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Issue October 2018
ONTENTS
Teachers of Palestine
In this issue 4 A New School Year… A Renewed Will 8 Spreading Khutwa Fever 14 Digitization of Education 18 Embracing the Right to Education 22 What If We Treated Teachers Like Surgeons? 26 Mentoring for Change 30 Ancient Schools in Palestine 36 Al-Jinan International School 38 Palestinian Teachers 46 A Bridge to Success 50 Filmlab: Palestine 52 Investment in Education – Investment in the Future 58 METHODS 62 The Art of Learning by doing 66 Qalandia International – Solidarity 2018 68 Personality of the Month 70 Artist of the Month 72 Book of the Month 74 Exhibition of the Month 76 TWiP Kitchen 78 Events 83 Cultural Centers 86 Accommodations 88 Restaurants 90 Attractions 92 Travel Agencies 93 Maps 98 The Last Word
Cover: © UNDP/PAPP - Shareef Sarhan.
Publisher: Sani P. Meo Art Director: Taisir Masrieh Graphic Designer: Tamer Hasbun Editor: Tina Basem Printed by: Studio Alpha, Al-Ram, Jerusalem. Maps: Courtesy of PalMap - GSE This issue of This Week in Palestine themed “Teachers of Palestine” is sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme/ Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the sponsor.
ESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Not all of us may have considered school an enjoyable experience, but hopefully, we all can remember at least one teacher who left an impression and inspired us simply by her/ his enthusiasm and rapport with the class. Teaching is so much more than a craft or profession, and a good teacher can change a life. The dedication and efforts of our teachers and education administrators in Palestine are the topic of this issue. They frequently have to operate under difficult circumstances that may stem from restricted mobility, scarcity of funds and materials, or the generally harsh circumstances associated with living under occupation. But their successes and triumphs are impressive, and we can say with confidence Thank You to all those who day after day stand up in front of a class and take on the task of preparing our youth for a better future. Many Palestinian schools are employing various modern methods such as incorporating ICT in their curricula and teaching computer literacy; one has even integrated computer programming as a second language. Special schools aim to respond to the needs of students who are suffering from chronic disease, facing developmental or social challenges, or living in areas of restricted access, such as Area C. Students in Gaza are provided support in the transition from school to university, vocational training is gaining prominence throughout the State of Palestine, Palestinian universities are forming an Erasmus-sponsored network with universities from Jordan and European countries to develop e-curricula and more – the drive toward innovation and the extent of bestpractice implementation are impressive. So are the achievements of the heroes of this issue. Read about some of the most successful teachers and prize-winning schools and students; consider the suggestion made by a prominent school principal and be charmed and intrigued by the ancient history of teaching in Palestine and the artifacts that teachers from millennia ago have left behind. Our personality of the month is Riyam Kafri, our artist of the month Naseem Alatrash, our book of the month presents educator Khalil Totah, and TWiP Kitchen makes our mouths water with a special menu from Gaza. Visit our exhibition of the month that features work by Fuad Aghbaria, and enjoy the many listed events. We would like to extend our gratitude to UNDP/PAPP for sponsoring this issue and contributing to our sustainability throughout this year, and to the Palestine Investment Fund, the Finnish Embassy, and the Hani Qaddumi Scholarship Foundation for their support. Thanks go also to our authors who include H.E. Minister of Education and Higher Education Sabri Saidam, as well as teachers and administrators, NGO representatives, and entrepreneurs.
Tina Basem
Forthcoming Issues November 2018: Palestinian Family Affairs December 2018: TWiP Turns Twenty
1998-2018 YEARS
January 2019: An open issue (no particular theme)
Advisory Board
The views presented in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Maps herein have been prepared solely for the convenience of the reader; the designations and presentation of material do not imply any expression of opinion of This Week in Palestine, its publisher, editor, or its advisory board as to the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or the authorities thereof, or as to the delimitation of boundaries or national affiliation.
Telefax: +970/2 2-295 1262 info@turbo-design.com www.thisweekinpalestine.com www.facebook.com/ThisWeekInPalestine 2
Maha AbuShusheh
Majd Beltaji
Businesswoman
Programme Specialist - Gender Equality, UNESCO
Nur Arafeh
Issa Kassissieh
PhD Student at Oxford University
Ambassador to the Holy See
Majed Bamya
Najwa Najjar
Diplomat at the Mission of the State of Palestine to the UN
Filmmaker
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A New School Year… A Renewed Will By H.E. Dr. Sabri Saidam Minister of Education and Higher Education
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his fall, an educational corps of 68,000 teachers and 1,300,000 students across the country resume their deployment as an ever-lively and productive beehive; renewing life, liveliness, activism, and action in homes, streets, schools, and all kinds of educational facilities; spreading optimism and hope, and stirring joy and delight equipped with a strong will and relentless determination.
Hence we will continue to provide financial support to the schools of Jerusalem, including private schools, and will continue to disburse the education allowances to those who work in the Holy City, provide its students with all schoolbooks free of charge, exempt them from school fees, and offer university scholarships to students from the Old City to strengthen their roots in the city and support their resilience.
enroll in the vocational stream and will open new horizons ahead of them, allowing them to choose whether to enroll in the academic stream or in the vocational competence stream, where competences that are appraised nationally will be assessed (the “Project Evaluation” system) and graded in the same way the final secondary school exam Al Injaz is graded (the “Achievement” system). This step has been the outcome of an inclusive and comprehensive study and multiple consultations in the National Committee for Education Reform, the Final School Exam Committee, and the Educational Policy and Planning Committee in the Ministry, as well as the Education Committee. The aim is to support and elevate vocation and its pivotal role in sustainable development, support
Based on our belief in the need for continuing development and renovation in the education sector, we will take a bold decision at the beginning of this new school year by adopting a new system for graduation from the vocational disciplines that abolishes the final secondary school exam. This is envisaged to encourage parents and students to
Digitization and smart learning in Palestinian schools. The MoEHE has provided 12,500 students from the fifth and sixth grades with tablets that contain digital books, learning activities, and educational games. Photo courtesy of MoEHE.
We have designated this new school year as the “Year of Supporting Education in Jerusalem,” reflecting our loyalty to our eternal Capital, which possesses our hearts and enjoys the closest link to heaven. Thus we renew our commitment to remain loyal to the City, its land, sanctuaries, residents, schools, and community – sacrificing our lives and doing our utmost to protect its educational process and the future of its generations, and to save them from the clutches of Israelization and Judaization, so that Jerusalem remains the jewel in the crown and the main pillar of our lives. 4
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from memorization and rote learning. Curricula have been developed for vocational and industrial schools and for informal education catering to individuals deprived from completing their education by certain circumstances, in order to promote the principle of quality education for all. In terms of digitalizing education, we look forward to the day when we will say farewell to traditional education and schoolbags, which will be replaced by handbooks for teachers that allow for creative teaching based on diverse instruction methods. So far, we already have 54 schools applying smart learning and 14,000 students using tablets. We are working on expanding this groundbreaking project, which will culminate this year by applying the curricula of a new subject matter in programming, from grade 5 to grade 10 in all schools as an essential part of the educational process. We will embark on establishing new Palestinian schools outside Palestine as we will soon open two schools in Turkey, followed by one in Malaysia and another in Germany, which will teach using the Palestinian curricula.
A tahaddi (challenge) school in Area C serves to strengthen the resilience of residents in remote areas. Photo courtesy of MoEHE.
national economy, respond to the needs in the market, and advance production, following the example of several countries that have advanced industrially.
As soon as it adopted the principle of development, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has been applying it, as an approach and practice, in its pioneering educational plans, programs, and projects. On the ground, we started this approach by creating preschool classes in 60 schools in remote locations, bringing the number of government kindergarten and preschool classes to 204, as part of a plan to create a preschool class in every school in the country, which would reflect a significant shift in the field of early childhood education.
Therefore, we will continue to expand vocational and technical education as a priority and create a creative link between the outputs of the education system and sustainable development. The number of students in this stream will reach 5,000, with 1,700 in the 10th vocational grade. An increase in the number of schools will be accompanied by expansion in the types of programs and disciplines. This is the basis of the decision to endorse a new system, where students of the 12th vocational grade will graduate without taking a final exam, and to work on enhancing vocational and technical education curricula. Furthermore, we established 14 vocational units in academic schools, including two agricultural classes in Arraba town within Qabatya Education Department and Burin town within South Nablus Education Department as a starting point to create two agricultural schools.
In terms of new curricula, schoolbooks for the 12th grade were completed, including the Christian Education schoolbook, which was included in the final secondary exam, Al Injaz (“Achievement�), for the first time in our history. New curricula written by Palestinian authors have been accomplished in record time, focusing on various aspects of science and knowledge within a national life-based context, leading the current generation to creativity and excellence, away 6
Development plans also include the expansion of energy production on the roofs of the schools, which is now implemented in 50 schools. We will continue working to include 500 schools in this program over a period of 3 years in cooperation with the Investment Fund. We will also expand the number of sustainable schools from 18 to 35 during this year and will start to apply the education acceleration system as per the provisions of the education law. With regard to higher education, we will start to adopt the distance learning system (open electronic education), drawing on the experiences of many countries that now lead in this field. In addition, we will activate the new Higher Education Council, so that there will be a council for higher education and another for university presidents. We are also concerned with the issue of classifying universities in terms of the quality of instruction and in terms of disciplines as per the needs of the labor market and will continue to codify the different disciplines and merge those that can be merged. This is in addition to intensifying attention to scientific research. Finally, we have great ambitions and hopes, and we will proceed in an informed way, guided by the interests of Palestine and its people, towards education development and renovation, step by step, and without delay or hesitation, because we have set out our goals and created our plans. Those who know the way will never get lost! And our way is being clearly marked every day in Al-Khan al-Ahmar, the Old Town of Hebron, Jerusalem, Gaza, and the entirety of Palestine, and we are decorating it with more schools of challenge designated for marginalized and affected areas and schools of determination made available in hospitals to serve our children who are receiving long-term medical treatments. The World Bank reports that the education system in Palestine has become the fastest developing one in the Arab world. This is attributable to wise leadership, a bold government, a lively educational community, and a people who does not recognize submission and capitulation. Congratulations to Palestine with its new school year, equipped with a renewed will. 7
There is no doubt that on a global scale, we are witnessing a shift in education. The demands of the labor market are changing as new sectors emerge and others recede, creating the need for traditional skills, such as literacy and numeracy, to be complemented by soft skills and new competencies, such as creativity, communication, and critical thinking.
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Spreading Khutwa* Fever Program Triggers Educators to Create Positive Ripple Effect
Courtesy of Hani Qaddumi Scholarship Foundation (HQSF).0
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program confirmed her own inclination that the traditional format of education, with the teacher delivering a lecture and students taking on a passive, receptive role, needs to change. “The curriculum can be a bit sterile, but there are many things that can bring joy and life back into the classroom,” she says. “I am trying to implement the techniques I saw in Finland and, to the extent possible, adapt the program to my own context.” This includes changing things in the classroom by taking the students outside, using technology to make learning fun,
uring the first four months of 2018, twenty-five Palestinian educators took part in a unique capacitybuilding program, Sparking Dialogue on Education (SDE), run by the Hani Qaddumi Scholarship Foundation as part of its initiative Khutwa for Inspired Education in Palestine. The program took these educators – about half of whom were teachers – on a fascinating learning journey, starting with a week in Helsinki to get a firsthand look at the top-ranking Finnish education system, followed by a series of thematic workshops in Palestine that aimed to spark a true dialogue around what education should look like in today’s world. The workshops were facilitated by Finnish experts in education, giving the participants a wealth of new ideas, approaches, techniques, and tools, as well as the opportunity to dialogue directly with one another and share best practices that already work in the Palestinian context. SDE is a program that rides the cusp of the new global trend in education, aiming to give educators fresh perspectives on age-old questions and particularly to equip teachers to implement tangible changes within the classroom. Several months after the program’s end, the experience has indeed registered a positive ripple effect within the schools and learning environments of the participating teachers. Many of them report that they have changed their methods in the classroom to a more student-centered approach, with an emphasis on making the learning experience fun and engaging. For Hadeel Ahmad, an English teacher at Saint Joseph’s School, the 8
lightening the homework burden, and engaging the students in playtime as a way to learn. Hadeel sees these techniques, witnessed in the Finnish education system, as a way of putting joy back into the learning experience, a theme that many of the other participants echoed as well.
Increasing student-student interaction and collaboration was another common shift that teachers made following the program. “As a teacher in the classroom, I definitely changed my methods after participating in the program,” says Raeda Mansour, a science teacher and student affairs 9
HQSF alumnus Hend Tubila welcomes guests during the closing ceremony of Sparking Dialogue on Education, which was held in Ramallah in April 2018.
officer at the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School. “I now focus more on collaborative learning, which helps students take more responsibility not only for their own learning but also for that of their classmates.”
shared with the administrative staff at his school. He hopes that this idea can offer a new perspective on the teaching profession and especially on admin-teacher relations. Freeing up teachers from the burden of inspection, Jamil adds, allows them to focus on teaching and affords them flexibility in terms of the curriculum.
Increasing student autonomy and self-confidence by focusing on life skills as well as academics is another avenue of development mentioned by the teachers, who aim to help students become well-rounded and develop a genuine, lifelong love of learning. “As a teacher,” says English teacher Suheir Dumati, who works at the Qalqilya Basic Girls School - UNRWA, “I now give my students positive assessment which in turn instills in them trust and understanding, thereby motivating them to progress in their learning.”
More broadly speaking, SDE utilizes active dialogue as a way of working towards a common vision and breaking down the communication barriers between stakeholders. Many participating teachers carried this spirit forward in their interactions within their school ecosystems. “The program helped me start a dialogue with the school administration, faculty, and students,” explained Siryeh Fdeilat, an English teacher at Fawwar Basic Girls School No. 1 – UNRWA. Siryeh then developed a plan based on the results of the dialogue, starting with defining the values that her school is founded on. “I found that the most urgent need in school is to promote the values of trust, respect, and self-reliance among teachers and students. Values are the first step in the change process,” she added.
“My colleagues were very interested in what I’d learned in Finland,” says Jamil Khalil, a physics teacher at the Orthodox School. So, Jamil shared what to him seemed like one of the hallmarks of the Finnish education system, namely the level of trust and autonomy that teachers enjoy. In practice, this means that teachers in Finland are not subject to inspections or assessments, an idea that Jamil 10
What about for teachers who are seasoned veterans? Could the program still have a positive impact on their teaching? Mohammad Shawamreh, a teacher with 21 years of experience, certainly believes so. Mohammad came into SDE already having developed many of his own innovative and engaging techniques to teach high school physics at the Arab Institute in Jerusalem. During SDE, his fellow participants were highly impressed and amused by the best practices he shared, such as setting the laws of physics to the tunes of popular songs to make them easier for students to memorize. For Mohammad, who has many responsibilities within his institution, Khutwa’s impact was most notable in terms of the workshops he delivers to other teachers at the school. “I realized that I needed to improve my structure and organization in delivering capacity-building workshops to my colleagues,” he explained, “and attending the Khutwa workshops gave me an amazing blueprint to do so.”
While Khutwa’s impact has certainly been felt in the classrooms, it has also, in many cases, extended to a larger circle of colleagues and administrators. Many report that other teachers and even principals were interested in hearing about education in Finland and the themes discussed in the workshops in Ramallah. A number of program participants set up their own special workshops to share the experience with their colleagues.
Indeed, this was the hope of the workshop facilitators: that the interactive delivery style would inspire participants as much as the content itself. Various engaging techniques were employed in the workshops – “food for thought” presentations to stimulate discussions, group work,
digital tools such as kahoot.it, Seppo, Mentimeter, and others to model the positive use of technology in the classroom, as well as learning cafés,i gallery walks,ii and many others. Participants came away with a wealth of new approaches to use in their own classrooms and presentations.
Finnish consultant Anna Helenius (left) and program participant Mohammad Shawamreh discuss a few points ahead of the program closing ceremony.
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Reman Abu Leil, an English teacher from Jerusalem Basic Boys School - UNRWA, plans to implement some of these digital tools in her classroom this school year. “One of the digital techniques I want to use this year is the online game Seppo, which sends students outside the walls of the classroom on a ‘learning adventure’ in the local neighborhood. We played the game during the Khutwa workshops, and it was such a fun experience that I want to pass it on to my students.” Reman also struck up a new partnership with a provider of digital textbooks to introduce these books to classes at her school, thereby making learning more fun, interactive, and engaging, which she hopes will help students stay in school and complete their studies.
No. 1 - UNRWA. Other teachers are taking better advantage of existing spaces within their schools, such as playgrounds and outdoor spaces, a common practice in Finnish schools. “I started taking my students to the playground for certain lessons,” says Suhaib Zeid, a science and tech teacher at Qalqilya Basic Boys School No. 1 - UNRWA, “and I realized that almost any lesson can benefit from time outdoors.” Carried along by the momentum for personal and professional development that he had gained through the program, Suhaib spent time this summer developing his skills further through online instructional and inspirational education sites, a true testament to the fact that teachers never really take time off.
Program participants meeting in Amman ahead of their study visit to Finland in January 2018.
SDE workshops in Finland and Palestine were conducted in a creative and interactive manner.
One of the SDE thematic workshops focused on the learning environment and how to create a space that is most conducive to learning. Several of the teachers who took part in the program are interested in making changes to their learning environments, away from the traditional idea of a classroom as simply a teacher, students, desks, and chairs, towards a new open classroom format that could include any number of elements such as a library, a stage for plays, and movable furniture. “I think that we need to update our definition of a learning environment in Palestine,” affirms Muneer Jawabreh, Khutwa participant and mathematics teacher at Arroub Basic Boys School
In addition to practical tools and methods of teaching, many of the participants expressed a shift in mentality brought about by their experience in the program. “The program affected my entire way of thinking and approach to change,” confides Dania Samer, a physics teacher who also occupies the role of vice-principal for academic affairs at the Qimam Academy. Now, instead of seeing change as an overwhelming, complex matter that requires an enormous effort, Dania sees it simply as a matter of small steps that can be achieved with the right strategy. Putting this shift in mentality into action, Dania has helped start a Khutwa-inspired 12
school principal at Askar Basic Girls School No. 3 - UNRWA. “Children are a nation’s greatest wealth and resource, which is what pushes me to carry forward this journey of change that Khutwa set in motion.”
program at her school called Jusoor.iii The program aims to involve teachers and staff in a dialogue process in order to foster collaboration based on shared values towards a common vision. Jusoor seeks to spread the ideas that Dania learned in Khutwa within her own school ecosystem, which includes 70 teachers and 1,200 students, through a series of ongoing workshops.
Hani Qaddumi Scholarship Foundation (HQSF) came to life in 2000, stemming from the Qaddumi family’s belief in the transformative power of education. Initially dedicated to increasing access to education, it has granted scholarships to 1,302 bright, talented Palestinian youth over the past 18 years. As a result, 548 scholars have graduated and are actively contributing to prosperity in Palestine. Inspired by its alumni success, HQSF evolved into Khutwa, an organization with a broader scope and a more holistic approach. Today, through building effective networks and increasing access to new opportunities, Khutwa will serve as a powerful catalyst for youth empowerment.
Moreover, SDE has piqued teachers’ interest in educational models and best practices from other countries, and shown how educators can adapt them to the Palestinian context. As the teachers begin to implement tangible changes in their teaching styles, attitudes, and learning environments, many of them expressed the need for continued support in order for these changes to have a sustainable impact. This support comes from school administrative staff and parents, as well as the Khutwa organization itself. Some teachers cited the need for financial support for certain projects, whereas others want to see a change in attitude among the general public towards the teaching profession, in order to foster a culture that highly values and respects teachers.
More information on Khutwa initiative can be found at http://khutwa-hqsf.org/; information on the HQSF can be found on Facebook (@HQSFoundation), Twitter (https://twitter.com/HQSFPalestine), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/ company/hani-qaddumi-scholarshipfoundation/), and YouTube (Hani Qaddumi Scholarship Foundation (HQSF)). You can contact HQSF via e-mail at info@hq-sf. org or by phone at +962 6 581 6819.
One thing is clear, programs such as Khutwa’s Sparking Dialogue on Education can have a ripple effect throughout the education ecosystem. “Khutwa gave me the inspiration to take the first step towards positive change,” says Naela Haj Hussein, a computer and tech teacher and deputy
* Khutwa is the Arabic word for step, and refers to HQSF’s initiative Khutwa for Inspired Education in Palestine. Article photos courtesy of HQSF.
i Learning café: a method for sharing and discussing ideas where several stations are set up, each with a group of participants. The facilitator gives a question or discussion topic, and each group takes some time to share amongst themselves about the topic. After a specified amount of time, the facilitator gives a signal, and one participant remains at the station while the rest move on to a different one. The participant who remains at the station explains to the newcomers what was discussed previously, and then they build further on those ideas. The process is repeated several times, and key ideas and messages are written on a flipchart for final sharing among all participants. Learning café is an easy-to-use method of creating powerful collaborative dialogue around significant questions. ii
Gallery walk: a way of showcasing and sharing individual work within a group. Each person hangs her/his work on a wall or display area, then other people in the group walk through and read each display; those who like a specific work can sign their names to it or add a sticker or post-it. To read about other techniques used during the workshops, read the full program report at http://khutwa-hqsf.org/uploads/HQSF_Report.pdf.
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Jusoor means bridges in English.
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Digitization of Education
A Teacher’s Perspective By Hanan Mustafa
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s part of my interest in education worldwide, I am very keen to give my students information through the most modern up-to-date technology available. I also believe in quality education, which, according to the United Nations, is the fourth Sustainable Development Goal that contributes to the achievement of other goals.
on both the learning process inside the classroom and the ability to study at home, inspired me to create an application that would allow my students to make best use of the time when electricity is in fact available. I was sure that by utilizing augmented reality to explain important learning material, the achievement levels of our students could be increased. I called the application TAJSEEM (Arabic for realization), and there are two stages: the first covers the science and geography curriculum of fifth grade, while the second stage covers the science curriculum for seventh grade. This application aims to help raise students’ grades by engaging them inside and outside the classroom, giving them vivid and memorable learning experiences that hopefully will last even after they graduate.
TAJSEEM is free and can be downloaded via Google play. It has been used and positively evaluated by students and parents.
The application has many unique features. It projects 3D models for a myriad of subjects, has audio to make it easier for students to repeat and comprehend the explanation, and features images and photos to create visual impact and foster a wider understanding. But I also had another goal, namely to change the methods
Photo courtesy of Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
I can contribute to quality education through various roles and at different levels. Inside the classroom, for example, and after reviewing the results of school exams, I noticed that some students are weak in more than one subject, but the weakest seems to be science. Various studies recommend using augmented reality in education as a form of learning, through smartphone applications. Having to live with the constant and frequently unpredictable electricity cuts that are a daily reality in the Gaza Strip and trying to cope with its negative impact 14
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of teaching science, to shift from traditional ways to the use of modern techniques. Furthermore, this was a way of demonstrating to students that they can use their mobile phones in a positive manner and enhance their learning rather than just play games and watch movies.
of distinguished teachers in the Gaza directorate. I am certain that what I have created is just the beginning of what is known as digitalizing education. In a world in which technology is evolving very fast, we should create more applications that allow students to better familiarize themselves with the information they are studying. We need applications that help them link information to its usage in the real world. Many students question their ability to use the information they learn in their dayto-day life. I believe that these are valid questions and that students must be made aware of the importance of the information they receive. But how can they be more aware of the importance of education? They must be shown where education can lead them. By showing them what these little pieces
We soon noticed that students began to use the application for the science and geography curriculum, which was a great success and a unique and new experience not only for them but also for their parents. After downloading the application, students can scan a page of their textbook where there is, for example, a picture of a body limb or a diagram representing an operation on an organ. The application recognizes the diagram or the image and transforms it into a 3D model, giving full details in audio.
Transformation through Innovation
Sharakat invests for impact in Palestinian SMEs to strengthen food self-sufficiency, enhance the technology offer, and accelerate human development through health and education
$80 Sustainable Agriculture and Agribusiness
Million Investment Program
Enhanced Information Technology Offer
High-Impact Education and Healthcare
Scalable Small Businesses
Pal-Farm for Milk Production Strengthens local dairy sector
Modern farm with over 1,000 cows in southern Hebron Supplies over six million liters of fresh milk per year Ibtikar Fund
Boosts IT startups
$10 million disruptive fund that invests in early-stage Palestinian technology start-ups Sharakat is a key shareholder in Ibtikar Ijara Enables SME finance
Palestine’s first Islamic leasing facility, focused on providing machinery for SMEs Established by Sharakat in 2013, now has more than $10 million in active assets in portfolio Dalyeh Seedless Grape Farm
Teachers were equally happy with the experience because the application supports their explanation of a topic at hand and allows them to visualize text from a book through 3D models. Similarly, parents were aided in their efforts to explain to their children some of the most difficult scientific topics.
of information can accomplish, we can make sure that students will do better in school and develop goals and aspirations. Mobile applications are an easy and smart way of presenting the information they need, giving them access to quality education. I have taken a very simple step in that direction and hope that others may follow on this path.
TAJSEEM has recently been presented at the “Startup Weekend Education Gaza,” organized by Google, which targets entrepreneurs and innovators who have creative ideas that advance education. I was very proud to introduce my application to a group of professors, specialists, and mentors from Palestinian and international universities who selected me to become a member of the committee
Hanan Mustafa is a teacher at the Shujaiya Secondary School for Girls in the Gaza Strip where she teaches girls in the tenth grade and creates applications that aid visualization and explanation of science curricula for students in various grades. Born in Gaza, she holds a BA in education.
Supports marginalized areas
Meets growing demand for early sweet grapes both locally and abroad Farm located in Ein al-Beida, near Tubas, in ‘Area C’ Al Jinan International School Coding, Roboting and English
In the works Animal-Feed Plant Increases self-sufficiency
$13 million Sharakat-led investment in state-of-the-art animal-feed plant in Hebron Production capacity to contribute to food security, and to substitute imported feed Agriculture Aggregation Company
Streamlines market access
Planned marketing and trade company for Palestinian agricultural cooperatives Will host a state-of-the-art grading and packing house Integrated Potato Chips Plant
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vehicles were forbidden from crossing the checkpoints, the team had to cross by foot but were not always granted access.
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Sometimes Ms. Venäläinen’s support was very hands-on: She was able to drive to Gaza with her embassyregistered Fiat Panda, and she recalls
Embracing the Right to Education A Story of Hope, Determination, and Success By Paula Malan
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t all started 25 years ago when Mr. Heikki Kokkala, a senior education specialist from Finland, and the late Mr. Khalil Mahshi, then director general of external relations at the Ministry of Education in Palestine, met at a UNESCO conference on education. This was a time when educationists globally had started to pay more attention to the effectiveness of education systems and to the assessment of learning outcomes. In Palestine, work had already started on developing the first-ever unified national curriculum which would replace the Jordanian and Egyptian curricula used in the West Bank and Gaza, respectively. Mr. Kokkala and Mr. Mahshi noted the need to also initiate an assessment and evaluation system for Palestine to provide information about the students’ learning results which would help the authorities to develop the instructional materials used in schools. At the same time, the Finnish government was looking for ways to support the newly established Palestinian Authority and decided to direct its support to the education sector. Thus, Mr. Kokkala and Mr. Mahshi, with their many colleagues, began to design the first cooperation project between Finland and Palestine. This, however, was easier said than done. Mr. Kokkala recalls that the members of his team were among the few foreigners who would visit Ramallah back then. Given that 18
Photo by Mimmi Nietula.
In April 1996, a Finnish educational expert, Ms. Raisa Venäläinen, arrived in Ramallah to support the implementation of the first bilateral cooperation program, PALFEP – the Palestinian Finnish Education Programme. She worked with the Ministry of Education to help with the establishment of an educational assessment and evaluation center in Ramallah and the establishment of an instructional media center to produce locally available teaching and learning materials. This project also supported the development of administration systems in education. One of Ms. Venäläinen’s close colleagues at that time was the newly appointed director of the assessment and evaluation center, Dr. Basri Saleh, who currently holds the position of deputy minister in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
the many times the boot of her Fiat was full of canvas bags with documents to be delivered between the ministry offices in Ramallah and Gaza. Many years later, when her daughter asked Ms. Venäläinen what she actually had been doing all those years in Palestine, she concluded: “I was just being myself, and we all worked 24/7.” Ms. Venäläinen describes her first years with the project as the Palestinian honeymoon, a time when her Palestinian counterparts had great hope, determination, and enthusiasm to build an education system that would fulfil the needs and aspirations of a Palestinian nation. From the beginning they aimed high: to provide Palestinian children with equal opportunities for the highest quality of learning. 19
Ms. Venäläinen recalls that the first education-sector working-group meeting was organized in 1999, gathering a handful of partners who were implementing education projects in Palestine together with the Ministry of Education. The meeting was the start of a process that would eventually lead to the development of the Palestinian education development strategic plans and coordinated partner support for sector-wide development.
The results of this partnership illustrate its success: for example, 114 schools in Gaza that were damaged by the 2014 war have been rehabilitated, and some of the most vulnerable students in Area C are provided with safe access to schools through school transport. Thousands of teachers have benefitted from professional development activities that are offered to strengthen their pedagogical skills and to support them in assuming more
enhanced. Therefore, Finland, together with its many international partners, is determined to continue its support of the public education system as well as the UNRWA schools.
Working in cooperation with its international partners, Finland has supported the Palestinian Ministry of Education in numerous projects and is committed to continuing its support of the public education system and UNRWA schools in Palestine.
Visiting schools in Palestine is always an uplifting and encouraging experience: teachers demonstrate remarkable determination and resilience as they work in difficult conditions against all odds and often with limited resources in order to provide a rewarding educational experience for their students. Students talk about their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, pilots, and engineers. Boys and girls share their hopes of living in peace and enjoying equal rights with children all over the world. No wonder that the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Sabri Saidam, often talks about his ministry as the Ministry of Hope. It is truly that.
Ethiopia, and as a programme analyst at the UNRWA Headquarters in Amman, Jordan. In addition, she has worked as a teacher and an adviser in Finland, Namibia, and Zambia. Ms. Malan holds master’s degrees in social sciences with a major in development studies and in education with a major in special needs education.
Paula Malan works as the Head of Development Cooperation at the Representative Office of Finland in Ramallah, Palestine. She has previously worked as Counsellor for Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Finland in Addis Ababa,
learner-centered teaching methods. Major policy reforms that expand the provision of public preschool education and create a vocational secondary path qualifying for the new Injaaz examination, which replaces the Tawjihi, have been adopted and stipulated in new education legislation.
Over the years, through harder and better times, Finland has been a staunch supporter of education in Palestine, supporting system-wide reforms to enhance educational quality and equality. Projects were never discontinued, although there were periods when activities slowed down, such as during the second Intifada. Finland’s bilateral projects culminated in the setting up of a multi-donor Joint Financing Arrangement in 2010, which to date is a solid partnership of several European countries and the Ministry of Education, to provide financing for the education sector.
But there is still work to be done. In addition, the future generations of Palestinians need to be educated. Their right to education must be preserved, promoted, and protected. The quality of their education and equal opportunities for all must be further 20
PALFEP project management team meeting with Dr. Basri Saleh, Dr. Jehad Zakarneh, Nedal Maswadeh, and Raisa Venäläinen. Photo courtesy of Raisa Venäläinen.
Raisa Venäläinen and Dr. Basri Saleh during the first years of the PALFEP project. Photo courtesy of Raisa Venäläinen.
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What If We Treated Teachers Like Surgeons? By Riyam Kafri AbuLaban
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defeat when one meticulously planned lesson does not work or an exercise isn’t met with the expected response. We worry that if we try something new, we are somehow cheating our children out of a genuine learning experience.
assumption. I believe, however, that in our discussion and focus on studentcentered learning and what needs to go on in the classroom, we may have, ever so slightly, forgotten about the dynamos that make the wheels turn, the teachers. Second, we must agree that our first take on teaching, no matter how many education degrees we hold, is a mirror image of how we were taught. The first inclination we all have is to stand at the front of the class and throw information at students like a bag of jelly beans, expect them to catch it all, then automatically remember it the following day. If you are a teacher, you know exactly what I am talking about. The first time you stood in front of a class was some version of what I just described.
In order to allow teachers to grow into facilitators, like many of us in Palestine aspire to do, the first task is to enable them to learn on the job. What if we treated our teachers like doctors? Every now and then I receive unhappy parents in my office who think that the school is using their children as lab rats, experimenting with new curricula and novel approaches. The conversation dips into a parental tirade that ebbs and flows and then ends as abruptly as it started. What is the problem with experimentation? If surgeons can learn surgery by operating on patients,
As we learn on the job, we may slowly venture out of the front-of-the-class zone and attempt worksheets, or a video here and there, but many of us will retreat back at the first sign of
why can’t teachers learn to teach by teaching? It also wouldn’t hurt to pay teachers as much as we pay surgeons, but that is another story for a different time and place.
e often perceive teachers as amazing heroes with incredible superpowers. So we talk to them like that, we expect them to reach to the stars and land on the moon. We want them to be our children’s moral compass and do the parenting instead of us. We have such high expectations of them, almost unrealistic in magnitude, but we often treat them with little respect. At the first sight of exhaustion, at the first sight of a mistake, we turn on them and come down so hard that we often dismiss their humanity. And by we, I mean all of us: students, administrators, and parents. The universality of the statements may suggest a generalization, but if we take these statements and use them as lenses to examine teachers in Palestine, we find them to be painfully true. While the image of a superhero is one that any of us takes pride in, it is exactly this image, the endless hours and the incredible amount of effort that goes into teaching someone else’s children that makes teaching and teachers suffer. In order for this conversation to go well, we should agree on specific assumptions. First, we agree that education is all about the students, and that student achievement and growth are what we all strive for as educators. To sound even more romantic, I would say that we are all here to raise the next generation in the hope of a better Palestine. So all discussions about learning, including this article, are based on this 22
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Around this time of the year, we receive numerous students from various universities looking to intern with us for a week or two. This includes class observations, overall school observations, and maybe one or two meetings with the subject teacher. The school has no say in what these interns do, and they are here for such a short period of time that we barely get to know them. There is little to no follow up on them from the university, and the sheet we receive to sign asks nothing about their performance but rather is focused on the number of hours they completed. In teaching, as in medicine, observation is necessary in order to learn, but as in medicine, doing is even more important. How else will a surgeon learn the exact amount of pressure to apply to a ten blade to make an incision across the abdomen? It is a fact that the more you practice, the better your technique becomes. You develop a sixth sense in your profession; you are almost able to predict a problem from observation before it even happens. Teaching is no different. The more time you spend in the classroom, the more you try things out, the sharper your sense of teaching becomes. You can almost predict how your students will react to a certain project or topic. So if we create a systematic interning program, where teachers are given a year’s worth of pedagogical training, the latest in approaches to learning and teaching, and an opportunity to teach under the close supervision of their “attending teacher,” we may minimize teacher burnout and maximize growth and development, which ultimately affects student academic progress.
Learning and teaching are experiential. Without trying a new approach, how will we become better teachers?
This will enable them to uncover their students’ talents, their challenges, and to not shy away from thinking outside the box. Palestine isn’t devoid of good teachers, but we are certainly far from allowing those teachers to experiment and innovate. As exciting as it is to see so many innovation incubators and start-up funders pop up, what we really need is an innovative approach to teacher training, a medical-school-style intern year where interns do the scud work and learn all the tricks of the trade in the process.
Article photos show students and teachers from (Upper) Ramallah Friends School engaged in exploration and learning. Courtesy of RFS.
Riyam Kafri AbuLaban is an educator, writer, and food enthusiast. She holds a PhD in organic chemistry and currently serves as the Ramallah Friends SchoolUpper School principal. She is a wife and mother of two. On weekends her kitchen smells of za’atar, cinnamon, lemon, and honey. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good food memoire and writing her own food story on www.onourkitchentable.net. She can be reached at riyam.kafri@gmail.com.
Innovation is iterative; the first version of anything almost never works. The versions that follow get better with time, data collection, and a chance to go back to the drawing board every time. This is possible for all professions; even surgeons can make mistakes, but for some reason we don’t offer teachers the same indulgence. We simply want them to be perfect, and no human is ever perfect.
Teachers strive to be perfect, and because we perceive them to be superheroes, we expect nothing less than perfection. But in teaching it is not perfection we are after, it is a process and a journey of growth. And if we adapt a growth mindset, we can then allow our teachers to experiment and turn their classrooms into learning labs. 24
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Mentoring for Change By Rawya Al Farra
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reating a journey that improves skills and instils hope was the passion that drove me when I worked for Al Fakhoora Dynamic Futures Programme in Gaza; a journey that I have been on for over three years now, as I have been working with 630 students as a mentor in the Inspirational Leadership Development Programme and in various other educational activities. Mentoring students in a strategic program that aims to create cadres of young leaders for civic engagement is a unique and rewarding life experience. In 2009, Al Fakhoora Dynamic Futures co-funded by Education Above All Foundation and Islamic Development Bank, started as one of the flagship education programs in Gaza. The program moved beyond providing access to higher education and began to offer a comprehensive package of services to help bridge gaps and teach missing yet important study, life, and leadership skills to students who are currently enrolled in higher education. While in its first phase, Dynamic Futures aided 340 students in their transition from high school to college, the second phase engages 630 students in a learning journey that strives to crystalize their personalities to become change makers who can contribute positively to the development of their communities. Working as a key trainer in the Civic Inspirational Leadership Programme, I facilitated the Foundation of Civic Leadership Skills and Qualities, defining the key characteristics of a competent leader and providing situational experiences and specific examples of civic leaders past and present through mini case studies. Skills-development methods varied from social emotional learning to what we term the seven survival skills,i focusing on student learning outcomes pertinent to a 26
contemporary civic leader in today’s world of a globalized and integrated economy. Along with other trainers and co-trainers, I taught students the basics of effective communication, social media, time management, soft skills, and self-confidence. In early 2018, I worked with UNDP as a consultant to design the “Art of Dialogue and Facilitation” that marks this second phase of the Al Fakhoora Civic Inspirational Leadership Programme. This comprehensive, multistage program aims to empower students to become motivated civic leaders with the ability to engage productively in the rebuilding of their societies and to provide leadership within and outside their own communities.
skills in various types of scenarios that include academic, social, emotional, traumatic, and stressful situations to teach students how to remain focused, cool, calm, and collected. Students learned to be nonpartisan facilitators, manage difficult conversations, and promote better understanding between different individuals in social, cultural, political, ethnicity-related, and religious discussions. The program’s curriculum design is based on international standards that include Outcome Based Education (OBE) and the Bologna Framework,ii while at the same time it is contextualized with the need of specific regions such as Gaza, Turkey, Syria, and others. The taxonomies of Bloomiii and Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO)iv were used to develop all learning outcomes. This high level of sophistication and the fact that the Inspirational Civic Leadership
Working with passion was my driving force. Even though I had a curriculum, I also added my own various techniques. I approached situations from the students’ perspectives to help me see things through their eyes. Understanding the students’ experiences within their diverse communities is significant to creating common grounds. I used a participatory approach and learning by doing to encourage students to discover the skills by themselves and actualize their learning. Using an interactive approach with interesting learning games in the context of Art of Dialogue and Facilitation training aims to provide students with effective skills in meaningful dialogue and discussions. The training program used techniques such as facilitation, storytelling, lobbying, the art of advanced communication
Rawya Al Farra during a training session on the Art of Facilitation and dialogue. Photo by Mohammad Al Majdalawi for UNDP, July 2018.
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Programme is spread over three to four years has made it possible to take the students on a learning journey and impart knowledge, skills, and competencies to finally reach efficacy in their area of specialization. The program is intertwined with the students’ degree program, providing them with ample time to learn, absorb, and internalize the information so that they may become effective civic leaders. As the students take these training sessions mostly during summer breaks, the program is designed not to overburden the students to the extent that their degree program suffers. At the same time, it ensures that there be no compromise in quality and no overlap of materials between the two parallel programs. The need to heighten the values of respect for wide diversities, learning about co-existence, adaptability, and acceptance of the variety of thoughts, tolerance, neutrality, and giving safe spaces were among the learning outcomes that I have worked on with UNDP/PAPP’s Al Fakhoora Program, and the fellow trainers to achieve through the activities. It is not about training sessions. I am contributing to building competences and skills. We do not want youth to live behind doors but rather that they be up to the challenge of their communities and engage in building positive outcomes. It was encouraging to be able to witness how students who came from marginalized remote areas of the Gaza Strip developed increasing signs of respect and gender sensitivity, overcoming their initial fears towards interacting with female mentors, gradually opening up for discussions, and showing more respect for female students and the readiness to engage in active dialogue with them. It is always rewarding to give limitlessly to such passionate students who share with us the willingness to learn.
Inspirational session on world leaders as part of the leadership camp session led by Rawya Al Farra.
Ahmad, Iyad, Riham, Batool … there are countless names of young people whose development and change I was able to witness. These students were able to start walking another track of life, moving into increased positivity, challenging the stereotypes, and inspiring others as well. In the
dire context of daily life in Gaza, such experiences give hope and the courage to move on – never to give up, no matter what the odds! Rawya Al Farra, 37, lives in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Rawya holds a master’s degree in political science from the Institute of Arabic Research and Studies, Egypt. Since 2012, Rawya has worked as a program coordinator with private, local, and international NGOs on issues related to education and capacity-development programs.
Rawya mentoring on foundations of leadership. Photo by Husam Salim, 2017.
Article photos courtesy of UNDP/PAPP. i
Critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination.
ii This framework outlines the international agreement on the number of credit hours that generally constitute bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. iii
Bloom’s taxonomy organizes cognitive, affective, and sensory learning objectives in a set of three hierarchical models that classify educational learning objectives according to their levels of complexity and specificity.
iv
This model outlines levels of increasing complexity to guide the teaching of academic topics.
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Ancient Schools in Palestine Tell Balata near Nablus.
By Hamdan Taha
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arly forms of writing emerged gradually from pictorial representations of nature and human activities, drawn possibly for cultic purposes, to record-keeping and counting, which many scholars consider a form of proto-writing, and finally pictorial writing (such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mesopotamian cuneiform script) and early alphabets (such as the Proto-Canaanite script, Phoenician consonantal alphabet and Greek alphabet that also indicated vowels). The invention of writing necessitated the obvious need to learn it, and human history consequently witnessed the advent of a new profession: teaching. Palestine and Mesopotamia were among the early showplaces of this emerging skill, as indicated by archaeological, epigraphic, and philological evidence. Early sources include the notes written by an unknown teacher to a Sumerian student in the form of a dialogue that describes the daily proceedings at the House of Tablets in Iraq. In another source, a Canaanite teacher from a school at the archeological site Tell Balata near Nablus asks for his salary in a letter dated to around 1400 BC. And as in Iraq, many training exercises written by pupils of this early school were found.
was erected during the Roman period. The village of Balata was built in the Medieval period along the southern edge of the ancient tell and has continuously been inhabited until the present time, inheriting the legacy of the ancient tell. It is worth noting that the shrine of Joseph’s Tomb (Maqam Nabi Yusuf) was used in the 1930s as a school by Balata Village bearing the last vestiges of an ancient educational system in Palestine that used religious sites for various activities, among them teaching.
his or her first correct sentence and may safely assume that in the past, people faced similar difficulties. Even though information about the first experiments in learning and teaching are scanty, there are some sources that can give us an idea about the first schools and teachers. The Sumerians called a school edubba, which in their Akkadian language meant the house of cuneiform tablets, which is the equivalent of Beit Dibi. The student was known as the son of the House of the Tablets. The school’s name is derived clearly from the clay tablets and indicates that the clay tablets were used for writing. Such schools were echoed in traditional Palestinian society with Madares al-Kuttab, which used wooden tablets before the
It seems that the first form of schools appeared with the advent of writing in ancient Mesopotamia, at the beginning of the third millennium BC. We all know how much time a person needs in order to learn how to write Writing on clay Tablet.
Tell Balatai features a Canaanite urban center, identified with the ancient Shikmu (Shechem) based on circumstantial evidence since no historical records have been found in situ that would corroborate this identification. The site was inhabited 6,000 years ago and reached its zenith in the Middle Bronze Age (around 2500 to 2000 BC), when its cyclopean wall, monumental gates, fortress temple, and domestic quarters were built. In the late Bronze Age, Labaya became king of Shikmu. He rebuilt the city that flourished during this period, as evidenced in its material culture. The cuneiform tablets date to this period in the urban history of the city that in the first century BC was abandoned until a new city, Nablus (Neapolis), 30
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Diary of a Sumerian Pupil One can find notes directed at a Sumerian pupil in the form of a dialogue, written by an unknown teacher in the form of a diary of a student at the House of Tablets. The striking similarities between the psychological implications in this ancient text and today’s modern school reality are surprising. The following text has been translated by Kramer.iii
School at Maqam Nabi Yusef (Joseph’s Tomb) (BöhlPal.1931.47).
appearance of modern schools at the end of the Ottoman rule in Palestine.
clay shards were used for writing; it is needless to say that paper was not known at the time. The pens in Iraq were made of cane and had a head in the form of a nail or screw. Writing was done by pressing the pen on the soft clay, which is why philologists called the resulting script cuneiform. Students had to learn the basic skills of how to prepare their clay tablets and pens before they began to learn how to write the signs. It is clear from the recovered training tablets that pupils at the elementary level were practicing the individual signs, whereas the more advanced pupils were writing simple sentences and lists of concepts and nouns. Advanced students copied longer and complex texts before they proceeded and practiced copying classical texts and literary passages. The whole process was done under the supervision of a teacher, who checked and corrected the texts before returning them to his pupils. Some clay tablets bearing both the pupil’s and the teacher’s scripts have been found.
Archaeologists in Iraq have found large numbers of exercise tablets. It seems that initially the schools were one of the extensions of a temple, the center of administration and economy at the time. This phenomenon was evident in Palestine as well, where teaching was associated with mosques, churches, and religious shrines and institutions. Clay tablets were found also in palaces and private dwellings, which indicates that a form of private schooling existed as well. In addition, and since the early second millennium BC, schools have emerged as independent institutions, similar to those of the Kattatib school system that was popular in Palestine before the emergence of modern schools. Sources furthermore indicate that in the past, children went to school at the age of six, similar to the custom in our schools today.ii But back then, students had to memorize hundreds of signs (in the early stages there were more than 1,200 of them) instead of the twenty-some letters of the alphabets used in the Arabic or English languages of today. In some of these schools, basins were found, and we can assume that the pupils in ancient Iraq also had to learn how to prepare clay tablets for writing, which were used like the copy books or modern tablets of our days. In Egypt and Palestine, papyrus, leather, and
Such teaching took several years of schooling, and we can imagine the difficulties involved in learning so many signs. Eventually, students took up work as writers in the economic and administrative sectors. However, education was not limited to writing skills but also to other essential knowledge such as mathematics, music, and dance. 32
- O son of the Tablet House, where did you go from earliest days? - I went to the Tablet House. - What did you do in the Tablet House? - I recited my tablet, I ate my lunch, and then I prepared my new tablet, and set it up, wrote it, finished it, and in the afternoon, they assigned me homework. I returned what I wrote. When the Tablet House was dismissed, I went home, entered the house, and found my father sitting there. I told my father of my homework, then recited my tablet to him, and my father was delighted…. The next day I got up early, looked at my mother and said to her: Give me my lunch, my mother gave me two rolls and I went to school. In the Tablet House, the guard said to me, Why are you late? I felt scared, and my heart beat. Then I appeared in front of my teacher and made a respectful curtsy.
Schoolday Tablet (Samuel Noah Kramer, Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition.).
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Letter of a Canaanite Teacher At Tell Balata, two cuneiform tablets were found by Ernest Sellin and Franz M. Bohl in 1926. They date back to the late Bronze Age (ca. 1400 BC). One incomplete tablet contains a list of personal names, and the second, a complete tablet, is a letter from a teacher to the prince of Shikmu. The tablets were read and published by the Dutch Assyriologist Bohl and later commented on by the American biblical archaeologist W. Albright.iv It is a letter of a man who most probably headed a school of cuneiform tablet writing in the Canaanite city of Shikmu and addressed his letter to the prince of Shikmu. It is interesting to note that despite the delay in tuition payment, the teacher continued to attend to his tasks in teaching his pupils. The fees comprised goods such as grains and oil, similar to the fees paid in the Palestinian Dar al-Kuttab traditional education system. Unto Birashshenu Say: Thus Baniti (Ashirate) From three years ago until now thou has had me paid Is there no grain nor oil nor wine What is my offence that thou hast not paid The children who are with me Continue to learn Their father and mother Every day alike Am am i (………………Interruption in the text) Now Whatever At the disposal of my ---unto me Balata Teacher’s Tablet (Sellin1926). And let him inform me
Teaching is one of the old professions in Palestine as is evident from these cuneiform writings. The teacher’s text from Tell Balata forms a unique literary historical evidence of schools in Palestine from 3,500 years ago. It throws light on cultural life in the Canaanite period and shows the striking similarities between ancient and modern schools with regard to the education system, the material that was taught, the fear of being late for school, and delays in payment. Teaching was probably not the most
privileged profession financially, but for sure it has been one of the most honorable professions throughout history. Dr. Hamdan Taha is an independent researcher and former deputy minister of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. He served as the director general of the Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage from 1995 to 2013. He is the author of a series of books as well as many field reports and scholarly articles.
i For more information on this site, please visit Tell Balata Archeological Guide, published by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002319/231930e.pdf. ii
Samuel Noah Kramer, History Begins at Sumer: ThirtyNine Firsts in Recorded History, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981.
iii
Available at https://cdli.ucla.edu/cdlitablet/showcase, for more details visit https://goo.gl/LSRDUL
iv
William F. Albright, “A Teacher to a Man of Shechem about 1400 B.C.,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 86 (April 1942), pp 2831.
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Al-Jinan International School Accelerating Education in Palestine By Nassim Nour
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earning a new language can be a lifelong journey. It takes dedication, practice, and, in the case of students at a newly minted technology-focused school in Jenin, Palestine, a working computer or tablet equipped with the latest programming technology.
Al-Jinan International School (JIS) is the first educational institution in Palestine to require students to learn computer coding and programming as a second language. JIS is an informationtechnology-focused school that offers a diversified educational program featuring instructions on coding, robotics, and simulation software alongside traditional core subjects in the humanities, science, and mathematics. The school, which was inaugurated on August 29, 2018, has 470 students in classes ranging from kindergarten to secondary level. The coding-language requirement is a core element of JIS’s broader mission to prepare its students for their twenty-first-century careers − and engage in a dynamic economy at home in Palestine. Boosting local talent in emerging and innovative technologies is critical to help Palestine make the transition to a knowledge-based economy. In that sense, JIS, which is part of ongoing public and private-sector-led initiatives to transform Palestine’s education system, is helping to lay the foundations of a sustainable and vibrant economic future. “We hope that Al-Jinan International School becomes a model for other schools in Palestine,” said Mr. Mohammed Al-Qubbaj, JIS’s principal. “In many ways, our students are helping to define what is possible in Palestine by pushing local education to new heights. Palestine already has a very high literacy and education rate. What is needed are more efforts to take this productive base and expand upon it.”
Program puts Palestine’s literacy rate at 96.3 percent, up from just about 85 percent in 1995. But what it means to be literate is changing. Beyond being able to read and write, literacy today requires the ability to utilize technology to analyze problems and find creative solutions − heightening the need to introduce coding, robotics, and other tech into educational institutions.
to technology. I feel that an education at JIS would better equip my child for the requirements of the future,” said a student’s parent, Mrs. Suha Samoudi. The school is one of several technology and STEAM-focused schools that will be established across Palestine. STEAM uses science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to develop children’s critical thinking skills. Sharakat, the Palestine Investment Fund’s impact platform for agriculture, education, and technology, is proud to be a co-investor in JIS alongside its co-investors in Jenin. Sharakat’s role is to help accelerate the implementation of its partners’ vision, to assist with the institutionalization and governance of the Jinan Holding Company, and to scale up and expand this innovative education initiative into other governorates in Palestine.
Fortunately, local investors and experts in Palestine are coming together to translate these ideas into action. In Jenin, a group of local investors, businesspeople, and academics combined forces to establish Al-Jinan Real Estate Investment Company, which has served as the lead investor in Al-Jinan International School. Chaired by Dr. Adli Saleh, the company seeks to establish Jenin as a local leader in science and technology by investing in a new generation of Palestinian scientists, engineers, and technologists and equipping them with the skills they need to thrive.
Our hope at Sharakat and the Palestine Investment Fund is that this new brand of schooling – which enables students to solve problems, rather than simply learn solutions, by investing in and modernizing Palestine’s educational facilities and offerings − will help put Palestine on a path towards a knowledge-based economy. It is this futuristic vision that guides our work − and our commitment to invest directly in Palestine’s children.
At the JIS, students are currently settling in to their first months of class − and gearing up for their first round of exams. “I am excited to join JIS and to be part of a new creative system of providing education,” said English teacher Shifa Abu Alrub. “This is a place that explores a child’s greatest potential and creativity.”
Nassim Nour is the executive director of Sharakat Company for SMEs Investment. A seasoned social entrepreneur and a private-sector development expert, Nassim’s 25-year career has included a number of senior leadership positions with international organizations across Africa, Australia, and Palestine. Before joining Sharakat, he led the Private Sector Development Department at the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID).
Al-Jinan International School will have a tangible local impact in Palestine’s northern Jenin and Qabatiya governorates, where, before the school’s inauguration, private schools only covered 5.1 percent of total market demand. Moreover, with a capacity of nearly 1,200 students, the school is well-positioned to serve northern Palestine’s educational needs well into the future. “We have long been waiting for such a school to emerge in Jenin. Our children have a lot of potential, especially when it comes
Literacy rates in Palestine are indeed high, even when compared to developed countries. Recent data from United Nations Development 36
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Palestinian Teachers
A Glimmer of Hope for the Future Courtesy of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education
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n Palestine, education is the key investment pillar on which the nation can be built and the well-being of its citizens achieved. Ever since the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) took over the education sector in 1994, it has given great attention to staff capacity building, offering training in accordance with modern trends in education, and the rehabilitation and expansion of school infrastructure in order to keep up with the challenges of development and population growth and accommodate the steady increase in the number of students. The challenges that MoEHE faces are enormous, and the situation is far from ideal, but the Palestinian nation is steadfast in its resilience, and the Palestinian government is doing its best to improve conditions and attain better outcomes. In this article, we choose to highlight enormous efforts undertaken by MoEHE and the teachers and staff at our schools and underscore the successes that they and their students can take pride in.
Hanan Alhroub, who ranked first in the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize in 2016, confesses that her decision to specialize in primary education was triggered by an incident in which her children and husband were attacked at gunpoint by the Israeli occupation forces. The experience of having to help them overcome post-traumatic stress inspired Hanan to become a teacher, so that she could apply what she had learned to a school setting − where she was certain she would find similar cases. Indeed, many children in Palestine are exposed to violence, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the Israeli military occupation that interrupts their daily lives and negatively affects their well-being. Ever since Hanan was appointed a teacher in 2009, she has implemented her Play and Learn approach in her classes. Even though she faced challenges, she finetuned this teaching method to modify students’ negative behavior, encourage them to learn, and motivate them to improve their academic achievements. More significantly, she has taught them leadership skills, promoted concepts of democracy, and created a spirit of cooperation and tolerance towards the opinion of others. Her book, in which she outlines her approach, has been an inspiration for many. Fida’ Zaatar was among the top 50 teachers listed on the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize 2016. She considers teaching to be a sacred profession and asserts that a great responsibility falls on a teacher’s shoulders. Her teaching method focuses on the use of innovative and effective instruction strategies to ensure that students learn actively and develop their intellectual, moral, and emotional capabilities. Therefore, she sequentially integrates e-learning, play-based, and active-learning strategies into her teaching. In addition, she seeks to educate parents on how to support their children in both their school work and general development by holding regular parent-teacher meetings, answering questions regarding many educational issues, and shedding light on the best methods to use to follow up on the children’s progress. Fida’ was awarded the title Model Fellow at the International Teachers’ Conference Abu Dhabi 2017 and the rank of Knight by president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), one of the distinguished medals of the State of Palestine.
With all its endeavors, the MoEHE takes great care to make effective use of the available resources and build upon existing knowledge, which is reflected in the high quality of the implemented programs that are by and large characterized by professionalism, modernity, novelty, and excellence and a direct reflection of MoEHE’s policies towards education. Among the main assets of the ministry are its teachers, some of whom we are proud to introduce here. 38
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Abeer Iqnibi ranked among the top 50 teachers in Mathematics Cafe 2017 of the Varkey Foundation. Persistently engaged in improving her skills through professional development, she pursues a distinct pedagogical approach that avoids rote learning and reduces teacher-centered presentations. She furthermore incorporates technology, which contributes to more lively lessons and reduces the achievement gap among students by decreasing math phobia. Abeer strives to support multiple intelligences in her students and utilizes flipped and activelearning classroom techniques in order to create a stimulating environment in which twenty-first-century skills are realized and sustainable development objectives achieved. Thereby, Abeer transforms students from passive recipients of knowledge to active participants in knowledge production. Moreover, not only did Abeer manage to connect her students with peers around the world to work on participatory projects, she has also enabled them to compete in local and international exhibitions. As a result, her students were ranked fourth in the field of plant science through the project The Weeping Plant at the Exhibition of Science and Technology (ISEF) in the United States. In recognition of her achievement, she was honored with the Medal of Excellence by president Mahmoud Abbas. Izdihar Thaher was awarded the title of Best Teacher in Palestine in 2018. Her approach to teaching focuses on discovering, developing, and guiding students’ creativity by delivering the curriculum content in a simplified way. In so doing, she crafts learning activities and play-based tasks using innovative ideas that are in accordance with the developmental characteristics of children and conducive to developing skills and concepts − in line with and beyond the requirements of the respective curricula. Focusing on the development and refinement of the psychological, social, and psychomotor aspects of students’ personalities, Izdihar employs advanced instructional strategies that play an effective role in achieving the best output in the learning process. In fact, she makes use of learning through playing and music, utilizes the local environment resources, involves the students in the celebrations of all national, religious, and social events, and uses ICT to prepare them to be global citizens. She believes that students learn their rights, duties, obligations, and responsibilities through playing, and that they handle real-life situations by taking part in school broadcasting services. Moreover, Izdihar works on strengthening students’ ties with the local community through all available means and takes care to create an attractive playing environment for students to make up for the absence of entertainment and fun places due to the confiscation by the Israeli occupation of most of the land in her small village. 40
At Ziad Abu Ein Primary School, principal Ruba Layla and the teachers excel in project-based learning and the integration of technology into learning and assessment.
The achievements of Palestinian teachers are supported by an educational system that values initiative, innovation, and systematic experimentation. The MoEHE encourages the implementation of creative and developmental projects that contribute to the development of students’ cognitive skills and enhance their engagement in the teachinglearning process. For example, the MoEHE fielded the Smart Learning Program where no school bags are carried, no homework is done at home, and no traditional exams are administered. Strong emphasis is placed on student learning, curriculum competencies, a stimulating learning environment, and an administrative and teaching body that effectively utilizes its internal and external relations and available resources. Nowadays, Palestinian teachers employ a variety of ways and multiple instructional
strategies to engage all students by utilizing thought-provoking learning activities and assessment tasks, beyond the written curriculum and the traditional examinations. All these methods depend on three pillars: an effective administration, an effective learning environment, and effective learning. Ziad Abu Ein Primary School is a good example of a school that displays and fosters excellence. To keep abreast of technological developments and the role of technology in promoting the learning process, the MoEHE has implemented Learning Digitization, an educational program that focuses on incorporating technology into learning. This program aims to enhance students’ learning through the use of ICT in a way that is consistent with the learners’ needs and interests. Initially and in cooperation with the municipalities, it has been
Al-Awda School in Bethlehem is among the schools that are implementing a digitalization program.
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applied to a pilot group of 103 schools and provided 12,500 students from the fifth and sixth grades with tablets that contain digital books, learning activities, and educational games. What is more, 5,000 teachers and all school principals in the pilot group have been trained, and the schools have been provided with interactive LCDs and 103 wireless network systems. The aim is to study the added value of using these devices in education as supportive learning tools, where tablets can be substitutes for the textbook and a tool upon which student learning and communication between the teacher and the student are centered.
Educational supervision has enabled teachers to gain access to modern educational research and studies and to develop and advance professionally. In turn, the teachers’ enhanced performance has positively affected students’ achievement, classroom engagement, motivation to learn, and readiness to participate in school activities.
An example of this program is AlAwda School in Bethlehem District implemented by the principal, Suha Awwad, and her distinguished staff.
Students at one of the 150 vocational training programs implemented throughout Palestine.
Corresponding to the needs of the labor market and aiming to reduce unemployment, the MoEHE is integrating vocational and technical education into the public education sector, particularly for grades 7 to 9, and in both theoretical and practical aspects. In their classrooms, students are exposed to some basic skills
in a range of careers, and visits to vocational schools are arranged to offer youth the possibility to continue their education following high school and be introduced to an alternative route to university. Moreover, students are trained in some relevant professions such as electrical wiring, carpentry, paint, preparation 42
about future economic self-support.
and serving of food, clothes design and tailoring, construction work in plastics and metals, interior design and decoration, electricity and home electronics, and cosmetics and food processing.
The development and success of the education sector could not happen without a solid, comprehensive vision and a system of inspiring educational supervision that takes the initiative to apply the innovative educational ideas and provide teachers with the necessary environment that enhances their roles and enables them to display their creativity and excellence. A good example of such an experience is Wafaa Zabadi who works as an educational developmental leadership supervisor in line with the directives of MoEHE. This supervision, Wafaa asserts, addresses the individual’s strengths and challenges, and it helps teachers to develop their abilities and skills. Among the activities that have positively impacted her teachers are workshops on how to design and implement effective learning activities and achievement portfolios for both teachers and students, as well as the identification of active learning strategies for elementary school classes, modern literacy components, and reading comprehension and
Since the vocational training program has been implemented in 150 schools throughout all districts, the benefits have become obvious, and teachers and students have created innovative and purposeful exhibitions in several districts. For example, Silet al-Thahr Secondary School in Qabatiya District organized exhibitions where students displayed their products that included many artworks, handicrafts, paintings, and drawings, showcasing their creativity and ambition to lead a decent life full of hope and optimism. The program thus provides guidance for students regarding their future professional and academic orientation, thereby enhancing their opportunities to join vocational education according to the needs of the labor market. The Ministry, moreover, has been keen to integrate students into different programs, regardless of their abilities. For example, Bint al-Azwar School’s teachers and principal, Majda Alfar, have opened a vocational class that includes students with learning difficulties, students of the ataafi (remedial education) program, and distinguished students who have the desire to join the class. All this has been built on the premise that each student possesses creative ideas and abilities that qualify her or him to be productive and active in the community. The program targets students in grades 7 to 9 and focuses on life skills, vocational education, and social skills. As a result of the implementation of this project and others in this school, many improved learning outcomes have emerged that include positive behavior such as teamwork, responsibility, respect, and commitment; greater ability for self-expression; and the ability to think
In line with the ongoing trend towards the use of clean energy, schools have employed technology to manufacture solar-powered bags and the installation of batteries and solar cells. Students are taught the installation principles so that they may complete their studies in this area and enter the labor market. These classes are also expected to market school products whose revenues will be used for development purposes. 43
Development Leadership Supervisory Conference.
storytelling activities. Engagement in this work has strengthened the relationship between the school and the community, particularly with the students’ mothers, as workshops and meetings were held between parents and the developmental supervisors in partnership with teachers and the school administration. Topics of consultations include the level of student achievement, student behavior, familiarization with the Palestinian curricula, and the production of visual aids and learning resources, as well as suggestions for ways to improve general literacy and how to help students who displayed low achievement levels in reading skills.
The MoEHE has also made efforts to ensure that all students in all areas enjoy good health and living conditions. Therefore, it has established Al-Esrar (insistence) schools that focus on providing education for students who are ill. For example, cancer and kidney patients are provided with safe learning opportunities in the Palestinian public and private hospitals in order to ensure the right of each and every student to receive quality education and adequate care. Student patients are therefore able to access their right to education while being hospitalized in hospital schools that are available at Al-Esrar School 1 in Al-Mutala’ Hospital, Al-Esrar School 2 in Al-Maqassed Hospital, An-Najah Hospital Medical Complex, Beit Jala Hospital, and in many others.
Supervision has helped teachers adopt an approach that is based on active learning and on the utilization of teaching aids, games, and competitions. Experiences and successes have been disseminated through social network sites; professional learning communities among teachers have been formed, and brochures and leaflets were published; the Literacy Fluency and the My Mother Reads Me a Story initiatives are being promoted as examples of literacy programs; and educational games for Arabic language skills and mathematics as well as art and storytelling activities have been shared and utilized. Exhibitions have displayed the achievements of teachers and students.
Moreover, MoEHE has guaranteed that students receive their education in Atahdi (challenge) schools that are available in marginalized, remote areas and on the sites of direct contact with the Israeli occupation army. In doing so, the MoEHE aims to strengthen the resoluteness of people, allowing them to remain on their land while providing their school-aged children with the opportunity to learn just like their peers in other regions. Among the outstanding experiences in this area is the Atahdi School 6 in Badiat Ramallah Basic Coed school, located in the Wadi al-Sik area near Jericho, east of the village Deir Dibwan, that caters to the Bedouin communities in 44
The MoEHE’s efforts to keep abreast of modern trends in education, support initiatives and create opportunities for innovative experiences to take hold, and provide means to participate in Arab and international forums have been conducive to winning advanced positions in many competitions and receiving many awards. Tala’e Alamal School, for example, ranked first in the Top School Arab Prize for Distinguished Schools in 2016, which was held in Dubai as part of the Reading Challenge. The student Afaf Al Shareef from Araba School in Jenin won first prize in the Reading Challenge in 2017. Kamal Jumblatt Girls’ School in Nablus came in second
the region and where 82 children are enrolled in grades 1 to 6. Even though the school faces a great number of threats and challenges, principal Zahia Arar and the school’s teachers are managing to overcome student safetyrelated issues by coordinating with a lawyer who has been hired to defend the school in the Israeli courts and prepare reports that show the need to run this school. Zahia also succeeded in improving students’ academic achievement and reducing the dropout and truancy levels. In addition, she worked with her team to beautify the learning environment at the school through communication with many institutions. To reduce violence at the
Afaf Al Shareef From Araba School in Jenin won first prize in the Reading Challenge 2017.
school, she encouraged teachers to use sports, engage in recreational activities, and hold educational games at the school. Also, she held a competition called Polite and Clean Student, improved the hygiene conditions at the school, and found ways to circumvent the obstacle of the enrollment age for those who are older than the legal age for students. To meet that end, two classes were opened: one was for literacy, and the other for parallel education. All these measures have led to improvement in the students’ academic achievement and in their performance. As a direct consequence, the high achievers of this category of students were honored in recognition of their academic progress.
in the TechnoVision contest 2018 and ranked first in the Belgian project Electronic Learning Development Competition in 2016. The enormous challenges and formidable obstacles notwithstanding, MoEHE emphatically stresses the importance of continually developing teachers’ competencies and raising their status at the national, regional, and global levels in order to have a bright future, where our national identity is strengthened, investment in education is achieved, and comprehensive, sustainable development steers our path to liberation.
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to Success training that helps them gain the skills that will be crucial for their academic success.
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A Bridge to Success
Dynamic Futures for Gaza Students
Dynamic Futures offers training in key learning areas such as academic writing skills, strategies for critical and effective academic reading and writing, sources for learning and access to information, presentation skills and effective communication skills, time management, critical thinking, and research methods.
This training is part of a larger package of student services offered to enable a generation of marginalized youth to access quality education that will lead them and their families towards cohesion and prosperity. It focuses on human capital investment in line with the SDGs in order to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education and offer leadership development opportunities, as these are considered among the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development for vulnerable populations – including persons with disabilities, refugees, and the poor in marginalized areas – leading to
Bridge to Success training session – 2017. Photo by Husam Salim.
By Ibrahim Sourani
A
ccess to quality education to foster development is a strategic priority for UNDP/PAPP and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Al Fakhoora – Dynamic Futures Programme was established in 2009 to cater mainly to undergraduate students in the Gaza Strip. Its aim is to enhance student services through an integrated approach to quality higher education, striving to facilitate access, participation, and social inclusion, particularly among marginalized and vulnerable communities. Dynamic Futures was inspired by the observed need to offer preliminary training sessions that would help promote the smooth transition of freshmen students as they move from school to the educational environment of a university. Freshmen enrollees in universities face challenges while adapting to a university-level educational system due to the lack of preparation courses for students that would smoothen the enrollment process and help them better adapt to the new environment. This is evident by a general drop in students’ grade point average in comparison to their secondary school grades. Schools largely still utilize a spoon-feeding approach, whereas universities expect more self-motivation and encourage creativity and independent thinking. Many new students, however, lack self-direction and are not used to such an approach. Given that there are no formal programs offered at universities to enable students to meet the challenges associated with the dramatic change in the educational environment, Dynamic Futures responds to this gap. Within the first days of enrollment in the program, new domestic undergraduate students receive the Bridge 46
relevant and effective learning outcomes and eliminating gender and wealth disparities. Dynamic Futures gives access to gender-responsive, equitable, quality education to a diverse group of students.
well-being through Al Fakhoora House – Student Services Unit and Al Fakhoora Alumni; leadership development, which includes leadership training and opportunities, community services, and opportunities for alumni to contribute as mentors and stay connected to the program; and finally economic empowerment, which includes work to bridge education, empowerment activities and career counseling, onthe-job training opportunities based on the student’s needs, internships at local businesses for Al Fakhoora alumni, and linkages with entrepreneurship activities.
Dynamic Futures is multi-faceted, with a number of interrelated components that constitute the structure of the program: quality education through domestic and international undergraduate scholarships, international postgraduate scholarships, and empowerment programs; student affairs, including comprehensive support services to contribute to students’ success and 47
Bridge to Success training session – 2017. Photo by Husam Salim.
The business benefits to investment in education do not need to be proven by academic studies. They range from improving brand leadership to developing the capacities of future employees and building a more diverse employee pipeline. Dynamic Futures addresses the mismatch between the skills of the available workforce and those required to fill job vacancies, which is a key problem in many sectors.
Evolved over nine years, Dynamic Futures has produced outstanding results and impacted the lives of Palestinian youth, strengthening their interpersonal skills and increasing employment opportunities.
Within the Gaza context, investment with young people removes hinders of development with remodeling epistemics, stereotypes of traditional workspaces, knowledge investment, and access to higher education, is what matters to create a sustainable cadre that contributes to the building of the State of Palestine and leads to positive change in the community.
30 graduate students), of which 68.7 percent are refugees, with a balanced male/female representation. Participants engaged in a variety of life-skill training sessions and volunteering activities, reporting that they felt an increase in self-confidence as well as a strong sense of pride. Further, participants reported that they had developed skills in communicating with, and leading, others. Students also achieved 188,417 engagement hours of service in local communities and participation in leadership trainings; and the families of 224 students have been supported through income-generating projects.
Based on an education-for-development approach, the Dynamic Futures model thus institutionalizes integrated mechanisms to build a cadre of educated and trained leaders who are civic-minded, intellectually able, and professionally skilled to become the community, business, and national leaders of the future. This model was established jointly between UNDP and Al Fakhoora, a program of the Education Above All Foundation, in order to address the livelihood and income challenges that hinder students’ access to higher education. The program is designed to increase the enrollment of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
Ibrahim Sourani, project coordinator of UNDP/PAPP Al Fakhoora Dynamic Futures Programme, joined UNDP in 2008 as a United Nations Volunteer and then worked with the Poverty Reduction Teams of DEEP and Al Fakhoora programs. Ibrahim holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Westminster, London.
To date, Dynamic Futures has targeted 970 students (940 undergraduates and 48
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Filmlab: Palestine Reviving Cinema Culture
By Brigitte Boulad varied screening program for children and youth. The festival reaches Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Gaza, bringing a diversity of international and regional films that reflect more than ever the challenges that our societies are facing. “The festival’s main goal is to promote film in Palestine, to invite Palestinians to the cinema, and to foster the local film industry,” says Atallah. Five years in the making, Palestine Cinema Days is a success story.
“To revive the culture of cinema in Palestine and let the Palestinians tell their story is the vision and mission of Filmlab: Palestine,” says its founder and artistic director Hanna Atallah. Filmlab: Palestine was founded in 2014 as a non-profit company inspired by the personal experience of Hanna Atallah in empowering Palestinian youth in refugee camps in Jordan. He introduced them to the art of filmmaking as a creative and unconventional method to tell their own personal history and document their Palestinian collective memory.
This year’s festival will open with the animation film The Tower, by the Norwegian director Mats Grorud, which tells the story of the Nakba through the eyes of a young girl in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. The opening ceremony will take place in the presence of the director and the film team at 7:00 p.m. on October 17 at Ramallah Cultural Palace.
Today, Filmlab has grown into an important pillar of the Palestinian film scene. It offers a suitable workspace for Palestinian filmmakers, with production equipment and postproduction facilities. Filmlab organizes regular short and extended workshops on storytelling, scriptwriting, and film production, and offers two to three residency opportunities per year in cooperation with international partners. Filmlab also offers yearround film screenings together with cultural organizations in various cities in Palestine. Furthermore, Filmlab is one of the first organizations in the Arab world to develop a local children’s curriculum for film literacy and actively tries to shine a light on both the need for film education for children and the necessity of producing suitable content.
In order to give prominence to Palestinian films within the festival, Filmlab will continue to grant the Sunbird Awards: three competitions that showcase the finest new Palestinian short and documentary films as well as promising short film projects. The festival will also again be home to Palestine Film Meetings (PFM), the festival’s cuttingedge industry platform. Founded in 2017, PFM aims to bring together key industry professionals from Palestine and abroad, creating a creative, open space to think and discuss film, to pitch and develop projects, and to network. Atallah adds, “By empowering Palestinian filmmakers, producers, and professionals, we can help create change and foster the cultural landscape of Palestine. By telling our stories, cinema can change the status quo.”
Filmlab’s Cinema Culture programs have been expanding in the past years. This year, Filmlab is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Palestine Cinema Days (previously Days of Cinema) – the only international film festival of its kind and magnitude in Palestine. Palestine Cinema Days offers a week of daily public film screenings, Q&As, and panel discussions, as well as a 50
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Investment in Education – Investment in the Future © UNDP/PAPP - Ahed Izhiman
By Motaz Dawabsheh
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midst globalization, the accelerating technical revolution, and the ongoing changes in social and economic structures that the world faces every day, nations are seeking to advance and align their education systems in order to incorporate new trends that are emerging regarding knowledge and innovation, and to prepare students to master new challenges. Such efforts are undertaken with and require, no doubt, great investments. The aim of leaders and politicians is to fulfil the aspirations of their people in realizing sustainable development while taking into account the growing competitive environment that persistently requires new competencies and qualifications. We need educational systems that are able to provide current and future generations with the tools and resources that will enable them to dynamically contribute to society, serve humanity, and fulfil their dreams of a better future for themselves and for all.
not only built schools and facilities and improved their infrastructure in order to reduce overcrowded conditions at schools, it has also introduced substantial changes in the education system through far-reaching reforms that focus on improving the system outputs by enhancing the quality of education. Serious efforts have been made towards ensuring quality education through the establishment of specialized labs in technology and science as well as resource centers and libraries. Efforts have been
dedicated as well to the improvements of institutional capacity through the development of teachers, supervisors, and councillors, and by curriculum enhancement. The Palestinian experience is considered to be a model of success among the Arab countries. The National Policy Agenda, with its emphasis on education, sets the national goals and priorities for the investment of resources in the education system that aims to maintain the high rate of
Students on their way to school in Gaza. Photo ©UNDP by Sharif Sarhan.
As Palestinians are striving and preparing for a state of their own, hoping to realize self-determination and peace, the Palestinian government is exerting exemplary efforts in reinforcing its education system and unlocking the potential of its benefits. The government has made huge investments – backed up by the donor community, national and international partners, and the Palestinian private sector and individuals – focusing on increasing the enrolment rate, reducing the dropout rate, and tackling illiteracy, as well as many other considerations. Notwithstanding the protracted occupation and restrictions on development, the government has 52
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enrolment for students in basic education and to make progress towards equitable enrolment in all streams of secondary education, while focusing on the quality and relevance of education.
Regardless of the above, further efforts need to be synergized and focused on reinforcing the education system: provision of new classrooms, with emphasis on Jerusalem and Area C, to cope with the existing and future demands, including early childhood education facilities and improving access for students with special needs, in addition to enhancing quality education and providing institutional support to the Palestinian education system in East Jerusalem. Importantly as well, assistance must be provided in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of school facilities in Gaza, where the planning for eco-friendly schools that address the current scarcity of water and electricity takes on increased urgency.
The students are at the center of this process of fostering knowledge and underpinning life skills while, at the same level of significance, reinforcing the sense of identity and belonging to both a nation and humanity in general. Heading the strategic strides within the scope of enhancing social development and tackling challenges of geographic disparities and multi-dimensional poverty, the national education and higher education strategies frame the priorities for ensuring highquality education for all without discrimination, linked to the labor market and social needs. Thus, this framework is in line with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on education for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Much investment in education is planned in order to create an enabling environment for a competent and competitive generation that is able to acquire better jobs, take advantage of emerging employment opportunities, and contribute to national growth and productivity. But there are major barriers to be overcome, including poor and insufficient school infrastructure in marginalized and underserved © UNDP/PAPP - Shareef Sarhan.
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Education in East Jerusalem - There are 87,277 students enrolled in schools, including basic education (grades 1 to 10) and secondary education (grades 11 and 12). - Approximately 4,300 children are not enrolled in any educational institution. - Thirty-three percent of children in East Jerusalem fail to complete a full 12 years of schooling. - Provision of education is fragmented across five different providers: the Palestinian Ministry of Education operating under the Jordanian Islamic Awqaf umbrella, the private sector, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality, and the contractor’s schools that are financed by the Israeli Authorities. - There is a chronic shortage of classrooms, estimated at around 2,200, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 3 to 4 percent. - The area available in class for every student is approximately 0.5 square meters, less than the international standards that recommend at least 1.25 square meters. - Twenty percent of students and teachers and 40 percent of school staff cross a checkpoint on a daily basis to access their schools. Source: 2016 Jerusalem Directorate of Education Statistics/Geomapping Data localities, limited operational and development fiscal allocations for system sustainability and improvement, and the State of Palestine’s high dependency on donor contributions and assistance. In East Jerusalem, students are subject to discrimination and the disparities of a very weak education system. Education is fragmented among several service providers, school construction is limited in ways similar to other construction activities, and there is a lack of human resource capacities and teachers to run the system in a sustainable manner. In Area C of the West Bank, 24 out of 135 schools are substandard and housed in unsafe spaces; 26 schools face difficulties due to rejected building permits, and planning for school construction is subject to the complicated Israeli zoning and planning rules. In the Gaza Strip, the education system was already overstretched prior to the crisis,
suffering from a shortage of almost 200 schools. Now, an estimated 80 percent of Gaza’s schools run on double shifts, seriously jeopardizing the quality of education; around 256 new classrooms are required annually only to absorb the growing student demand, but few schools have been constructed since 2007, mainly due to the blockade and access restrictions on construction materials. The 50 accredited Palestinian postsecondary and higher education institutions are graduating on average 40,000 students annually – with the unemployment rate among graduates exceeding 53% (e.g. Q1 2017). Despite the efforts made by the government, little progress has been achieved in addressing this crisis. What is required is the inclusion of new strategic directions for effective employment. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is considered a valid option, but in order 55
to overcome the low enrolment levels in such training, efforts need to be made in improving access, changing societal perceptions that consider TVET to be a lessdesired form of education than that at universities, and better linking TVET with the diverse needs of the labor market. Since UNDP/PAPP’s inception in 1978, support to the education sector has been a consistent priority, specifically in rural and marginalized communities. Since then, major emphasis has been placed on the development of educational institutions, capacity development for vocational training and higher education,
© UNDP/PAPP - Ahed Izhiman
Motaz Dawabsheh is a program analyst at UNDP/PAPP with 15 years of experience in development. He has contributed to the development of social and economic infrastructure, including education, tourism and cultural heritage, and promoted the deployment of eco-sustainable development. Augmenting his engineering background, Motaz has an MA in sustainable development and institutional building from Al-Quds University.
and rehabilitation and expansion of existing schools, with focus on girls as well as ICT, innovation, and arts in education. UNDP/PAPP’s longstanding partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education as well as key development partners in the sector – including the Islamic Development Bank, Norway, Germany through its German Development Bank (KFW), Qatar Fund for Development, and Education Above All Foundation, Government of Japan, Italy, OPEC Fund for International Development, OFID, as well as the governments of Finland, Sweden, and Austria – all contribute to supporting thousands of Palestinian students to access their right to education.
Article photos courtesy of UNDP/PAPP.
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METHODS E-Learning at Palestinian and Jordanian Universities
By Mahdi Kleibo
M
ETHODS is a European Unionsponsored Erasmus Plus project that aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning at universities of partner countries by incorporating technological tools that are consistent with pedagogical best practices and build the capacity of universities to evaluate, develop, and design e-curricula, making them available on an open portal. To achieve this objective, the project has established a national center in both Jordan (at Jordan University) and Palestine (at Birzeit University) to serve as a hub for utilizing best practices in information and communications technology (ICT) in higher education in both countries. These centers facilitate the establishment of diverse clusters that draw from a pool of staff members from all academic disciplines. Education specialists will review the proposed learning material to ensure compatibility with the relevant standards, and multimedia designers will design the interfaces, activities, presentation, layout, and animation included in the e-curricula. Information technology innovation and entrepreneurship are necessary components of the national, regional, and international educational strategy of universities, but it is difficult for individual universities to shoulder the sole responsibility. Accordingly, a comprehensive approach has been 58
adopted that includes coordination and partnerships among various stakeholders and national authorities. The project’s main goal is to raise the competencies of individual learners, enabling them to become active members of the knowledge society by enhancing the learning process of students and allowing them to acquire twenty-first-century competencies as autonomous and active learners. In addition, it will improve the quality of teaching at local universities.
METHODS strives to transfer knowledge and apply best practices within collective intelligence. Member institutions include universities from Jordan, Palestine, the United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, and Denmark.
METHODS strengthens entrepreneurship education across the region by using blended learning, flipped classrooms, e-learning pedagogies (E-class), online learning, and massive open online courses (MOOCS). It will shift from teacher-centered to student centered approaches, employ
and procedures and in adopting frameworks and best practices to encourage ICT innovation and develop students’ entrepreneurship mindsets. Furthermore, it will facilitate a dialogue
competency-based, problem-based, product-based, and project-based learning, integrate entrepreneurship into curricula, and foster cooperation between universities and policy makers in order to establish a common agenda for change. The program will assist universities in formulating adequate policies
between universities in order to create a clear vision and agreed-upon national standardization as part of globalization and internationalization efforts. Globalization poses new challenges to Palestinian universities, and these challenges are augmented by the special Palestinian condition. 59
Living under occupation reduces the possibility of advancing education, especially as international experts and scholars are increasingly subject to travel restrictions and are denied access to the State of Palestine – affecting the socio-economic and education sectors in Palestine and therefore employment rates, particularly among youth.
through methods such as the smart use of technology, the teaching of entrepreneurship, and the fostering of soft-skills development. Equipping and qualifying our undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students for smoother enrollment in the labor market, both locally and internationally, will lead to increased economic growth. We must embrace this great opportunity to start sharing knowledge and bridging experience, and include training courses, workshops, and exchange opportunities for our students in order to overcome the obstacles that the occupation puts up to hinder the process of bridging academic development with labor market needs and demands in Palestine.
In a setting where the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world, the role of universities in fostering the use of ICT innovation and entrepreneurship becomes imperative. Applying technology in Palestinian classrooms qualifies students to become global academic citizens. They gain a broader understanding of policies, systems, and best practices in their domain of specialty, which increases opportunities for professionalism and career development while also serving the institutions, as it facilitates accreditation of courses they present internationally. Consequently, Palestinian universities may receive higher quality academics, an advantage that, in turn, will contribute positively to the Palestinian economy.
Mahdi Kleibo lectures at the Faculty of Business Administration and the Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism at Bethlehem University, where he aims to develop opportunities for all qualified students from all sectors to learn about entrepreneurship and modern world values. He is guided by the philosophy that students should be encouraged to follow their true passion and become self-motivated lifelong learners who are empowered to enhance their own professional, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills no matter which major they choose.
Palestinian universities are able to generate and apply knowledge to development challenges and thus play a central role in creating employment and generating income 60
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The Art of Learning by Doing By Salam AlBandak
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and the formal operational stage (11 years and older). During these stages, children gradually expand their field of consciousness from the family to society, they move from understanding through the senses to comprehension, initially through imagination and symbolism and finally through logic and abstraction. Children also learn that they are unique in some ways and similar to others in some ways. The environment to which the children are exposed and the activities in which they engage may foster or hinder their positive development. When I was a young adult, the base of my search for my life’s purpose was in experimenting, exploring, and sharing my skills and ideas. I wanted to contribute to society as an educator. Yet I wondered whether I really
Mother and child cooperating to design Christmas tree ornaments.
uring my childhood and adolescence, I was never at peace with the idea of a routine. I was the child who was interested in thousands of things and eager to try, experiment, and discover. Fortunately, my brother and I are gifted with parents who encouraged us to discover the world by ourselves and to free our minds and wonder. We loved “Let’s pretend to be…” games. On most afternoons, we would gather with friends in al-harah (the neighborhood), and we usually agreed to play “Intifada.” We would then cooperate in building the environment for our game: pile up stones to make walls on an empty piece of land and design our own slingshots to strike the imagined Israeli soldiers. Our role was to protect each other and our land. Throughout the years that we played this game, none of us ever suggested that we split into two teams… our imagination created a scenario based on the conviction that none of us wanted to play the role of an Israeli soldier. When I recall my childhood memories of living in Palestine during the 1990s and early 2000s, the first ideas that come to mind are family, support, eagerness to explore, many types of play, face-to-face communication, imagination, nature, using our bare hands, experimenting with tools, teamwork, and awareness of our surroundings. The age of technology has supplanted many such activities for today’s generation, and not always to the benefit of children. Children think in ways that are different from how adults think. According to Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, a child goes through four stages of development, namely, the sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years), the preoperational stage (2 to 7 years), the concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years), 62
Sensing and observing the magic of creating a new color.
generations who are consumed by a virtual reality and unfamiliar with the idea of going outside to play and get messy. I wanted to be down to earth, both literally and metaphorically, and explore together with children. I founded Fann wa Salam to offer workshops and activities in which
wanted to work eight hours a day in a job that wouldn’t allow me to give wholeheartedly or in a school system that was overtly strict, with limited space for creativity. I began to envision a space in which I could bring to life my ideas about a beautiful childhood for the rising 63
poster Making Palestinian Art Accessible to Everyone Get yours now!
“If you ask most smart or successful people where they learned their craft, they will not talk to you about their time in school. It’s always a mentor, a particularly transformative job, or a period of experimentation or trial and error.” Ryan Holiday
Studying the lines, colors, and shapes that created our painting.
nature is a main pillar of learning. The nature that surrounds us is shrinking. But Fann wa Salam presents children with a chance to explore and learn by doing. In our modern society, children are expected to compete and win. Such an environment limits creativity. Instead, we should and can foster an environment where the teacher
to develop and grow. Therefore, Fann wa Salam nurtures the idea of acceptance. Whether a child has one interest and talent or many, it may take time to discover them. The mindset that fosters exploration and practice by doing creates the mentality that anything is possible as long as we try or are willing to draw outside the lines. Anything is possible as long as the mind remains motivated and challenged to grow.
Deliberately exploring the various use of my hands and tools.
and the child learn from each other, thus stressing the importance of cooperation and teamwork. It is important to present to children an environment where they can explore a variety of possibilities and express themselves, starting from scribbles and progressing until they realize that indeed they are creators.
Salam AlBandak is the founder of Fann wa Salam, which designs workshops and projects that are based on child interests and needs, and suited for early childhood and school-aged children in Palestine. For more information, please visit the Facebook page: Fann wa Salam فن وسالم. Article photos by Ahmad Odeh.
The culture that accepts diversity is a culture that is open and eager 64
7A Al Zahra St., Al-Bal’o Ramallah, Palestine +970 2 2426486 | +970 597 994997 anani.ziad@gmail.com www.zawyeh.net
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Qalandia International – Solidarity 2018 For the third time in a row, Ramallah Municipality will participate in Qalandia International Fair 2018 – Solidarity. Ramallah Municipality believes in joint cultural work with the cultural institutions in Palestine as a basis for developing the city’s cultural infrastructure and addressing the lack of resources and the constraints of the occupation. Ramallah Municipality seeks to develop an identity and vision for future cultural work in the city. Qalandia International, which includes more than a dozen cultural institutions from Palestine and abroad, provides Ramallah Municipality with an important opportunity to learn more about the priorities and mechanisms of cultural action in partner institutions. It creates a platform for dialogue and networking, and places the city of Ramallah on the map of global cultural action. This year’s theme – Solidarity – reflects the spirit of Ramallah Municipality as part of the city’s cultural life. It seeks forms of joint institutional and cultural activities that can provide partner institutions with the support they need to realize their own identity and cultural vision in order to be able to continue and prosper, and in order to respond to the material, political, and social conditions that best support Palestinian artists. Ramallah Municipality decided to employ the Mamarat technical residency program, an artist exchange program that calls on partner institutions to rethink the concept of artist residency and its role in supporting artists in the current global geopolitical situation. The Lasting Effect (Curator: Reem Fadda) is the result of this series of residencies that invited Palestinian artists and their counterparts in partner cities to reflect on the concept of solidarity from various angles. The exhibition offers a variety of artistic interventions, including synthetic works, performative lectures, performances, community works, video clips, paintings, and billboards. These artworks question the diversity of current forms of solidarity, imbue them with historical models, present future proposals, raise important questions, and sometimes criticize the concept of solidarity itself. What brings together these works is the attempt to start from the “other side,” using art to create a free space that understands the concept of solidarity from a broader political perspective. These actions, in various forms, transform solidarity into a form of rescue. How can we retain what has faded away? Or how can we point out what disappears? All these actions move towards inviting groups or individuals to begin to face each other, in spite of the challenges, and to work towards the realization of our cultural and national goals. The Lasting Effect is organized in open spaces throughout the city of Ramallah in line with Ramallah Municipality’s strategy to dedicate public city space to cultural action and social solidarity. Ramallah Municipality 66
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ersonality of the Month
Riyam Wasfi Kafri-AbuLaban
For Riyam, teaching is meditative, a higher order of connection and an honorable opportunity to see young people grow. Her students describe her as the relevant principal who has watched the latest season of Grey’s Anatomy and also read the latest article on any topic they might ask her about.
Shortly after reading an article entitled “Rayya” in the May 2012 issue of This Week in Palestine, then Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was so moved by it that he actually invited the author to meet so that he could congratulate her. The article that brilliantly personalizes Al-Nakba is no doubt one of the most powerful pieces published in the magazine. Riyam Wasfi Kafri-AbuLaban is the eldest of three children (who all work in the field of education) who were brought up in a house of wisdom and knowledge. Her father holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Dresden University, Germany, and was a member of the founding faculty of what is now Al-Quds University. Later he helped found the engineering program at Birzeit University. At 84 years old he still teaches part-time at Birzeit University, his home for almost forty years. Her mother is an amazing self-made woman who has over forty years of experience in education. She started teaching at the age of 18 and continued her career in education with a bachelor’s degree in Arabic from Lebanon and a master’s in educational leadership from Birzeit. Her career includes fourteen years at Ramallah Friends School and a ten-year principalship at Al-Mustaqbal Schools. She just published her first novel. Riyam holds a BA in chemistry from Earlham College and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. With teaching and writing as a passion, Riyam taught not only chemistry at Al-Quds Bard College but also writing courses. She considers the classroom to be “our (the students’ and my) piece of this world. For an hour, nothing outside the classroom matters, and what happens inside becomes the only focal point: how we learn together, how we connect with each other are the only things that matter.” 68
In 2015 Riyam was offered the high-profile principalship at her alma mater, the Ramallah Friends Upper School. She leads 60 teachers and 700-plus students. She also teaches Theory of Knowledge, a thinking and writing course that, in her opinion, lays the foundation for a smooth transition to college. “During the past three years, I have learned that it takes a village to raise a child, and that village includes teachers, counselors, parents, and classmates. When I took this position, I was not prepared for the amount of love I would feel for students and colleagues. But the best thing I have learned is that a sense of humor is essential for this job! And the ability to laugh with colleagues and students at the end of a tough day prepares you for the next day!” Riyam contributes to This Week in Palestine and is a former TWiP content editor. Along with teaching, she cooks and writes, and loves to read Dr. Seuss stories to her children. When asked about her favorite gift, she responds by saying she always appreciates receiving a new kitchen utensil, a cookbook, or a food memoir. She has recently started her own food blog where readers can find previously published articles from TWIP as well as new pieces (www.onourkitchentable.net). You can also follow Riyam on Instagram (@onourkitchentable) as she shares her latest cooking adventures. “In leadership positions, people often feel lonely and are advised to find sanctuaries where they can collect themselves and center down. Mine are cooking and writing. The kitchen has become my lab, where I experiment and create memories for myself and my family,” says Riyam. “Writing allows me to tell my story and the stories of others through food. What defines humans and sets them apart from other species is their ability to cook…Kitchens are filled with memories, politics, history, and much more; to tell those stories is to take a magnifying glass and focus it on our humanity.” Riyam is married to her biggest supporter and best friend Ahmed Abu Laban, Ramallah City Director, and they are blessed with twins, Taima and Basil. 69
rtist of the Month
Naseem Alatrash
Palestinian cellist Naseem Alatrash was born on October 4, 1991. His performance on cello is creative, untraditional, and unique. Alatrash is an accomplished classically trained musician who is also deeply rooted in the Arabic musical tradition and yet influenced by jazz and other contemporary styles. He has earned a reputation for fearlessly broadening the horizons of the cello on the world stage by using it in untraditional settings. After studying at The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine, he completed a college preparation program in Germany. Alatrash later was the first Arab ever to be awarded a full presidential merit-based scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts, where he went on to achieve the highest honors in cello performance. Later he received a master’s degree in cello performance at the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music as well as a post-master’s fellowship degree. A soloist, recording musician, chamber musician, composer, and teacher, Alatrash continues his global performance career. As an educator, Alatrash has been a teaching artist at the Boston-based Josiah Quincy El Sistema-inspired Orchestra Program since 2014. He has taught cello improvisation workshops/Arabic music around the world, at such institutions as the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and the Fedu Jazz Institute in the Dominican Republic. As a performer, Alatrash has appeared at numerous international festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival, the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Abu Dhabi Music Festival, Lebanon’s Zouk Mikael 70
International Festival, the Nancy Jazz Festival, Lebanon’s Beit Aldeen Festival, Aix-en-Provence Festival, and Jerash Festival. He has performed at such notable venues as the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center, the Lincoln Theater, Wigmore Hall, Koerner Hall, UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall, University of Michigan Ann Arbor Music Series, NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center, the Royal Opera of Oman, The Royal Albert Hall, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He has performed alongside worldrenowned musicians, including Ron Carter, Roger Waters, Terri Lyne Carrington, Eugene Friesen, Kenny Aronoff, Rami Jaffee, Luis Conte, Javier Limon, Jorge Drexler, Alejandro Sanz, Scott Page of Pink Floyd, Carmine Rojas of David Bowie, Mike Garson of David Bowie, and many others. Alatrash has received international acclaim from media around the world, including The National and Al Arabiya, for his musical arrangement of the Beatles song “Drive My Car.” As a collaboration with Public Radio International’s radio show The World and the Berklee College of Music, he arranged/adapted the Beatles song with an Arabic twist. PRI’s The World released the song on the day that the driving ban on Saudi women ended, as a way to celebrate the occasion. Alatrash continues to be a voice for Palestinian culture and an advocate of its music. He tours internationally with Amir ElSaffar’s Rivers of Sound Large Ensemble, and he recently joined The Global Messengers, a project with renowned Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez that aims to recover the function of the artist as a tool to redirect humanity in a positive direction. In addition, he performs with Palestinian-American virtuoso oudist/ violinist Simon Shaheen, with the National Arab Orchestra, and with his string Duo Qawsaan and Trio Ayn. 71
ook of the Month
A Passion for Learning
The Life Journey of Khalil Totah, a Palestinian Quaker Educator and Activist By Joy Totah Hilden Xlibris US, 2016, 454 pages, softcover US$19.99
Buried under mountainous piles of documents, diaries, interviews, manuscripts, and letters, Joy Totah Hilden (Khalil’s daughter) skillfully transforms these anecdotal records into an unfeigned account of her father as an activist, lifelong learner, and educator. She goes on to further shed light on the historical presence of Quakers in Palestine, the educational history of Palestine, and her father’s persistence as he strove to balance his religious beliefs and his commitment to serve his country. The author’s biography of her father might have been an opportunity for her to grieve
this tragic loss, but by unveiling his selfless devotion to education, she has brought closure to the lives of many Palestinians, most of whom are gathered in the auditorium of the Ramallah Friends School. Khalil Totah’s devotion to educating Palestinian youth and educating Americans about Palestine was his call for resistance and embodiment of a humanitarian “mission” as unveiled by his wife, who exclaimed that, “the call of God, which came to him in his youth, to serve the people of his native land, was thus, not a chore but a joy and his life’s consuming passion.” This diligent portrayal of his selfless service as the principal of a teacher-training college in Jerusalem and later as principal of the Friends Boys School in Ramallah (now known as Ramallah Friends School), speaks volumes these days, particularly to our youth. The author manifests this account with vivid descriptive language to unpack the epidemic of violence and Khalil Totah’s passion to tackle every barrier with an inquiry and opportunity to seek the funds of knowledge in our community and our world. Joy has reminded every student, learner, educator, and every oppressed soul of the desire that “I, too, want to receive an education, to be free, and rise up and be somebody.”
An unwavering advocate with a mystical vision and a yearning for answers, he self-addressed every diligent inquiry with a subsequent one, digging deeper in his quest for learning. From the Ottoman Empire to the British Mandate to the rapid foundation of the state of Israel, this Palestinian’s journey steadfastly mirrored the raging violence that all Palestinians endured as they fought for sovereignty over their land and independence over their nation. In his quest for profound knowledge, he left his rustic Christian town of Ramallah, Palestine, in 1906, to return only years later in hope of unpacking inquiries etched into the history of the occupation and the Arab union. Khalil Abdallah Totah was an inquirer, an educator, and once a little boy with a heartfelt wish to “be a man, independent and free,” to receive an education and “to rise up and be somebody.” Is a plea for education and independence too much to ask?
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xhibition of the Month
Weaving and Cracks By Fouad Agbaria
Zawyeh Gallery, Ramallah September 15 – October 18, 2018 Zawyeh Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Palestinian artist Fouad Agbaria (b. 1982). His paintings of rugs are replete with architectural and ornamental elements, such as those that were laid atop the floor of his parents’ home. These works echo childhood memories and the sense of nostalgia for home. Both the rug, an implement in the Muslim religious rite that is thought to play a quintessentially spiritual role, and the arabesque metaphor, expressing the wondrous and complex structure of the world and its harmonic perfection, are used by Agbaria in his account of the inanimate place where he lives.
In these works, Agbaria creates a threatening inner domestic space that corresponds to Freud’s concept of desire or “a concept without a home.” In his conceptualization of desires, a paradoxical situation arises: the strange and the delusional, the dangerous and the cruel, are the opposites of the comfort and familiarity of home. In this dialectical encounter, the beautiful meets the threatening, and when the strange emerges from the domestic setting, it is frightening. The separation of subject and object is disrupted when the representation of freedom and liberation (the drawing and movement of the brush) encounters its opposite (the wall, the border), which stops its forward motion. The paintings can be seen during Zawyeh Gallery’s opening hours from 11:00 to 19:00 daily, except Fridays.
The lovely colorful rug paintings tempt viewers to approach and observe the painted details. Concurrently, however, they transport viewers from one memory of time and place to another memory of a different time and place. On one rug appears a bulldozer shovel, an instrument of destruction; on another we see an airplane with a swift red flourish of the brush; and at the bottom of yet another rug a warship materializes. 74
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TWiP
itchen
The menu of “On The Table of Abu Heiba” consisted of Gazan fattet zaghaleel, a celebration dish in Gazan households that features roasted pigeons that were raised by the family in their garden, stuffed with smoked wheat, served on a bed of bread soaked in pigeon stock, and covered with a layer of rice, all sprinkled with daggit toma wa laimoun, a dressing made of hot chili, lemon, and garlic. Stuffed carrots with tamarind sauce were served on the side, as was rummaniyya, a dish that reached Gaza with the refugees from Jaffa and that has become a staple in the Gaza kitchen even though it is almost forgotten in Yaffa now. It consists of brown lentils cooked with eggplant, sour pomegranate molasses, and the red tahini that is yet another Gazan specialty. Palestinians rarely serve only one dish for their guests, so the table also included sfiha yafawiyyeh, a thin dough stuffed with ground meat and pine nuts and rolled into swirls, and sumagiyya, a quintessential dish in Gaza. It is usually prepared in large batches for Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan, and consists of a meat stew cooked with chard, sumac, and a sauce prepared from red tahini. Zibdiyet gambari, shrimp served in a clay pot, and dagga gazawiyya, a spicy tomato salad, the most basic and frequently served salad in Gaza, rounded up the main course.
Family Dinners Project Part 3 of 6
On the Table of Abu Heiba’s Family
Palestine Hosting Society Food has always been a representation of class, time, and power. It creates a unique atmosphere conducive to encounter. Sharing food sets the table with aspects of hospitality, distribution, exchange, familiarity, and pleasure. A shared meal can become a space for reflection on socio-political realities, attitudes, fashions of the time, and even the suppressed elements of history. In a research project that documents Palestinian food practices, initiated by artist Mirna Bamieh and supported by the Public Program of A.M. Qattan Foundation, “Family Dinners” is a series of five dinners that were served over a two-month period to groups of food enthusiasts. This article is the third in a series that describes these dinners.
Shaima, a close friend of the Abu Heiba family, always found their shared table of food fascinating. She loved to explore the various techniques of Gazan cooking, the special spices, and the array of new dishes that she had never before tasted. Because Shaima can experience Gaza only through the food of the Abu Heiba family, she felt inspired to prepare a menu with Um Sami that all the family helped to cook.
Gaza was present in its full glory at the second Family Dinners event. Titled On the Table of Abu Heiba’s Family, its menu, put together by Shaima Hamad and the Abu Heiba family, told a specific and personal story of Palestine: that of constant uprooting.
exiled to the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza, where Abu Sami grew up in the Yaffawi neighborhood (after the Nakba, each neighborhood at the refugee camp was named after the area where the majority of its inhabitants came from). Um Sami’s family is related to Abu Heiba, but hers was exiled from Salameh, near Jaffa, to Balata Refugee Camp. After Um Sami and Abu Sami were married, she moved to Khan Yunis and spent ten years learning from her mother-in-law how to cook the Gazan dishes that were very different from the ones she knew from her Nabulsi upbringing. When Abu Sami took up studies at Birzeit University, the family moved to Birzeit and bought land in Abu Shkheidmin, a nearby village where they still live today. Gaza remains inaccessible, and food constitutes the strongest means through which the parents can keep their children connected to the city they love.
Abu Heiba’s family originally comes from the village Abu Kbeir, near Jaffa. In 1948, they were
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The meal ended on a delicious note, with knafeh arabiyya, the special knafeh of Gaza that is made from coarse semolina, olive oil or ghee, cinnamon, and nutmeg, covered with a mix of nuts and drenched in sugar syrup after baking. This elaborate menu precipitated a flow of memories and reflections among the twenty invited guests who came from various areas in Palestine to share their passion for food and storytelling.
Each dish holds a memory for this family, reflecting their migration from Jaffa to Nablus, then Gaza, and eventually Abu Shkheidmin. For example, kaftet al-sredeh, minced fish kafta, reminds Abu Sami of how the abundance of fish in Gaza once made people mince it to replace the minced meat in this traditional dish. Unfortunately, Israel now imposes rigid regulations on fishermen regarding where they are allowed to fish, making it impossible for them to make a living and affecting food provision for all Gazans. 77
Wednesday 10 18:00 Les goûts réunis de France et d’Italie is a concert presenting a baroque repertoire of French and Italian styles with countertenor Dominique Visse, harpsichordist Edgardo Campos, and young Palestinian musicians who have interacted with them through master classes and workshops. Organized by Magnificat Institute in collaboration with Amwaj Children’s Choir. Immacolata Hall, St Savior’s Monastery, New Gate, Old City.
VENTS
DANCE Thursday 4 16:00 Street performance of popular music and dance, organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. Al-Zahra Street. Friday 5 18:00 Jadayel is a dance performance and a new production by Nabe’ al-Turath Dance Group in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. Faisal Al-Husseini Hall. Wednesday 10 19:00 Silence, on tourne! is a hip-hop dance show by Pockémon Crew organized by Institut Français de Jérusalem. Al-Hakawati–Palestinian National Theatre.
JERUSALEM CONCERTS Thursday 4 17:00 Popular music performance by Al-Borqini Folk Art, presenting traditional folklore music and songs from Palestine and the Levant. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. Yabous’ Backyard. 17:00 Al-Raseef street performance organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Salah Eddin Street. The show will be repeated on the same day at 19:00 at Karm al-Khalili−Rockefeller Park. 20:00 Banat al-Quds choir performance. Organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Yabous Cultural Centre. Friday 5 17:00 Al-Tabaljieh Band performance, organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Al-Zahra Street. The show will be repeated on the same day at 19:00 at Karm al-Khalili–Rockefeller Park. 20:00 A performance by Terez Sliman and Mina, organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Edward Said National Conservatory of Music’s backyard. Saturday 6 12:00 A per formance by the Educational Orchestra, organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Yabous Cultural Centre. 18:30 Folklore music performance by Jafra Group from Palestine, presenting a number of folkloric pieces and songs from the Levant region, focusing on the spatial and rhythmic diversity of songs and musical compositions. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. Faisal Al-Husseini Hall. 19:00 Musical performance by the teachers and students of Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Karm alKhalili–Rockefeller Park. Sunday 7 18:00 Folklore music performance by Rula Azar from Palestine, presenting traditional folkloric songs from Palestine. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. Faisal AlHusseini Hall.
EXHIBITIONS Wednesday 3 17:30 Opening of Interlude, a show that represents the reality of life in Jerusalem amidst the current tumultuous events. Organized by the Palestinian Art Court–Al Hoash as part of Qalandiya International and Jerusalem Nights, the exhibition runs until October 30, 2018. Palestinian Art Court–Al Hoash. 16:00–21:00 Jerusalem Show IX: Jerusalem Actual and Possible, organized by Al Ma’mal Foundation as part of Jerusalem Nights and Qalandiya International; the show runs until October 31, 2018. Old Commercial Press; Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art; Gallery Anadiel (New Gate); Lutheran Church Cloisters and School (Muristan Road), Old City. 16:30 Opening of Our Heritage between Two Eras, an unconventional exhibition that highlights the meaning of heritage reviving people’s memory and connecting the present with the past. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre in cooperation with the Palestinian Heritage Museum−Dar Al-Tifel Al-Arabi within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. The exhibition runs daily until October 7, 2018, from 11:00 to 20:00. Mahmoud Darwish Lounge. 19:00 and 20:00 Ceremonies to celebrate the opening of Jerusalem Show IX: Jerusalem Actual and Possible, which presents practices that have been distilled in Palestinian art to remember the future, map the inaccessible, and excavate the unburied; curated by Jack Persekian and Kirsten Scheid, and organized by Al Ma’mal Foundation as part of Qalandiya International. 19:00 – The Lutheran School, 20:00 – Al Ma’mal Foundation. 78
FILM SCREENINGS Saturday 6 12:00 White Dress is a 9-minute film in Arabic with English subtitles directed by Omaima Hamouri, organized by the Educational Bookshop as part of Jerusalem Nights. Educational Bookshop. The film will be screened again at 14:00 and at 16:00 on the same day.
THEATER Thursday 18 19:00 Aladin, the Prophecy is a show for kids and adults, organized by Institut Français de Jérusalem, which mixes theater, circus, dance, music, and magic. Al Hakawati–Palestinian National Theatre. TOURS Wednesday 3 18:30 Urban Intervention I is an alternative art tour organized by the Palestinian Art Court–Al Hoash as part of Qalandiya International. The tour starts at the Palestinian Art Court–Al Hoash and ends at Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art. 18:30–19:00 Urban Intervention II is an alternative art tour organized by the Palestinian Art Court–Al Hoash as part of Jerusalem Nights. The tour starts at the Palestinian Art Court–Al Hoash and ends in the Old City of Jerusalem.
LECTURES Saturday 6 16:30 Heritage and Identity in the Context of Liberation, presented by Dr. Sharif Kanaana. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within AlQuds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. Marrakech Hall−Yabous Cultural Centre. SPECIAL EVENTS Wednesday 3 18:00 Coffee in Town is a family circus show organized by the Palestinian Circus School as part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Al-Hakawati– Palestinian National Theatre. Thursday 4 – Saturday 6 20:00–23:00 Jerusalem Nights is a cultural family festival that encompasses several artistic events in various locations. Organized by Jerusalem Ar ts Network members: the Edward Said Conservatory of Music, Al Hakawati−Palestinian National Theatre, Yabous Cultural Centre, Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, and the Palestinian Art Court−Al Hoash. Thursday 4 15:00 Art March on Trolleys street performance, organized by Al-Hakawati–Palestinian National Theatre and Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Salah Eddin Street. 17:00 Opening of Kushtban Market presenting the work of several Palestinian women’s initiatives and highlighting traditional and modern Palestinian embroidery. Organized by Yabous Cultural Centre within Al-Quds Popular Arts Festival as part of Jerusalem Nights. The market runs until October 7, 2018 from 15:00–20:00. Yabous’ backyard. Saturday 6 16:00 Storytelling organized by Al-Hakawati− Palestinian National Theatre and Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as par t of Jerusalem Nights. Salah Eddin Street. 17:00 Palestinian Talent Show organized by Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as part of Jerusalem Nights. Edward Said National Conservatory of Music’s backyard. 18:00 Bromance is a circus show by the Barely Methodical Troupe from the United Kingdom, organized by the Palestinian Circus School as a part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Al Hakawati– Palestinian National Theatre. 20:00 Storytelling organized by Al-Hakawati− Palestinian National Theatre and Edward Said National Conservatory of Music as par t of Jerusalem Nights. Karm al-Khalili–Rockefeller Park.
BETHLEHEM CONCERTS Thursday 11 17:00 Les goûts réunis de France et d’Italie is a concert that presents a baroque repertoire of French and Italian styles with countertenor Dominique Visse, harpsichordist Edgardo Campos, and young Palestinian musicians who have interacted with them through master classes and workshops. Organized by Amwaj Children’s Choir. Hosh Al-Syrian Guesthouse, Star Street. Sunday 14 18:00 Voices in Polyphony is a concert with countertenor Dominique Visse, harpsichordist Edgardo Campos, and the Amwaj Children’s Choir from Hebron and Bethlehem. Organized by Amwaj Children’s Choir. Bethlehem University, Chapel of the Divine Child. EXHIBITIONS Tuesday 2 10:00–18:00 A Thousand Times Christmas, under the patronage of H.E. the Mayor of Bethlehem, presents 110 paintings created by Tonino Maurizi, an Italian painter, sculptor, woodcarver, designer, and cabinetmaker. Organized by ATS Pro Terra Sancta in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Office of the Custody of the Holy Land. Bab idDeir Art Gallery. SPECIAL EVENTS Tuesday 2 16:00 Opening of the 4th Jordanian Industries and Products Exhibition, organized by Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce in par tnership with Amman Chamber of Commerce, to facilitate trade exchange and investments between both parties. The exhibition runs till October 4, 2018, from 11:00–20:00. Convention Palace. Saturday 6 16:00 Petite is an interactive circus show by Frutillas Con Crema from Chile, organized by the Palestinian Circus School as a part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Lajee Cultural Center. 79
Tuesday 9 – Sunday 14 10:00–16:00 The 2 nd Terra Sancta Book Exhibition, organized by Terra Sancta College in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, the Cultural Advisory Council, Bethlehem Youth Council, and the Union of Palestinian Authors. Terra Sancta College. Friday 19 – Sunday 21 17:00–23:00 Souq Hikaya is an interactive folkloric and cultural festival to revitalize the old city of Beit Sahour through several artistic, theatrical, folkloric, and children’s events and a traditional market for local industry and handmade products, organized by Beit Sahour Municipality in cooperation with WASATA Youth Association. The old town of Beit Sahour. Tuesday 23 17:00–20:00 Bethlehem Boarding School Sports and Summer Fair is a chance to meet representatives from the world’s most prestigious boarding schools from the United States, Switzerland, and Canada, and to discuss programs for 6−19-year-old students. Organized by Linden Boarding School Tours. Bethlehem University. Saturday 27 9:00–20:00 The 18th Annual Olive Harvest Festival features olive tree products, traditional food and handicrafts, Palestinian folkloric shows, and much more. Organized by Bethlehem Peace Center/Bethlehem Municipality Environmental Education Center in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture. Manger Square.
JENIN SPECIAL EVENTS Thursday 4 17:30 Coffee in Town is a family circus show organized by the Palestinian Circus School as part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Jenin Youth Club (Nadi Jenin).
JERICHO SYMPOSIA Thursday 11 9:00–16:00 The Fifth Social Psychological Conference organized by Makassed Islamic Charitable Society to highlight the need to prevent and deal with mental disorders and social lesions. Jericho Resort.
NABLUS SPECIAL EVENTS Thursday 4 18:00 Menzo is a street interactive circus performance by Menzo Menjunjes from Argentina, organized by the Palestinian Circus School as a part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Yaffa Cultural Center. Thursday 4 17:30 Social is a family circus show by Assirk Assaghir (Nablus Circus School), organized by the Palestinian Circus School as a part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Al-Far’a Youth Club (Nadi al-Far’a).
BIRZEIT EXHIBITIONS Thursday 4 13:00 Opening of Lydda − A Garden Disremembered. The show presents the controversies around the British-imported colonial planning and the transformation of Lydda into an ethnically cleansed and segregated city that aims to disempower and suppress Palestinian communities in favor of Jewish immigrants. Organized by the A.M. Qattan Foundation in cooperation with Birzeit University Museum as part of Qalandiya International. Birzeit University Museum. 15:00 Tour of the Labor of Love exhibition that explores Palestinian embroidery through the lenses of gender, labor, symbol, capital, and class. It traces the shift from a personal practice to a symbol of national heritage and examines the implications of its commodification today. Organized by the Palestinian Museum as part of Qalandiya International. The Palestinian Museum.
RAMALLAH CHILDREN’S EVENTS Thursday 4 19:00–21:00 End-of-Summer Children’s Festival is a fun time with Manal Shawahneh organized by Isaac Advertising. Al-Bireh Park. Thursday 11 19:00–21:00 End-of-Summer Children’s Festival is a fun time with Manal Shawahneh organized by Isaac advertising. Dahiet al-Rihan. CONCERTS Tuesday 2 20:00 Mina presents a concert that resulted from a search for music’s legacy that reflects the experience of a people and their stilted way of life in order to derive from it its most solid nucleus: instinct. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre. Tuesday 23 20:00 Duroub is a musical concert that presents Alaa Bishara’s first album with his own musical compositions that include songs in the Palestinian, Lebanese, and Egyptian dialects. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre.
SPECIAL EVENTS Friday 5 18:00 Petite is an interactive circus show by Frutillas Con Crema from Chile, organized by the Palestinian Circus School as a part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018 under the theme United for Freedom. The Tent−Palestinian Circus School. 80
Saturday 27 19:00 Ramallah Syndrome is a collective musical concert that examines the side effect of the new spatial and social order that emerged after the collapse of the Oslo Peace Process. It has manifested itself in an urban psychology of hallucination of normality, the fantasy of a coexistence of occupation and liberty. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre.
Thursday 18 19:00 White Oil film screening and discussion with Yazid Anani about a single-screen film that excavates a number of narratives around the quarries in the West Bank. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre. Monday 22 19:00 Goodbye to Language (French with English subtitles) is an experimental narrative directed by Jean-Luc Godard that tells two similar stories of couples dealing with affairs. These two stories, named Nature and Metaphor, focus on the couples Josette and Gédéon and Ivitch and Marcus − along with a dog (Godard’s own dog, Roxy). A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre. Monday 29 19:00 Worlds Not Ours (Arabic with English subtitles), directed by Mahdi Fleifel, is an intimate and humorous por trait of three generations of exiles in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. A.M. Qattan Foundation.
DANCE Thursday 4 20:00 Silence, on tourne! is a hip-hop dance show by Pockémon Crew, organized by Institut Français de Jérusalem. Sareyyet Ramallah. EXHIBITIONS Monday 1 – Thursday 18 11:00–19:00 Weaving and Cracks exhibits Fouad Agbaria’s paintings that are replete with architectural and ornamental elements that echo childhood memories and a nostalgia for home. Open weekdays except Friday. Zawyeh Gallery. Thursday 4 – Monday 15 11:00–19:00 The Palestinian Olive Harvest art exhibition by the artist Taleb Dweik. Dar Zahran Heritage Building. Saturday 6 18:00 Opening of Debt, which presents how market systems, and in par ticular the ar t market, have shifted our understanding and the role of solidarity in art and cultural practices. It also explores how art practices in turn have instrumentalized the market for solidarity and political actions. Organized by Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center as part of Qalandiya International. Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center. Monday 8 18:00 Opening of The Lasting Effect, which presents art projects that tackle the question of solidarity and its various aspects in the Palestinian context. Organized by Ramallah Municipality as part of Qalandiya International. The Ottoman Court.
SPECIAL EVENTS Wednesday 3 18:00 Bromance is a circus show by the Barely Methodical Troupe from the United Kingdom, organized by the Palestinian Circus School as a part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Ramallah Cultural Palace. 16:00 – 19:30 Hip-Hop Dance Workshop consists of three workshops for beginners with the world-famous dancers of the hip-hop company Pockémon Crew. Sareyyet Ramallah. For registration, please visit: https://goo.gl/uDk3n6. Saturday 6 15:00 Hip-Hop Dance Battle where dancers compete in front of breakdance world-champions hip-hop company Pockémon Crew, organized by Institut Français de Jérusalem. Sareyyet Ramallah. Friday 12, 19, 26, Saturday 13, 20, 27, and Sunday 14, 21, 28 10:00 Olive Harvest Activities and Free Heritage Tour at Terra Fidea − The Land of Fidelity, organized by Dar Zahran Heritage Building in celebration of the olive harvest season. Terra Fidea. For more information, please contact info@terrafidea.org, or call 059 981 1800.
FILM SCREENINGS Monday 1 10:00 Act of Killing (Indonesian with English subtitles) is a documentary that challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to re-enact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre. Wednesday 3 19:00 We Were Communists (Arabic with English subtitles) is a documentary that deals with religious factions in Lebanon and the issue of incitement, fear, and the creation of invisible barriers between the Lebanese. The film follows three former members of the Lebanese Communist Party who reflect on their role during the civil war and its aftermath. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre.
SYMPOSIA Monday 1 18:00–19:30 A symposium on civil society’s experience in fighting the apartheid system in South Africa presented by the ambassador of South Africa Ashraf Sulaiman and organized by Dalia Association. Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center. THEATER Wednesday 17, 24 19:00 Taha is a play (in English) about the poet Taha Muhammad Ali. A.M. Qattan Foundation Cultural Centre.
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TULKAREM
TOURS Friday 5 8:30 The Lime Track Tour, led by the artist Wael Tarabeh, aims to shed light on the modern history of the occupied Golan Heights. It stops at multiple locations that include The Shouting Valley, Hermon Resort Area, the remaining Syrian villages, Tel alFakhar, and the apple orchards. Organized by Al Marsad (The Arab Centre for Human Rights in the Golan Heights) as part of Qalandiya International. Meeting point is at the center of Majdal Shams.
SPECIAL EVENTS Monday 1 17:30 Coffee in Town is a family circus show organized by the Palestinian Circus School as part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Deir Al Ghsoun School.
QALANDIYA VILLAGE SYMPOSIA Sunday 7 18:00 (ONE)H: Clustering, Reciprocity and Interdependency is a session to address and elucidate built environment as a medium of togetherness and a medium to consider the notions of autonomy and society at large. Organized and presented by Riwaq as part of Qalandiya International. Hoash al-Huqeyeh.
NAZARETH CONCERTS Saturday 13 20:00 Fundraising concert for Siraj Choir presents new arrangements of compositions by prominent Arab classical musicians and singers. Saint Joseph School Auditorium. SYMPOSIA Tuesday 30 – Wednesday 31 18:00–20:00 Challenges and Obstacles in Arabic Media Production is a symposium for producers and authors to discuss the scope of creativity in Arabic cinema and the challenges that confront its creators. Organized by the Arab Center for Media Freedom in cooperation with the Authors Union. Arab Center for Media Freedom.
GAZA EXHIBITIONS Thursday 4 16:30 Opening of Towards Hope, a contemporary visual ar t exhibition that searches for the meanings of solidarity, organized by Eltiqa and Shababek as part of Qalandiya International. Shababek Gallery. SPECIAL EVENTS Wednesday 3 17:00 Your Day is Better with Our Circus is a family circus show by Gaza Circus Crew, organized by the Palestinian Circus School as part of the Palestine Circus Festival 2018, under the theme United for Freedom. Holst Theater.
INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL EVENTS Monday 1 – Saturday 27 La Mia Mappa is a solo exhibition by the Palestinian artist Emily Jacir. Alexander and Bonin Art Gallery, New York, USA. CONCERTS Thursday 18 19:30–23:00 Concert by the Palestinian band Toot Ard presenting mountain roots rock music. Sargfabrik, Vienna, Austria. Saturday 27 20:00–23:00 Concert by the Palestinian band Toot Ard presenting mountain roots rock music. ALICE cph, Copenhagen, Denmark.
HAIFA EXHIBITIONS Tuesday 9 18:00 Opening of Everything that Rises Must Converge to contemplate the notion of solidarity as the culmination of upheaval and revolt, examining also what could inspire a movement of insurrection. Organized by Manjam Culture Lab as part of Qalandiya International. Manjam Culture Lab.
U LT U R A L C E N T E R S EAST JERUSALEM (02)
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music Tel: 627 1711, Fax: 627 1710 info@ncm.birzeit.edu, ncm.birzeit.edu
ARTLAB
Mob. 0544 343 798, artlabjerusalem@gmail.com
The Magnificat Intstitute
Al-Jawal Theatre Group
Tel: 626 6609, Fax: 626 6701 magnificat@custodia.org www.magnificatinstitute.org
Telefax: 628 0655
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art Tel: 628 3457, Fax: 627 2312 info@almamalfoundation.org www.almamalfoundation.org
Theatre Day Productions
Tel: 585 4513, Fax: 583 4233 tdp@theatreday.org, www.theatreday.org
Alruwah Theatre
Turkish Cultural Centre
Tel: 626 2626, alruwahtheatre2000@yahoo.com
Tel: 591 0530/1, Fax: 532 3310 kudustur@netvision.net.il, www.kudusbk.com
Al-Urmawi Centre for Mashreq Music
Tel: 234 2005, Fax: 234 2004 info@urmawi.org, www.urmawi.org
Wujoud Museum
Tel: 626 0916, www.wujoud.org, info@wujoud.org
America House
Yabous Cultural Center
http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/americahouse2. html
Tel: 626 1045; Fax: 626 1372 yabous@yabous.org, www.yabous.org
Ashtar for Theatre Productions & Training
BETHLEHEM (02)
Telefax: 582 7218 info@ashtar-theatre.org, www.ashtar-theatre.org
British Council
Al-Harah Theatre
Tel: 626 7111, Fax: 628 3021 information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org/ps
Telefax: 276 7758, alharahtheater@yahoo.com info@alharah.org, www.alharah.org
Alliance Française de Bethléem
Centre for Jerusalem Studies/Al-Quds University
Telefax: 275 0777, afbeth@p-ol.com
Tel: 628 7517, cjs@planet.edu www.jerusalem-studies.alquds.edu
Anat Palestinian Folk & Craft Center
Telefax: 277 2024, marie_musslam@yahoo.com
Community Action Centre (CAC)
Arab Educational Institute (AEI)-Open Windows
Tel: 627 3352, Fax: 627 4547, www.cac.alquds.edu
Tel: 274 4030, www.aeicenter.org
Educational Bookshop
Tel: 627 5858, Fax: 628 0814 info@educationalbookshop.com www.educationalbookshop.com
Artas Folklore Center
El-Hakawati Theatre Company
Badil Centre
French Cultural Centre
Beit Jala Community-Based Learning and Action Center
Issaf Nashashibi Center for Culture & Literature
Bethlehem Academy of Music/ Bethlehem Music Society
Mob: 0597 524 524, 0599 679 492, 0503 313 136 artasfc@hotmail.com Tel: 277 7086
Tel: 583 8836, Mobile: 0545 835 268 f.abousalem@gmail.com, www.el-hakawati.org Tel: 628 2451 / 626 2236, Fax: 628 4324 ccfjeru@consulfrance-jerusalem.org
Tel: 277 7863
Telefax: 581 8232, isaaf@alqudsnet.com
Tel: 277 7141, Fax: 277 7142
Jerusalem Centre for Arabic Music
Bethlehem Peace Center
Tel: 627 4774, Fax: 656 2469, mkurd@yahoo.com
Melia Art Center
Tel: 276 6677, Fax: 276 4670 info@peacenter.org, www.peacenter.org
Palestinian Art Court - Al Hoash
Tel: 274 3277, Fax 274 2939 info@ca-b.org, www.ca-b.org
Palestinian National Theatre
Tel: 276 6244, Fax: 276 6241 info@cchp.ps, www.cchp.ps
Sabreen Association for Artistic Development
Tel: 276 5574, eec@p-ol.com, www.eecp.org
TeleFax: 628 1377, Melia@bezeqint.net www.meliaartandtrainingcenter.com
MAJDAL SHAMS
Catholic Action Cultural Center
Telefax: 627 3501 info@alhoashgallery.org, www.alhoashgallary.org
The Occupied Golan Heights
EXHIBITIONS Friday 5 14:00 Opening of Snowflakes by Akram al Halabi, who started his project in 2009, asking random people in public places to define themselves. He noted their responses on individual invoice papers and added small geometric forms, using pliers, to create lines in the shape of fingerprints and snowflakes. Organized by Fateh Almudares Center as part of Qalandiya International. Fateh Almudares Center.
Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation
Tel: 628 0957, Fax: 627 6293, info@pnt-pal.org
Environmental Education Center
Tel: 532 1393, sabreen@sabreen.org www.jerusalem.usconsulate.gov www.facebook.com/USConGenJerusalem
Inad Centre for Theatre and Arts
Telefax: 276 6263, www.inadtheater.com
Sanabel Culture & Arts Theatre
International Centre of Bethlehem-Dar Annadwa
The Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel
ITIP Center “Italian Tourist Information Point”
Tel: 277 0047, Fax: 277 0048 info@diyar.ps, www.diyar.ps
Tel: 671 4338, Fax: 673 0993 sanabeltheatre@yahoo.com
Telefax: 276 0411, itipcenter@yahoo.com
Tel: 627 9731, Fax: 627 9779 bookshop.americancolony@gmail.com www. americancolony.com
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Nativity Stationery Library Mob: 0598 950 447
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JERICHO (02)
Palestinian Group for the Revival of Popular Heritage Telefax: 274 7945
Jericho Community Centre Telefax: 232 5007
Palestinian Heritage Center
Telefax: 274 2381, 274 2642 mahasaca@palestinianheritagecenter.com www.phc.ps
Jericho Culture & Art Center Telefax: 232 1047
Municipality Theatre
Relief International - Schools Online Bethlehem Community-Based Learning and Action Center
Tel: 232 2417, Fax: 232 2604
JENIN (04)
Tel: 277 7863
Sabreen Association for Artistic Development
Cinema Jenin
Tent of Nations
Hakoura Center
Tel: 275 0091, Fax: 275 0092 sabreen@sabreen.org, www.sabreen.org
Tel: 250 2642, 250 2455 info@cinemajenin.org, www.cinemajenin.org
Tel: 274 3071, Fax: 276 7446 tnations@p-ol.com, www.tentofnations.org
Telfax: 250 4773 center@hakoura-jenin.ps, www.hakoura-jenin.ps
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music
The Freedom Theatre/Jenin Refugee Camp Tel: 250 3345, info@thefreedomtheatre.org
Telefax: 274 8726 info@ncm.birzeit.edu, www.birzeit.edu/music
NABLUS (09)
The Higher Institute of Music
Telefax: 275 2492, highiom@hotmail.com www.thehigherinstituteofmusic.ps
British Council- Al Najah University
Turathuna - Centre for Palestinian Heritage (B.Uni.)
Tel: 274 1241, Fax: 274 4440 pdaoud@bethlehem.edu, www.bethlehem.edu
Nablus The Culture
Tel: 233 2084, Fax: 234 5325 info@nablusculture.ps, www.nablusculture.ps
Children Happiness Center
RAMALLAH AND AL-BIREH (02)
Dura Cultural Martyrs Center
A. M. Qattan Foundation
Tel: 296 0544, Fax: 298 4886 info@qattanfoundation.org www.qattanfoundation.org
AMIDEAST
Al Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
Tel: 221 3301/2/3/4, Fax: 221 3305 Mob: 0599 097 531
Tel: 296 5292/3, Fax: 296 5294 info@alkasaba.org, www.alkasaba.org
France-Hebron Association for Cultural Exchanges
Al-Kamandjâti Association
Tel: 297 3101 info@alkamandjati.com, www.alkamandjati.com
Tel: 222 4811 info@hebron-france.org, wwww.hebron-france.org
Al-Mada Music Therapy Center
Hebron Rehabilitation Committee
Telfax: 296 3470, Mob: 0599 511 800 info@darzahran.org, www.darzahran.org
Tel: 298 1922 / 7727, Fax: 298 1923 info@ccf-goethe.org, www.ccf-goethe-ramallah.org Tel: 298 9181, info@galleryone.ps
Tel: 281 2000, 0568 880 024 www.palcircus.ps, info@ palcircus.ps
Greek Cultural Centre - “Macedonia”
The Palestinian Network of Art Centres
Telefax: 298 1736/ 298 0546 makdonia@palnet.com
Tel: 298 0036, 296 4348/9, Fax: 296 0326 iman_aoun@yahoo.com
In’ash Al-Usra Society- Center for Heritage & Folklore Studies
The Spanish Cultural Center
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Ashtar for Culture & Arts
Telefax: 283 3565, atlas9@palnet.com
Nawa Institute
Culture & Light Centre
Tel: 297 0190, info@nawainstitute.org
Telefax: 286 5896, ifarah@palnet.com
Palestine Writing Workshop
Mob: 0597 651 408, www.palestineworkshop.com
Dialogpunkt Deutsch Gaza (Goethe-Insitut)
Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art PACA
Fawanees Theatre Group
Tel: 282 0203, Fax: 282 1602
Tel: 296 7601, fax: 295 1849 paca@pal-paca.org, www.pal-paca.org
Telefax: 288 4403
Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE)
Tel: 286 7883, Fax: 282 8811 ccfgaza@consulfrance-jerusalem.org
French Cultural Centre
Tel: 240 7611, Telfax: 240 7610 pace@p-ol.com, www.pace.ps
Gaza Theatre
Popular Art Center
Global Production and Distribution
Tel: 282 4860, Fax: 282 4870 Telefax: 288 4399, art.global@yahoo.com
Holst Cultural Centre
Tel: 281 0476, Fax: 280 8896, mcrcg@palnet.com
Theatre Day Productions
Telefax: 283 6766, tdpgaza@palnet.com
Tel: 241 3002
Ashtar for Theatre Production
Sandouq Elajab Theatre
Baladna Cultural Center
Sareyyet Ramallah - First Ramallah Group (FRG)
Telfax: 295 8435
Telefax: 284 6405 artvlg@palnet.com, www.gazavillage.org
Telefax: 281 5825, mazraaheritage@yahoo.com /www.geocities.com/mazraaheritage
RIWAQ: Centre for Architectural Conservation
Birzeit Ethnographic and Art Museum
Arts & Crafts Village
Mazra’a Qibliyeh Heritage and Tourism Centre
ArtSchool Palestine
Tel: 298 0037, Fax: 296 0326 info@ashtar-theatre.org, www.ashtar-theatre.org
Tel: 283 9929, Fax: 283 9949 reem@qcc.qattanfoundation.org www.qattanfoundation.org/qcc
Tel: 295 7937, Fax: 298 7598
Ramallah Cultural Palace
Tel: 295 9837, info@artschoolpalestine.com www.artschoolpalestine.com
Al-Qattan Centre for the Child
Manar Cultural Center
Amideast
Tel: 240 8023, Fax: 240 8017 westbank-gaza@amideast.org, www.amideast.org
GAZA STRIP (08)
Tel: 295 2808, Fax: 295 2809 Info@darwishfoundation.org www.darwishfoundation.org
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)
Tel: 296 1613, Fax: 197 1265, Mob: 0599 259 874 akel.nichola@gmail.com
Mob. 0597 994 997 anani.ziad@gmail.com, www.zawyeh.net
Mahmoud Darwish Foundation and Museum
Al-Rua’a Publishing House
Telefax: 298 8091, alrahhalah@hotmail.com
Telefax: 296 7654, yaf@palnet.com
Tel: 298 7374, Fax: 296 6820 sakakini@sakakini.org, www.sakakini.org
Al-Rahhalah Theatre
,Telefax: 229 1559 www.yestheatre.org, info@yestheatre.org
Tel. 295 0893, chp@panoramacenter.org
Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC)
Yes Theater
The Palestinian Circus School
Gallery One
Tel: 240 3891, Fax: 240 2851 info@popularartcentre.org www.popularartcentre.org
Tel:222 9131, Fax: 229 0652 itv@ipyl.org, www.ipyl.org
Tel: 295 9070, Fax: 295 9071 info@ncm.birzeit.edu, www.birzeit.edu/music
Franco-German Cultural Centre Ramallah
Telfax: 225 5640, 222 6993/4
The International Palestinian Youth League (IPYL)
TeleFax: 298 8457, info@dhip.ps, www.dhip.ps
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music
Tel: 240 2853, Fax: 240 2851 info@el-funoun.org, www.el-funoun.org
Tel: 241 3196, Fax: 241 3197 info@al-mada.ps, www.al-mada.ps
Tel: 222 4813, Fax: 222 0855 pcac@hotmail.com, www.pcac.net
The Danish House in Palestine (DHIP)
El-Funoun Dance Troupe
Zawyeh Art Gallery
Beit Et Tifl Compound
Tel: 228 3663, nader@duramun.org www.duramun.org
Tel: 298 6121/ 2, Fax: 298 8160 tamer@palnet.com, www.tamerinst.org
Dar Zahran Heritage Building
Tel: 296 7601, info@artacademy.ps
Tel: 238 5914, Fax: 238 7593 ccfnaplouse@consulfrance-jerusalem.org
Telefax: 229 9545, children_hc@yahoo.com
Tamer Institute for Community Education
Tel: 298 7375, Fax: 298 7374
Cultural Centre for Child Development
French Cultural Centre
Telefax: 229 3717, information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britsishcouncil.org.ps
Tel: 297 3336, Fax: 297 3338 info@shashat.org, www.shashat.org
Carmel Cultural Foundation
International Academy of Arts
Al Sanabl Centre for Studies and Heritage
British Council- Palestine Polytechnic University
Shashat
Young Artist Forum
Tel. 237 2863, Fax. 237 8275 arafatn24@yahoo.com
Telefax: 222 4545, tdphebron@alqudsnet.com
Tel: 296 3293-6, Fax: 296 3297 information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org/ps
Tel: 240 1123 / 240 2876, Telefax: 240 1544 usra@palnet.com, www.inash.org
Cultural Heritage Enrichment Center
Tel: 256 0280, sanabelssc@yahoo.com www.sanabl.org, www.sanabl.ps
Tel: 296 7741, Fax: 296 7742 info@sharek.ps, www.sharek.ps
British Council
Telefax: 237 5950 information@ps.britishcouncil.org www.britishcoumcil.org/ps
Tel: 238 6290, Fax: 239 7518 nutaleb@hotmail.com, www.nutaleb.cjb.net
HEBRON (02)
Sharek Youth Forum
Tel. 298 2976, www.virtualgallery.birzeit.edu
Windows from Gaza For Contemporary Art Mob. 0599 781 227 - 0599 415 045 info@artwfg.ps
Tel: 294 5555, Fax: 295 2107 rcpevents@ramallah-city.ps Tel: 240 6887, Fax: 240 6986 riwaq@palnet.com, www.riwaq.org
RAWABI Itar (Public lectures, workshops and cultural activities) - Rawabi Foundation
Tel: 296 5638, 295 3206 sandouqelajab@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0594 204 378 foundation@rawabi.ps Cinema Hall, Q Center, Rawabi 666, Palestine
Tel: 295 2690 - 295 2706, Fax: 298 0583 sareyyet@sareyyet.ps, www.sareyyet.ps
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CCOMMODATIONS
Ambassador Hotel
Caesar Hotel Ramallah
Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, 91196, Tel: 541 2222, Fax: 582 8202 reservation@jerusalemambassador.com, www.jerusalemambassador.com
Al Masyoun, Ramallah Tel: 022979400 Fax: 022979401 info@caesar-hotel.ps, www.caesar-hotel.ps
/amb.jerusalem
(118 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Carmel Hotel
Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family Via Dolorosa 37, P.O.Box 19600, Jerusalem 91194 Tel: +972 2 6265800, Fax: +972 2 6265816 Email: office@austrianhospice.com, Website:www.austrianhospice.com
Al-Masyoun, Ramallah, Palestine Tel: 2972222 Fax: 2966966, www.carmelhotel.ps
Christmas Boutique Hotel
Lavender Boutique Hotel
Ali Ben Abi Taleb Street, Jerusalem Tel: 02-6282588, Fax: 02-6264417 christmashotel@bezeqint.net
Al-Nuzha Street 24 , Ramallah Tel 297 7073 reservation@lavenderboutiquehotel.com, www.lavenderboutiquehotel.com
Gloria Hotel
Taybeh Golden Hotel
Latin Patriarch St. 33, Jerusalem Tel 628 2431, Fax: 628 2401 gloriahl@netvision.net.
Main Street 100 ,Taybeh (Ramallah District) Tel 289-9440 info@taybehgoldenhotel.com, www.taybehgoldenhotel.com
(104 rooms; mr; res)
74 rooms & suites, 20 hotel apartment, Spa, Gym, 2 Bars, 6 conference rooms, 2 restaurants, and indoor parking.
Holy Land Hotel 6 Rashid Street, Jerusalem, PO BOX 19700 Tel: 02-6284-841Fax: 02-6280-265 Email: info@holylandhotel.com, www.holylandhotel.com
Sancta Maria Hotel (104 rooms; mr; res)
Dr. Geminer Street, Beyhlehem Tel : 02-2467374/5/6, Fax :02-2767377 info@sanctamariahotel.com, www.sanctamariahotel.com
81 rooms
Jerusalem Hotel
15 Antara Ben Shadad St., Jerusalem Tel: 628 3282, Fax: 6283282, raed@jrshotel.com, www.jrshotel.com Jerusalem Hotel
Knights Palace Hotel Freres Street, New Gate, Jerusalem Tel 628 2537, Fax: 627 5390 kp@actcom.co.il
(50 rooms; mr; res)
Photo courtesy of MOTA
Pontifical Institute
Jericho Resorts
3 Paratroopers Road, P.O. Box 20531, Jerusalem, 91204 Tel: 627 9111, Fax: 627 1995, www.notredamecenter.org
Bisan Street, Near Hisham Palace, 162 Jericho, Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189 reservation@jerichoresorts.com, www.jerichoresorts.com
Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center Pontificial Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center
Jericho Resort Village
Ritz Hotel Jerusalem
8 Ibn Khaldoun Street, P.O.Box 19186, Jerusalem Tel: +972 (0)2 626 9900, Fax: +972 (0)2 626 9910 Email: reservations@jerusalemritz.com, www.jerusalemritz.com www.facebook.com/RitzHotelJerusalem
Seven Arches Hotel
Rawabi Hotel Rental Apartments Rawabi 666, Palestine Mobile: 059 420 4378 rent@rawabi.ps
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, 91190 Tel: 626 7777, Fax: 627 1319 svnarch@bezeqint.net, www.7arches.com
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ESTAURANTS
Caesar Hotel Ramallah
Ambassador Hotel Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, 91196, Tel: 541 2222, Fax: 582 8202 reservation@jerusalemambassador.com, www.jerusalemambassador.com /amb.jerusalem
(118 rooms; bf; cf; mr; res)
Al Masyoun, Ramallah Tel: 022979400 Fax: 022979401 info@caesar-hotel.ps, www.caesar-hotel.ps
Carmel Hotel
Christmas Boutique Hotel Ali Ben Abi Taleb Street, Jerusalem Tel: 02-6282588, Fax: 02-6264417 christmashotel@bezeqint.net
Al-Masyoun, Ramallah, Palestine Tel: 2972222 Fax: 2966966, www.carmelhotel.ps
Gloria Hotel
Lavender Boutique Hotel
Latin Patriarch St. 33, Jerusalem Tel 628 2431, Fax: 628 2401 gloriahl@netvision.net.
Al-Nuzha Street 24 , Ramallah Tel 297 7073 reservation@lavenderboutiquehotel.com, www.lavenderboutiquehotel.com
(104 rooms; mr; res)
74 rooms & suites, 20 hotel apartment, Spa, Gym, 2 Bars, 6 conference rooms, 2 restaurants, and indoor parking.
Holy Land Hotel
Taybeh Golden Hotel
6 Rashid Street, Jerusalem, PO BOX 19700 Tel: 02-6284-841Fax: 02-6280-265 Email: info@holylandhotel.com, www.holylandhotel.com
Main Street 100 ,Taybeh (Ramallah District) Tel 289-9440 info@taybehgoldenhotel.com, www.taybehgoldenhotel.com
(104 rooms; mr; res)
Jerusalem Hotel
15 Antara Ben Shadad St., Jerusalem Tel: 628 3282, Fax: 6283282, raed@jrshotel.com, www.jrshotel.com Jerusalem Hotel
Sancta Maria Hotel Dr. Geminer Street, Beyhlehem Tel : 02-2467374/5/6, Fax :02-2767377 info@sanctamariahotel.com, www.sanctamariahotel.com
81 rooms
Knights Palace Hotel Freres Street, New Gate, Jerusalem Tel 628 2537, Fax: 627 5390 kp@actcom.co.il
(50 rooms; mr; res)
Pontifical Institute
Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center 3 Paratroopers Road, P.O. Box 20531, Jerusalem, 91204 Tel: 627 9111, Fax: 627 1995, www.notredamecenter.org
Photo courtesy of MOTA
Pontificial Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center
Seven Arches Hotel Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, 91190 Tel: 626 7777, Fax: 627 1319 svnarch@bezeqint.net, www.7arches.com
Jericho Resorts Bisan Street, Near Hisham Palace, 162 Jericho, Tel: 232 1255, Fax: 232 2189 reservation@jerichoresorts.com, www.jerichoresorts.com Jericho Resort Village
Rawabi Hotel Rental Apartments Rawabi 666, Palestine Mobile: 059 420 4378 rent@rawabi.ps
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TTRACTIONS
Poster
Solomon’s Pools
Making Palestinian Art Accessible to Everyone. Get yours now!
The City of Cultures and Civilizations
7A President Square, behind Plaza Mall, Al-Balo', Albireh Mob: 0592847732 Tel: 022426486 anani.ziad@gmail.com, www.zawyeh.net
Bethlehem +970-2-276-0376, +970-2-276-8250, Fax: +970-2-276-8251 sppd.preservation@gmail.com, solpools@solomonpools.com https://it-it.facebook.com/solomon.pools
Taybeh Brewery Proudly Brewing & Bottling Premium Palestinian Beer since 1994 Near the rotary, Taybeh Village, Ramallah District Tel: 02-289-8868, taybeh@palnet.com, www.taybehbeer.com https://www.facebook.com/taybehbeer/ Opening Hours: Monday- Saturday 8 AM-3:30 PM
Taybeh Winery
Making Boutique Palestinian Wines since 2013
Main Street, Taybeh Village, Ramallah District Tel: 02-289-9440, info@taybehwinery.com, www.taybehwinery.com https://www.facebook.com/Taybehwinery/ Opening Hours: Daily 9 AM-5 PM
Photo Courtesy of SPPD
Telepherique & Sultan Tourist Center Enjoy the panoramic view of Jericho Elisha's Spring, P.O.Box 12, Jericho Tel: + 972 (2) 2321590; Fax: + 972 (2) 2321598 Info@jericho-cablecar.com, www.jericho-cablecar.com
Zawyeh Gallery Current exhibition: Weaving and Cracks by Fouad Agbaria
JerichoCableCar
7A President Square, behind Plaza Mall, Al-Balo', Albireh Mob: 0592847732 Tel: 022426486 anani.ziad@gmail.com, www.zawyeh.net
Photo by Palestine Image Bank
Fun Factory Rawabi Spacious indoor amusement park that introduces fun, comfort, and happiness for all ages. Q Center, Rawabi 666, Palestine Tel: 059 594 9026, https://www.facebook.com/funfactoryrawabi/
Rawabi Extreme Exciting outdoor games in the beautiful nature of Palestine. Photo by Shady Hasbun
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WaDina, Rawabi 666, Palestine Tel: 059 420 4377, https://www.facebook.com/RawabiExtreme
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RAVEL AGENCIES alestine Road Map
Daher Travel, Ltd.
14 Azzahra St., P.O.Box 19055, Jerusalem Tel: +972 2 6283235, Fax: +972 2 627 1574 Email:Dahert@netvision.net.il
O.S Tours & Travel
PALESTINE Road Map
Lebanon Syria
19 Al-Rashid St. - Jerusalem Tel: +972 2 6289260 / +972 2 6273687, Fax: +972 2 6264979 Email:os@os-tours.com, Web:http://www.os-tours.com
9 Azzahra St. Jerusalem, 9720952, P.O.B: 67197, Jerusalem, 9167002 Tel: 972 2 6446279, Fax: 972 2 5787766 Email:info@rajitours.com, Website:www.rajitours.com Raji Tours & Travel
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Tiberia
Akko
Raji Tours & Travel
Haifa Kilometers
Nazareth
Tell Ti’innik
Beisan
Jenin
Umm er-Rihan
Bal’ama
Tell Dothan ez-Zababdeh
Tulkarm Sabastiya
Mediterranean Sea
Nablus
Tubas
Tell Balata Gerzim
Qalqiliya
Jordan
Salfit
Jaffa
Abud et-Taiyba
Birzeit
Ramallah/el-Bira
9 Azzahra St. Jerusalem, 9720952 P.O.B : 67197, Jerusalem, 9167002 Tel: 972-2-6446279, Fax: 972-2-5787766
Isdud
Halhul Beit Hanun Jabalia Gaza
Hebron
Haram el-Ibrahimi
Khan Yunis Rafah
Egypt
Ersal St, Ersal Center, Amaar Tower, 5th floor Box 4181, El Bireh, Ramallah-Palestine Tel: +972 2 2421878, Fax: +972 2 2421879, Mbl: +972 56 2550031 Email: info@gg-tours.ps, Web:www.gg-tours.ps
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Tell es-Sultan
Beit Jala Mar Saba Bethlehem Beit Sahur
Deir el-Balah
Golden Globe Tours
Khirbet el-Mafjar
Tell en-Nasba
Jericho Jerusalem en-Nabi Musa
el-Jib
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Dead Sea
erusalem
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ethlehem
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he Last Word
What’s in a Name? The assault on Palestinian identity is real. Almost unanimously, Palestinians view the appropriation of what they consider to be core cultural symbols or icons, such as Palestinian embroidery, the olive tree, and yes, falafel, as theft of their culture and an infringement on their cultural identity. The attack on Palestinian identity doesn’t stop there, in fact. Part of the Zionist offensive includes a narrative that actually questions the very origins of Palestinians, clearly hoping to paint them as a bunch of nomads who happen to be living in this land almost by a freak accident or at best as a forgotten people who were part of Greater Syria. Naturally, not all Israelis view Palestinians as such, but I dare say that there is a sizeable portion of Israeli society that does. Palestinians naturally become defensive when confronted with this view, and then they go on the offensive with arguments, some logical and objective and some over the top, leading one to believe that the Palestinian identity, as it exists now, is age-old; in existence almost since God created the world! Silly, I know, but such people do exist; in the same way as some Israelis believe that they’re God’s gift to the human race! As real as any national, even cultural identity is, it is surely the outcome of a process of evolution over the course of history. In fact, there was no American national or cultural identity in the 1500s. And until the beginning of the 1900s, there were no national identities of loads of countries, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Ivory Coast, or even Luxembourg. Closer to home, I assure you, there was no such a thing as an Israeli national identity prior to 1948, nor even an Israeli cultural identity. There was no Israel, for crying out loud! But the KSA, the Ivory Coast, and Israel (whether we like it or not!) were formed, and with time, they developed both a national and a cultural identity. My point is that it is irrelevant how such identities came into being. It is enough for Palestinians to claim that they have always lived in this land, that they’ve been the people who grew the land and fed every foreign occupation throughout history, irrespective of what beliefs they held or even what language they spoke a thousand or two thousand years ago. You simply can’t argue that Palestinians are more of an integral part of this land than an Estonian or a Frenchman who made aliyah ten years ago. It is really not necessary for Palestinians to prove why they’re called Palestinians or that Palestine has existed since time immemorial. All that is important is that they have been part of this land since humans started to record history.
Sani Meo Publisher 98
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