Sunday, May 25, 2008

Thanks to all who made our benefit dinner a success!

On Sunday, May 18th, a group of enthusiastic PfP supporters gathered at King of Falafel restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious buffet of falafel (of course!), hummus, both veggie and cheese filled sambosias, yalangi, and chicken shwarma, with King of Falafel's signature cardamom tea and delightful baklava for dessert.

While the focus was on fun and socializing over a delicious meal, we took advantage of having a special guest to talk about the importance of our Jenin playground project. Sol Kelley-Jones had just recently returned from 3 months in Palestine doing theater work with children, including those of Jenin. Her passion, anger and hope conveyed powerfully why we are doing wheat we are to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. I am sure I was not the only one whose heart leapt when she said that the children know exactly where the playground will be and are anxiously awaiting it. There was a sense of immediacy for me that made me want to do everything I could to raise the funds as soon as possible. We also got to hear a historical perspective from Jennifer Loewenstein, who was sent to Jenin just days after the 2002 massacre to witness the destruction.

Thanks to everyone that came to the benefit. If you have not yet had a chance to donate to the project, please take a moment NOW and either write a check or use Paypal (use the link at the left). Thank you!

I also want to share a P.S. from the evening, because the most amazing thing happened after the event. My family and I came home, and I was watering my garden before going inside when my phone rang in my pocket. I didn't recognize the number at first, but then realized it was the owner of King of Falafel. I figured we must have forgotten something and answered it. He told me that a man was there who had heard the event announced on WORT as he drove into town, but he had to go to a friend's daughter's graduation party. So he went to the party, but left a little early, telling the host about our benefit and that he wanted to try and make it. The host gave the man $200 to give to us as a donation! I hopped right back into the car and met him at King of Falafel, where sure enough, he had 2 $100 bills from his friend. It warmed my heart.

We should never doubt that there are kindhearted people in the world.

PfP Pleased to Take Part in Nakba Commemoration

On thursday, May 8th, PfP-Madison members joined more than a dozen other supporters of justice for the Palestinian people as a silent presence during a celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary. We were both on library mall, where the main pro-Israel activities were, but there was also a moving display on Bascom hill -- small markers for each of the Palestinian villages destroyed in 1948. Following are several photos of the event. Thanks to Madison Rafah Sister City Project and Jewish Voice for Peace for making sure PfP was included!










Monday, May 5, 2008

Join us this Thursday for No Time to Celebrate: Protest an Israeli Independence Day Event

No Time to Celebrate: Protest an Israeli Independence Day Event

Thursday, May 8
10 am - 1 pm
Library Mall, UW-Madison

This May, Israel is marking 60 years of statehood with celebrations. Here in Madison the University Hillel Foundation plans a public party with a "moon bounce", "Bedouin tents" and a birthday cake on Library Mall. Meanwhile Palestinians around the world will mark 60 years since the Nakba ("Catastrophe") of 1948, when over 400 Palestinian villages were destroyed and 800,000 Palestinian people were made refugees to create a Jewish state in a land where the majority was not Jewish.

In response to calls from Palestinian civil society and progressive Jewish groups, a local coalition invites you to join a NO TIME TO CELEBRATE rally commemorating 60 years of resistance to Palestinian dispossession, expulsion, and repression.

Please come for all or part of the demonstration, and bring signs so that we can be witnesses to the other side of the "celebration." While the atrocities continue, it is best to keep our signs around the memory of 1948 and its legacies.