #olive tree existed well before #Jesus was born and local farmers date it at well over 2,000 years old
From my dear friend Mike: "This ancient #Palestinian #olive tree existed well before #Jesus was born and local farmers date it at well over 2,000 years old"
Mike's beloved grandfather, Abdelkader Tayeh, of Palestine- a fascinating glimpse
 |
| Pictured: Mike Hanini Odetalla's photo of his late mother (ay), uncle, and grandfather AbdelKader Allah Yirhamu circa mid 1960's in #Palestine. |
Mike Hanini Odetalla
My maternal grandfather, Abdelkader Tayeh, may Allah have mercy on his soul, was the only grandparent that I was fortunate enough to know as a child (my other grandparents passed away well before I was born)...My memories are of an elegantly dressed man, a Fellah, always in the traditional Palestinian dress of a kunbaaz, hata, wa akhaal, standing tall, never hunched over, dramatic weathered face, chiseled by the Palestinian sun, wind, and life of a true man of the land! He walked, always upright, walking stick in hand, and his ever present pipe, safely tucked in the belt of his kunbaaz.
A widower at a relatively young age, he never remarried, raising his 8 children with love, wisdom, and patience! I used to beg him to show me the battle wounds he suffered serving in the Ottoman Army during WWI, a bullet hole that ripped clear through his shoulder, which amazed me as a child. After the Balfour Declaration, he joined his fellow Palestinian young men in signing a pledge to fight the Zionists....
If one were to paint a picture of a typical Palestinian Fellah (farmer), my grandfather would have served as the perfect model! He knew the land on an intimate basis, and derived great joy being an integral part of it!
His red patterned handkerchief (yes I still remember it well some 49 years later) served as his "lunch box", as he would wrap a piece of fresh baked taboon bread, a tomato, onion, some cracked olives, some zataar, and head for the fields, or hills where he lived, preferring to eat his typical lunch under the shade of an olive tree...I still have images in my mind of him laying down, propped up on one elbow, finding refuge from the hot summer sun under the shade of an olive tree, puffing away on his pipe, the epitome of contentment! No radio, no noise, just the sound of his beloved land, whispering to him through the breeze stirred leaves above...His love for and of the land had a very profound effect on me, still does!
The last time I saw my grandfather was in the summer of 1969, just before we left for the USA! He passed away in 1978, a year before I was to return to Palestine for the first time in 1979...Allah Yirhamu wa Yirham kul imawatna!
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
2 of my recent letters to the NYTimes RE Israel/Palestine & Freedom Of, and from, Religion
 |
| "I’d been reading up on comparative religion. The thing is that all major religions have the Golden Rule in Common. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Not always the same words but the same meaning.–Norman Rockwell, The Norman Rockwell Album. ... From photographs he’d taken on his 1955 round-the-world Pam Am trip, Rockwell referenced native costumes and accessories and how they were worn. He picked up a few costumes and devised some from ordinary objects in his studio, such as using a lampshade as a fez. Many of Rockwell’s models were local exchange students and visitors. In a 1961 interview, indicating the man wearing a wide brimmed hat in the upper right corner, Rockwell said, “He’s part Brazilian, part Hungarian, I think. Then there is Choi, a Korean. He’s a student at Ohio State University. Here is a Japanese student at Bennington College and here is a Jewish student. He was taking summer school courses at the Indian Hill Museum School.” Pointing to the rabbi, he continued, “He’s the retired postmaster of Stockbridge. He made a pretty good rabbi, in real life, a devout Catholic. I got all my Middle East faces from Abdalla who runs the Elm Street market, just one block from my house.” Some of the models used were also from Rockwell’s earlier illustration, United Nations." Rockwell's "Golden Rule" |
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/opinion/sunday/palestinians-dashed-hopes-jerusalem.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsunday&_r=0
Dear Editor,
Freedom of, and from, religion: American taxpayers should not be forced to fund a new Embassy in Israel- or Israel's supposed "Jewishness".
Israel, a heavy armed sovereign modern nation state, wants the land, but not the native non-Jewish population of that land. This is not at all like long ago when America was settled. People of every race and religion came to America, many to escape religious persecution.
America's settlement by Europeans was a less enlightened, dangerously primitive era. Slavery (and inequality) was part of life for most every nation on earth, and had been since before biblical times. But even so, our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights laid the foundation for real freedom, justice, respect and opportunity for all, regardless of race or religion.
172 years later, the very same year that modern Israel was established in 1948, after the Nazi Holocaust, The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights made it quite clear to all the world that "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world"
Israel's sovereign choice to perpetually persecute and impoverish Palestinian men, women and children has made the Israel-Palestine conflict and refugee crisis what it is today.... and that is huge tragedy for everyone.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
***
RE Trump Is Making a Huge Mistake on Jerusalem, By HANAN ASHRAWI
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/opinion/trump-jerusalem-capital-palestinian.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
Dear Editor,
Good to see the marvelous Hanan Ashrawi again speaking out at a crucial time, doing all she can to help more Americans understand the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians.
It is a huge tragedy with devastating consequences that so many Americans, including Trump and his son-in-law, don't see how wrong it is to force tax payers (here and there) to fund Israel's religious "scholars" and schemes including Israel's land grabbing "Settlements" in the illegally occupied territories.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Friday, December 8, 2017
My 12-7-2017 letter to The Guardian RE Freedland: Donald Trump’s Jerusalem statement is an act of diplomatic arson
 |
| ‘The place that represents the nuclear core … the site Muslims call the Haram al-Sharif and Jews call the Temple Mount.’ Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images |
Donald Trump’s Jerusalem statement is only arson because so many journalists, pundits, religious extremists, hate mongers on all sides...etc... provide the kindling, the match, pour on the gasoline and enthusiastically fan the flames of the fire.
Why not calmly call for every one, no matter who they are or where they live, to peacefully, compassionately, and quite reasonably insist that Trump also recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital.
And why not remind Trump of America's cherished ideal of freedom of (and from) religion: Religion should be a private personal matter, not a state funded project.
Why not peacefully, compassionately, and quite reasonably point out how sovereign Israel has been consistently violating the basic human rights of the native non-Jewish population of the Holy Land?
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Radio Greetings, a story about 1967 in Palestine by Mike Hanini Odetalla
 |
Jordan, 1955. Refugees form a line for food at a camp in
Amman. In the aftermath of the 1948 war, many Palestinian refugees
relocated to neighboring countries -- Syria, Jordan and Lebanon -- as
well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Three Lions/Getty Images
A visual history of Palestinian refugees
|
Radio Greetings...
I was listening to the radio a while back during a long drive, when I heard people relating greetings to fellow co-workers and friends...A "shout out" to use the slang of today!
My thoughts went back in time. Back to the time when I was a child in Palestine. Back to the time when there were no telephones or electricity in most of the rural villages. This was the time, just after the 1967 war. There was no cell phones, TV's, or computers. Also there was no regular mail service between Israel and the Arab countries.
We had an old radio that was sent to us by my father who was in Venezuela, South America at that time. This radio was our prized link to the outside world. We used to listen to the broadcasts from the surrounding Arab countries. These included News, Music, and other forms of entertainment. On Friday afternoons, there would be broadcasts of taped greetings. Palestinians living in the refugee camps outside of Palestine (the Diaspora), would go to the radio stations and tape a short greeting that would be broadcast over the airwaves, and hopefully heard by their relatives. Sometimes they knew where their relatives had ended up, other times they were more of a plea for information...Hope!
My mom and the other neighborhood women would sit silent and listen to these taped greetings with tears pouring down their faces. I will never forget my mother sitting there and crying along with our people on the radio. These people were usually women sending greetings to mothers, fathers, and other siblings. There were also sons and daughters sending greetings to their parents.
Most of these people had no contact or any other means of contact with their loved ones. So they would go and record a short message in the hope that their loved one happened to be alive and listening.
These messages were absolutely heart wrenching, especially when a mother would come on and start saying," Ya Ibni Ya Habibi ( My son, my love) and then they would start crying as they say how much they love him and miss him. Or when a daughter would come on and start by saying," Ya Oumy ya rouhi ( My mother, my soul) and start telling her mother how she misses her, loves her, and how her kids keep asking about her and so on. They would almost always break down in tears as they were delivering their message. The emotions were just too much...
Being a child of 6 years of age, I truly didn't understand nor fully comprehend the importance of what was happening. I hated these programs because they made my mother cry for hours on end. I blamed theses poor tortured souls for causing so much sadness to my mother. Not until I was older, did I fully comprehend the pain and anguish these refugees were going through. This was their only way of trying to contact long fractured families. This was their only outlet to send a message to their loved ones.
They were in essence casting a bottle, filled with the message of their loneliness and hope, into the sea of their exile from their native land and the people that were left behind, or exiled elsewhere...
Mike Odetalla 3-2012 All Rights Reserved!
Saturday, December 31, 2016
My letter to the NYTimes RE "John Kerry and Israel: Too Little and Too Late" by Rashid Khalidi
RE "John Kerry and Israel: Too Little and Too Late" by Rashid Khalidi
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/opinion/john-kerry-and-israel-too-little-and-too-late.html?ref=opinion
Dear Editor,
for publishing
Diana Buttu in the Boston Globe: Kerry describes a reality that Palestinians are living
CNN video Noura Erakat regarding Israel as "The Jewish State"
Hussein Ibish Kerry’s words and the UN vote don’t help Palestinians ..."Israel builds and expands settlements no matter what, but this resolution will undoubtedly lead to even more aggressive building than usual. And Israel may take other retaliatory measures, all of them aimed at Palestinians, who alone are vulnerable to Israeli retaliation."
The Growth of Israeli settlements, explained in 5 charts
CNN VIDEO: Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi reacts to the UNSC vote calling on Israel to stop building settlements. https://www.facebook.com/umkahlil?fref=ts
Putting a Face on the Facts... An Easy to Understand Essay by Nancy Harb Almendras outlining a Global Controversy: The conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinians.
Ibrahim's Estate
Jimmy Carter: America Must Recognize Palestine
Newsweek: Award-winning Palestinian teacher on how to help traumatized kids
Baltimore's Susan Muaddi Darraj wins American Book Award for 'A Curious Land'
"We're a really diverse community, actually," Darraj says. "A lot of people think that all Palestinians are Muslims. But, the characters I write about are Palestinian Christians." American Book Award winner Susan Muaddi Darraj among highlights of Baltimore Book Festival
Freda Hughes' art, created in 2008: Remember Palestine this Christmas
A mural by Norwegian artist, Per Krohg, depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, symbolizing the resurgence of peace, equality and freedom.
" This issue marks the eighteenth year of This Week in Palestine, and we are pleased to present you with another issue filled with articles that attest to Palestine’s cultural wealth. A high level of religious tolerance and the integration of various faiths are defining facets of Palestinian culture, historically and today. Such practice sets Palestine apart in a region where too many people have been immensely traumatized by acts of violence frequently caused by lack of tolerance, greed, and thirst for power and dominance. It is time to remember, in the Holy Land and elsewhere, that the central tenets and pillars of our religions are good will and kind deeds towards our fellow visitors on this planet." Tina Basem, This Week in Palestine editor's message Issue #224, December 2016
The Golden
Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Darkness cannot drive out
darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate; only love can do that.
The ultimate measure of a man
is not where he stands in moments of comfort
and convenience, but where he stands at times
of challenge and controversy.
Faith is taking the first
step even when you don't see the whole
staircase.
Our lives begin to end the
day we become silent about things that matter.
Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere.
I look to a day when people
will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character.
I have decided to stick with
love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Life's most persistent and
urgent question is, 'What are you doing for
others?
The time is always right to
do what is right.
We must learn to live
together as brothers or perish together as
fools.
My letter to the NYTIMES RE "The Two-State Solution: What It Is and Why It Hasn’t Happened" oped- by Max Fisher & NYTimes Editorial "Is Israel Abandoning a Two-State Solution?
RE: "The Two-State Solution: What It Is and Why It Hasn’t Happened" oped- by Max Fisher & NYTimes Editorial "Is Israel Abandoning a Two-State Solution?" http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/world/middleeast/israel-palestinians-two-state-solution.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/opinion/is-israel-abandoning-a-two-state-solution.html?src=me
& a very good letter by IBRAHIM AHMED: "I encourage both parties to negotiate to end this conflict. It can be done." http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/opinion/the-rift-between-the-us-and-israel.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Dear Editor,
Your American letter writer, Ibrahim Ahmed, gets to the right to heart of the matter when he gracefully points out that "Palestine and Israel should put their religious differences aside..."
Think it through and it becomes quite obvious that the popular argument that Israel needs to make peace with Palestine so that Israel can remain Jewish is a bad argument, as well as an extremely dangerous and cruel decades long status quo that has shaped and exasperated the angst of the Israelis and the very real plight and suffering of the men, women, and children of historic Palestine.
Think it through: Tax payers here and there should not be funding and fueling state sponsored bigotry, injustice and escalating religious conflict.
Golden Rule thinking based on full respect for international law and all Universal Human Rights can and should guide every conversation, every choice, and every negotiation on the way to a just and lasting peace: One state or two, religion needs be a personal, private matter.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
CNN VIDEO: Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi reacts to the UNSC vote calling on Israel to stop building settlements. https://www.facebook.com/umkahlil?fref=ts
Putting a Face on the Facts... An Easy to Understand Essay by Nancy Harb Almendras outlining a Global Controversy: The conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinians.
Ibrahim's Estate
Jimmy Carter: America Must Recognize Palestine
Newsweek: Award-winning Palestinian teacher on how to help traumatized kids Baltimore's Susan Muaddi Darraj wins American Book Award for 'A Curious Land'
"We're a really diverse community, actually," Darraj says. "A lot of people think that all Palestinians are Muslims. But, the characters I write about are Palestinian Christians." American Book Award winner Susan Muaddi Darraj among highlights of Baltimore Book Festival
Freda Hughes' art, created in 2008: Remember Palestine this Christmas
A mural by Norwegian artist, Per Krohg, depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, symbolizing the resurgence of peace, equality and freedom.
"This issue marks the eighteenth year of This Week in Palestine, and we are pleased to present you with another issue filled with articles that attest to Palestine’s cultural wealth. A high level of religious tolerance and the integration of various faiths are defining facets of Palestinian culture, historically and today. Such practice sets Palestine apart in a region where too many people have been immensely traumatized by acts of violence frequently caused by lack of tolerance, greed, and thirst for power and dominance. It is time to remember, in the Holy Land and elsewhere, that the central tenets and pillars of our religions are good will and kind deeds towards our fellow visitors on this planet." Tina Basem, This Week in Palestine editor's message Issue #224, December 2016
The Golden Rule... Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Growing Gardens for Palestine... #Christmas #Palestine #PalmTrees #Mary... Informative, inspiring and entertaining facebook posts today from my friend Mike
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
#Christmas #Palestine #PalmTrees #Mary
Informative, inspiring and entertaining facebook posts today from my friend Mike -
So I was in the Mall yesterday when I heard some ladies discussing #Christmas and the weather. A couple of them had just gotten back from Florida and were commenting about palm trees decorated with lights and how out of place it felt, and so, once again, sensing an opportunity to educate and inform, I chimed in by asking them if they had ever seen a Nativity Scene. "Of course" they all replied. I them asked what kind of tree is always included in those scenes. They gave me a puzzled look, and finally one of them said "I am almost sure its a palm tree". I said that is correct, a palm tree because the trees that you are used to seeing decorated originated in European tradition, not #Palestinian because those trees are not at all native to #Palestine, the birth place of #Jesus., while palm trees are.
I then asked them why is a palm tree included in the nativity scene, and of course none of them knew, thinking it was there for "decoration". I then informed them that in the Quran, where the blessed Virgin Mary has her own story, we are told that after having given birth, weak and hungry, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and instructed her to "nudge the palm tree" for sustenance, whereby ripe dates would fall for her to eat, and today, science has proven that dates are a "super food"...They were amazed, and by now I had an audience of about 10 people, and so we went in depth about Palestine, Islam and Jesus, and I was peppered with questions which I was most certainly more than happy to answer, complete with pictures because I "conveniently" keep thousands of relevant photos of Palestine, #Bethlehem, and #Jerusalem...One at a time
Jesus is Born
The pains of childbirth drove her to clutch at the trunk of a date-palm tree and she cried out in anguish:
“Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!” (Quran 19:23)
Mary delivered her child right there, at the foot of the date tree.
She was exhausted after the birth, and filled with distress and fear,
but nevertheless she heard a voice calling out to her. .
“Grieve not! Your Lord has provided you a stream of clear water under you; and shake the trunk of palm tree towards you; it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad...” (Quran 19:24)
God provided Mary with water, as a stream suddenly appeared beneath the place she was sitting. He also provided her with food; all she had to do was shake the trunk of the date tree. Mary was scared and frightened; she felt so weak, having just given birth, so how could she possibly shake the immense trunk of a date tree? But God continued to provide Mary with sustenance.
The next event was indeed another miracle, and as human beings we learn a great lesson from this. Mary didn’t need to shake the date tree, which would have been impossible; she only had to make an effort. As she attempted to follow God’s command, fresh ripe dates fell from the tree and God said to Mary: “…eat, drink and be glad.” (Quran 19:26)
Mary now had to take her new born child and go back to face her family. Of course she was afraid, and God knew this well. Thus He directed her not to speak. It would not have been possible for Mary to explain how she had suddenly become the mother of a new born child. Since she was unmarried, her people would not believe her explanations. God said:
“And if you see any human being, say: ‘Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (God) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.’” (Quran 19:26)
“Grieve not! Your Lord has provided you a stream of clear water under you; and shake the trunk of palm tree towards you; it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad...” (Quran 19:24)
God provided Mary with water, as a stream suddenly appeared beneath the place she was sitting. He also provided her with food; all she had to do was shake the trunk of the date tree. Mary was scared and frightened; she felt so weak, having just given birth, so how could she possibly shake the immense trunk of a date tree? But God continued to provide Mary with sustenance.
The next event was indeed another miracle, and as human beings we learn a great lesson from this. Mary didn’t need to shake the date tree, which would have been impossible; she only had to make an effort. As she attempted to follow God’s command, fresh ripe dates fell from the tree and God said to Mary: “…eat, drink and be glad.” (Quran 19:26)
Mary now had to take her new born child and go back to face her family. Of course she was afraid, and God knew this well. Thus He directed her not to speak. It would not have been possible for Mary to explain how she had suddenly become the mother of a new born child. Since she was unmarried, her people would not believe her explanations. God said:
“And if you see any human being, say: ‘Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (God) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.’” (Quran 19:26)
Bethlehem, Palestine...Circa 1898
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Putting a Face on the Facts... An Easy to Understand Essay by Nancy Harb Almendras outlining a Global Controversy: The conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinians.
 |
| Palestinian Woman in traditional Ramallah dress. |
A Global Controversy: The conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinians.
An Essay
by Nancy Harb Almendras
-->
A global controversy for which there
has been no solution for sixty-eight years is the conflict between the state of
Israel and the Palestinians.
In 1967 the
United Nations proclaimed the state of Israel on two-thirds of historic
Palestine. At this time the land set
aside for the Jewish State had a majority of Palestinian Arab inhabitants. The
solution for the problem is to afford those Palestinian Arabs who want to
return to their original towns and villages in what is now Israel to return and
to allocate the area which Israel has occupied since 1948, referred to as the
West Bank and Gaza for a Palestinian State.
A majority of Israelis will argue that
if Palestinians who wish to return to their homes in present day Israel do so,
then Israel will cease to be a Jewish state.
One could argue that it is a racist concept to define a state based upon
religion and to keep those out whose ethnicity or religion differs from the
majority. Besides, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights states that “every man may leave his home and
return to his home.”
Imagine if one was born in California,
but due to a political issue, could not return to California. Not return to California to see Sequoia
National Forest, Yosemite, the Golden Gate Bridge, the trees in one’s own
backyard. This is precisely what
happened to the Palestinians even prior to 1948, when the leaders of Jewish
militias put in place a plan, Plan Dalet, to ethnically cleanse the future
Jewish state of its Palestinian Arab inhabitants. This is a historical fact attested to by
Palestinian historians, i.e., Princeton Professor Emeritus Walid Khalidi,
researcher Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, as well as Israeli historians, Ilan Pappe and
Benny Morris. Proponents of the state of
Israel will say that Israelis were defending the emergent state from invading
Arab armies, but before any Arab armies entered Palestine, many of its
inhabitants were already ethnically cleansed.
Ghassan Kanafani writes beautifully of the trauma he and his family
endured upon becoming refugees in the moving short story “Land of Sad Oranges.”
What will become of Israel’s Jewish
citizens if Palestinians decide to exercise their right of return? Researcher, Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, has written
that on many of the over 530 Palestinian villages that were destroyed in the
aftermath of the state of Israel, Israel has not rebuilt and Israelis do not
live in them. Palestinians and their
descendants who return could rebuild their villages with little disruption to
the lives of the current Jewish Israeli inhabitants. Keep in mind that Israel currently has a
Palestinian Arab minority of roughly one-quarter.
Currently, Israel, when one includes
occupied Gaza and the West Bank, rules over a majority of Palestinian
Arabs. These Palestinians enjoy few civil
rights, including the right to self-determination, as they are not allowed to
vote. Contrary to international law,
Israel has moved its own citizens to the territories which it occupies, taking
prime Palestinian land, using an inordinate amount of the water, raiding
Palestinian villages, demolishing Palestinian homes, and displacing
Palestinians. Little has changed since
1948. Many Israelis ask what will become
of the settlers if the West Bank becomes part of a Palestinian state. Just like Palestinians will have a right
whether to return to their original homes in Israel or instead live in the new
Palestinian state, the settlers will have the same choice: live in a sovereign
Palestinian state or return to Israel.
Some Palestinians argue that instead of
a separate Palestine and Israel there should be just one state in which all of
its citizens enjoy equal rights, just as some Israelis argue that if
Palestinians return, Israel will cease to exist as a “Jewish” state. Basically, what exists now is one state,
albeit, one in which Palestinians have no rights. One must take into consideration that if
there are no separate states, how will the economically inferior Palestinians
fare? Will it be much of the same as
under occupation? To those who say that Israel
will lose its “Jewish” character, well welcome to the twenty-first
century. How ludicrous does it sound if
one maintains that the US must retain its white character?
Edward Said once said that it’s
unfortunate that the foe of the Palestinian-Arab is the Jew. One reason is that the Jewish people, because
of the tragedy which occurred to them in World War II, have the sympathy of the
world. He also showed that it is not impossible
for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis to work together; he and Daniel Barenboim,
an Israeli Jew, together sponsored the Palestinian Youth Orchestra, which
travels the world to much acclaim.
Today, there are many Jewish advocates, working alongside people of many
ethnicities, for the end of the occupation and the creation of a separate
Palestinian state. In an increasingly
globalized world, it is important to both honor and set aside ethnic and
religious differences. It is still
possible to believe that human beings are capable of living together in a
spirit of respect and trust.
~
Putting a face on the facts
 |
| Nancy's father- from Palestine- Basil Harb |
 |
| Nancy at 19 in traditional dress- Her first visit to Ramallah Palestine |
 |
| Nancy Harb Almendras in 2014 |
Friday, July 22, 2016
My letter to the NYTimes RE Israeli Defense Minister Compares Beloved Palestinian Poet [Mahmoud Darwish] to Hitler & For Palestinians, Raising Arabian Horses Is ‘the Hobby of the Poor’
 |
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/world/middleeast/avigdor-lieberman-compares-mahmoud-darwish-to-hitler.html?_r=0
&
For Palestinians, Raising Arabian Horses Is ‘the Hobby of the Poor’
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/world/middleeast/for-palestinians-raising-arabian-horses-is-the-hobby-of-the-poor.html?action=click&contentCollection=Middle%20East&pgtype=imageslideshow&module=RelatedArticleList®ion=CaptionArea&version=SlideCard-1
"The poem is always incomplete, the butterflies make it whole." To A Young Poet - Poem by Mahmoud Darwish
The beloved Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, wrote many different things- and many different things have been written about him. Friday 7 June 2002, The Guardian published a fascinating article on Darwish by Maya Jaggi : Poet of the Arab world. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/jun/08/featuresreviews.guardianreview19 "Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something beautiful you find coexistence; it breaks walls down... I always humanise the other. I even humanised the Israeli soldier," which he [Darwish] did in poems such as "A Soldier Who Dreams of White Lilies", written just after the 1967 war. Many Arabs criticised the poem, but he says: "I will continue to humanise even the enemy... The first teacher who taught me Hebrew was a Jew. The first love affair in my life was with a Jewish girl. The first judge who sent me to prison was a Jewish woman. So from the beginning, I didn't see Jews as devils or angels but as human beings." Several poems are to Jewish lovers. "These poems take the side of love not war"
Taking the side of love not war, I won't tweet or blog my outrage that the "Israeli Defense Minister Compares Beloved Palestinian Poet [Mahmoud Darwish] to Hitler". No need to add into the click bait hate mongering found on every side- everywhere... on every topic. Yes we need to know the facts, but in hoping for peace and an end to the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians (and Israelis) I'd rather notice and reinforce the magic of "Raising Arabian Horses" which has the capacity to coax us all into "the same arenas, where the conflict briefly melts away and everyone admires the horses"
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you
New York Times July 2016: For Palestinians, Raising Arabian Horses Is ‘the Hobby of the Poor’
 |
"Palestinians and Israelis in the business say Arabian horses have another effect that is almost magical: They coax Israelis and Palestinians into the same arenas, where the conflict briefly melts away and everyone admires the horses as they strut, dance, gallop and compete for trophies."
For Palestinians, Raising Arabian Horses Is ‘the Hobby of the Poor’
Thursday, July 14, 2016
“ISMAIL”- SHORT FILM (2013) Inspired by a day in the life of Palestinian painter Ismail Shammout (1930-2006)
"ISMAIL"- SHORT FILM (2013) WOM from Ismail Film on Vimeo.
Inspired by a day in the life of Palestinian painter Ismail Shammout (1930-2006), Ismail tells the compelling story of a young Palestinian struggling to support his parents after their expulsion to a Refugee camp in 1948 by the Israeli forces.
Despite the wretched life and distressing conditions he holds to his dream to go to Rome to learn painting. One day and after selling cakes at the train station with his little brother, they heedlessly enter a minefield. As Ismail faces death, and in his struggle to save himself and his brother, we discover his true spirit.
A Greyscale Films / Bumpy Road Films production
Director | Nora Alsharif
Writer | Hatem Alsharif
Producer | Abdelsalam Akkad
Producer - UK | Ana Moreno
Cinematographer | Felix Weidemann
Production Designer | Salim Shehade
Props Master | Bashar Hasuneh
Costume Designers | Jamila Aladdin, Jess Snyder
Wardrobe Assistant | Seba Younis
Make-Up & Hair Artist | Farah Jad’an
Assistant Make-Up & Hair | Bill Azzam
Casting Director | Mohammed Bani Hani, Nabil Koni
Production Manager | Alaa Abbad
First Assistant Director | Hans Lucas
Second Assistant Director | Hazem Agha
Location Manager | Yazan Al Rousan
Production Coordinators | Yasmine Abunuwaar, Dalia Naber
Production Assistant | Dalia Abuzaid
Runners | Bassel Mawlawi, Hanan Khalaif, Mutaz Sinokrot
Script Supervisor | Suhad Al Khatib
First Camera Assistant | David Agha-Rafei
Second Camera Assistant | Haitham Matouk
Gaffer | Alex Edyvean
Key Grip | Felix Milburn-Foster
Steadicam Operator | Marc Covington
Sound Recordist | Noor Halwani
Boom Operator | Mohammed-Reda Courdi
On set Photographer | Dalia Naber
Editing Supervisor | Barry Vince
Offline Editor | Hans Lucas
Sound Designer I Victor Bresse
Inspired by a day in the life of Palestinian painter Ismail Shammout (1930-2006), Ismail tells the compelling story of a young Palestinian struggling to support his parents after their expulsion to a Refugee camp in 1948 by the Israeli forces.
Despite the wretched life and distressing conditions he holds to his dream to go to Rome to learn painting. One day and after selling cakes at the train station with his little brother, they heedlessly enter a minefield. As Ismail faces death, and in his struggle to save himself and his brother, we discover his true spirit.
A Greyscale Films / Bumpy Road Films production
Director | Nora Alsharif
Writer | Hatem Alsharif
Producer | Abdelsalam Akkad
Producer - UK | Ana Moreno
Cinematographer | Felix Weidemann
Production Designer | Salim Shehade
Props Master | Bashar Hasuneh
Costume Designers | Jamila Aladdin, Jess Snyder
Wardrobe Assistant | Seba Younis
Make-Up & Hair Artist | Farah Jad’an
Assistant Make-Up & Hair | Bill Azzam
Casting Director | Mohammed Bani Hani, Nabil Koni
Production Manager | Alaa Abbad
First Assistant Director | Hans Lucas
Second Assistant Director | Hazem Agha
Location Manager | Yazan Al Rousan
Production Coordinators | Yasmine Abunuwaar, Dalia Naber
Production Assistant | Dalia Abuzaid
Runners | Bassel Mawlawi, Hanan Khalaif, Mutaz Sinokrot
Script Supervisor | Suhad Al Khatib
First Camera Assistant | David Agha-Rafei
Second Camera Assistant | Haitham Matouk
Gaffer | Alex Edyvean
Key Grip | Felix Milburn-Foster
Steadicam Operator | Marc Covington
Sound Recordist | Noor Halwani
Boom Operator | Mohammed-Reda Courdi
On set Photographer | Dalia Naber
Editing Supervisor | Barry Vince
Offline Editor | Hans Lucas
Sound Designer I Victor Bresse
****
On-line gallery of the work of Ismail Shammout and Tamam Al-Akhal. Includes their biographies, details of their exhibitions and contact details.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)