2001 Events of Al-Awda NY

Saturday through Sunday September 23, 2001
Solidarity Vigil and Rally.
Vigil and Rally to remember those lost in the World Trade Center tragedy and the Sabra and Shatilla Massacre.

Islam is not the enemy
War is not the answer
Vigil against racism and war-

Sat. September 22, 4pm Union Square
Rally and Learn-
Sun. September 23, 12noon-3pm, Pier 63 Maritime (12th ave at West 23rd st)

Click to download flyer for more info..

Sunday June 10, 2001
Puerto Rico Day Parade.
Palestine is proud to have received an invitation from The Vieques Support Campaign to march with them in the Puerto Rico Day Parade as sisters and brothers.

We invite all of our friends to join Al-Awda on Sunday, June 10th, 2001 from 12:00 Noon – 5:00 pm to march in the Puerto Rico Day Parade. The parade route begins on 5th Avenue at 42nd Street and continues up to 86th Street
The Street Theater with puppets and tank from the April 7th Rally are invited
A street event of Palestinian youth carrying martyrs are invited
Arabic drumming and music are invited
And of course, hundreds of Palestinian flags are invited to fly in solidarity with our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters
Photos from the event:

[Show as slideshow]

Wed April 11 2001
Occupation & Self-Determination: Palestine and Puerto Rico.
Date: Wednesday April 11th, 2001
Time: 4:00 PM
Place: Manhattan College/ Riverdale New York

The event was set up through Pr. Tom Ferguson of the Religious Studies Department and Pr. Margaret Groarke of the Government, Peace and Justice Studies Department.
The Panel will feature:
A representative from Al-Awda
A Vieques Support Campaign member.
Pr. Tom Ferguson/ wants to speak on behalf of the Jews Against the Occupation Perspective.
Sociology Professor Pr. Luis Loyola.

SAT APRIL 7 2001
MASS RALLY FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEE RIGHTS. Photos and report here.

Thu March 22 2001
BRIDGES TO PALESTINE
LIVE MUSIC (MUSIQA WATANIYA) FOOD DABKE PRIZE RAFFLE ARTWORK EMBROIDERY

Al-Awda presents: BRIDGES TO PALESTINE
Date: Thursday March 22, 2001
Time: 7 P.M.
Place: Widdi Reception Hall, 5602 6th Ave. Brooklyn

Adults $15 children $5

An evening social gathering for families and friends. Join the Dabke, enjoy the atmosphere and help us to collect funds to send youth to Palestine.

The First Bridges Delegation will lay the foundation stone. Working with grass roots organizations they will study and document conditions and shoot video footage. They will also fullfill a special request from The Palestine Scientific Committee and from the Union of Health Work Committees to provide some expert information on preventive medicine.

Speakers are Ali Qased, Samia Halaby, and Sara Flounders (A Representative of the Ramsey Clark Sanction Challenge to aid Iraq).

Thu March 22 2001
Peace and Justice in the Middle East: How Can They Be Achieved? A talk with Norman Finkelstein, Abdeen Jabara, Gerry Foley and Samia Halaby.
Time: 7:00PM
Place: DC 1707 Auditorium, 75 Varick Street, 14th. Floor (#1, 9, A or C subway to Canal St.

Norman Finkelstein: Professor of Political Science at Hunter College, Author of “The Rise and Fall of Palestine”, “Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine”, and “The Holocaust Industry”.
Abdeen Jabara: Distingushed lawyer; past present of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Gerry Foley: Foreign affairs editor of Socialist Action. 32-year veteran journalist on four continents
Samia Halaby: Co-chair of the Palestine Right of Return Coalition (Al-Awda)

Tue March 20 2001
Panel at Pace University.
A talk with John Roland, Barbara Nimri Aziz, Samia Halaby, Jeff Helmreich and Marwan Jilani.
Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2001
Time: 2:30 – 4:30 PM
Place: Student Union, Pace University

PANEL:
John Roland, Ph.D. . Pace Faculty: Middle Eastern Studies
Barbara Nimri Aziz, Ph.D. . Anthropologist / Journalist
Samia Halaby . Political Activist / Artist
Jeff Helmreich . Israeli Consulate
Marwan Jilani . Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the UN

Up until their last days in office, the Clinton administration attempted to forge a Middle East peace accord. While some hailed the agreement as the only path to peace, others assailed it as a partisan pact which stood to benefit Israeli Jews. Are the elections of Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush the final blow to the peace accord? More importantly, Was there ever a viable treaty? what role does the media play in helping to formulate / reinforce ideologies?

Thu March 15 2001
The Right to Return: The Persistence of the Palestinian Refugees.
Talk at the Brecht Forum with Annemarie Kattan Jacir & Amira Solh, as part of The Palestine Question series.
Annemarie Kattan Jacir & Amira Solh
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Brecht Forum, 122 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001

The 1948 Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) reduced well over half the Palestinian population to refugee status and
deprived even more of their livelihoods. The 1967 war generated another wave of displaced peoples. Today Palestinians live in refugee camps in Arab countries for the most part without citizenship; as “citizens” who are classified as an “enemy within” the state of Israel; as an “occupied” people in the West Bank and Gaza; and as immigrants throughout many parts of the world. Through speaker presentations, refugee testimony and film footage, the historical roots of this human drama and its continued persistence will be described and explained. The Right to Return Coalition will explain why the world’s largest refugee population is for the most part ignored by the international community and will discuss what can be done.

Annemarie Kattan Jacir is a Palestinian filmmaker, activist, and writer. Publications include Ripe Guava, Mizna, and the anthology, The Poetry of Arab Women. Amira Solh has worked with various development and international organizations including the Lebanese Red Cross and Amnesty International in Cyprus. She is currently an activist with Al-Awda in NY-NJ, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition.

Mon March 05 2001
Witnessing Palestine: A visual account of Palestinian life.
Forum at Columbia University featuring eyewitness accounts from Annmarie Jacir and Carlos Rovira, Jr.
Time: 7 PM
Place: West Ramp Lounge of Lerner Hall at Columbia University

This is the first in a series of forums called “Witnessing Palestine: A visual account of Palestinian life”. The forum will feature eyewitness accounts from Annmarie Jacir who just returned from visiting Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Annemarie Jacir will show slides and video clips of her travels.

Carlos Rovira, Jr. of the Vieques Support Campaign and an invited speaker from Jews Against the Occupation will give solidarity greetings as well. The event is sponsored by Turath (Columbia’s North African and Middle Eastern Club), Al-Awda NY-NJ, and the Vieques Support Campaign.

Everyone is welcome, particularly those new to the issue. The forum will be repeated at the New School (date TBA) and at NYU on March 28 to help publicize the April 7 National Rally.

Tue Jan 30 2001
Fundraiser for the Al-Awda trip to the refugee camps in Lebanon.
On February 9, Al- Awda NY/NJ will send its first delegation to Lebanon, including two documentary film makers. The delegation will be making in-depth visits to the Palestinian refugee camps. We need you support, our goal is to raise enough $5000 by the end of the evening.
Time: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Place: Moustache Restaurant, 265 East 10th Street (between First Ave. & Ave. A), New York (map)
Guest Speaker: Andrew Courtney.

Friends,

Please join us a Fund Raising Event for Al-Awda.

WHY?
At this moment in world events, the 53 year old plight of the Palestinian refugee community is at a crucial juncture in popular attention and in so called “peace negotiations”.

WHAT?
On February 9, Al- Awda NY/NJ will send its first delegation to Lebanon. The delegation of seven Al-Awda members, two of whom are documentary film makers, will be making in-depth visits to the Palestinian refugee camps. Delegation members will witness firsthand the conditions of the camps. Interviews will be arranged with “48 Nakba” families, NGO support services, schools and clinics. The delegation will also establish a relationship with the host organizations that will help Al-Awda NY/NJ develop ongoing projects for the future. The film documentary of this experience will be used to raise consciousness and funding in the regions of Al-Awda’s activities here in the U.S.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Each delegate will be financing his own trip. There are, however, general funds needed to make this important journey a successful reality. Funds are needed to give a monetary gift to the children of the camps, to enable them to purchase needed classroom furniture, teaching materials and reusable cameras for them to engage in oral history projects with their elders. The delegation will also need funds for local film making equipment rental and transportation.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT ($$)!!
Our goal is raise $5,000 by the end of the evening. Due to limited space, all individuals attending are asked to contribute. We are suggesting individual donations of $50-$100 and hope that some of you will contribute more. However, all donations are appreciated.

SPONSORED BY:
This event is sponsored by Al-Awda NY/NJ and our delegation will be hosted in Lebanon by Al-Najdeh and by the ARCPA (Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts).

Sat Jan 27 2001
TEN YEARS AFTER THE GULF WAR – How Can We Stop the U.S. War Machine ?
A public forum marking 10 years of sanctions and war against the people of Iraq.
Date: Saturday, January 27th
Time: 7pm
Place: Earl Hall Auditorium, Columbia University (116th and Broadway)

George W. Bush is now in office, putting his father’s war cronies, Colin Powell and Dick Cheney back at the helm. 10 years ago, Desert Storm decimated the country’s infrastructure and the ongoing sanctions continue to murder 5,000 children a month.

END THE WAR ON IRAQ !
Speakers:
George Capaccio: Voices in the Wilderness; Recently returned from Iraq
Anthony Arnove: South End Press, Editor of “Iraq Under Siege;” Member of International Socialist Organization
Ellen E. Barfield: Veterans for Peace activist (U.S. Army 1977-81)
Chris Docout: Voices in the Wilderness activist
Suzanne Adely: Member of Al-Awda, Palestinian Right to Return Coalition
See the real face of US policy in Iraq: Slide show by Ellen Barfield