Voices from Gaza
2025-01-30 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Empire Banquet Hall, 21222 30th Dr SE Suite 110, Bothell, WA, 98021
Join us for a special event featuring our guests from Kuwait, who have just returned from their impactful journey to Gaza.

Madafeh at Palestine Museum with guest Medea Benjamin
2025-02-02 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Madafeh: Our guest is Medea Benjamin, cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange.

Sunday, February 2, 2025
12:00 PM 1:30 PM
Palestine Museum US (map)

Please click here to register to attend this event.
The program begins at 12:00 PM US EST; 18:00 Europe; 19:00 Palestine; 17:00 UK.
Medea Benjamin is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange. She is the author of 11 books, including Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection, Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran and War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, coauthored with Nicolas J.S. Davies. Her most recent book, coauthored with David Swanson, is NATO: What You Need to Know.

The Role of Art and Journalism in Society (Hybrid inperson & virtual)
2025-02-06 18:30 - 20:00 | Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
There exists a pervasive illusion that journalism embodies truth and objectivity, yet it is fundamentally entrenched in a Eurocentric perspective that has long exacerbated social polarization. What ideological forces underpin this medium, enabling it to perpetuate such divisions?
Artists, as individuals deeply connected to society and its multifaceted truths, strive to reveal these truths through various forms. Positioned on the precipice of a changing world, artists maintain a profound grasp on truth. How can artists intervene to redeem journalism from its historical complicity in supporting hegemonic ideologies? Can the creative and critical sensibilities of artists unearth and challenge the concealed biases and contradictions that journalism often obscures under the guise of objectivity? In what ways can artistic endeavors disrupt the entrenched Eurocentric narratives and foster a more inclusive and emancipatory discourse within the media landscape? How can the aesthetic and imaginative dimensions of art confront and transform the existing power structures that shape journalistic practice? What role can artists play in reimagining journalism as a medium of genuine critical reflection and societal truth?
Registration opens on December 12, 2024.

Virtual Conversation with Mohammed El-Kurd and Robin D.G. Kelley
2025-02-11 16:30 - 17:30 | Virtual
On Tuesday, February 11th, join Mohammed El-Kurd and Robin D.G. Kelley for a virtual conversation to mark the release of Perfect Victims.

Perfect Victims is an urgent affirmation of the Palestinian condition of resistance and refusal―an ode to the steadfastness of a nation.
Palestine is a microcosm of the world: on fire, stubborn, fragmented, dignified. While a settler colonial state continues to inflict devastating violence, fundamental truths are deliberately obscured—the perpetrators are coddled while the victims are blamed and placed on trial.
Why must Palestinians prove their humanity? And what are the implications of such an infuriatingly impossible task? With fearless prose and lyrical precision, Mohammed El-Kurd refuses a life spent in cross-examination. Rather than asking the oppressed to perform a perfect victimhood, El-Kurd asks friends and foes alike to look Palestinians in the eye, forgoing both deference and condemnation.
How we see Palestine reveals how we see each other; how we see everything else. Masterfully combining candid testimony, history, and reportage, Perfect Victims presents a powerfully simple demand: dignity for the Palestinian.
Pre-order Perfect Victims through Bookshop or wherever good books are sold: http://www.bookshop.org/a/1039/9798888903155
***Register through Ticket Tailor to receive a link to the live-streamed video on the day of the event. This event will also be recorded and captioning will be provided.***
Speakers:
Mohammed El-Kurd is a writer, poet, journalist, and organizer from Jerusalem, occupied Palestine. He is the Nation’s first-ever Palestine Correspondent and editor-at-large at Mondoweiss, the recipient of numerous honors and awards, and the author of the highly-acclaimed poetry collection Rifqa, which has been translated into several languages.
Robin D.G. Kelley is Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA. He is the author of Hammer and Hoe, Race Rebels, Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination, and Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, among other titles. His writing has been featured in the Journal of American History, American Historical Review, Black Music Research Journal, African Studies Review, New York Times, The Crisis, The Nation, and Voice Literary Supplement.

Conversation with Angela Davis: Collective Struggle in Critical Time
2025-02-21 18:00 - 21:00 | Olympia Capitol Theater, 206 5th Avenue SE, Olympia, WA, 98501, United States
Rachel Corrie Foundation, Olympia Film Society, Jewish Voice for Peace Tacoma, Evergreen Tacoma, Jewish Voice for Peace Olympia, and Palestine Action South Sound present:
A Conversation with Angela Davis:
Collective Struggle in Critical Times
Featuring spoken word by Terrance Turner, aka C.A.U.T.I.O.N.
GA $28.25 & OFS $23.25 (available online and at the door)
$13.25 Student (available for purchase at the door only)
All Prices Include Service Fees
6pm doors / 7pm show

From prison abolition to Palestine liberation, Angela Davis has been at the forefront of radical intellectual work and political activism for decades. Her public rise in the Black Power and Women of Color movements made her an outspoken advocate for racial, gender, and economic justice. She is the author of many books, and a founding member of Critical Resistance, a national organization dedicated to the dismantling of the prison industrial complex

Presentation: Eight Families in Gaza: Amplifying Their Voices
2025-03-02 13:30 - 15:00 | Bellingham Central Public Library, 210 Central Ave, Bellingham, WA, 98225
Upcoming Event: “Eight Families in Gaza: Amplifying Their Voices,” Sunday, March 2, 2025
This special presentation offers an opportunity to learn about eight families in Gaza who are connected to a local community member who has received their permission to share their stories and words. This is an opportunity to learn more about their lives, loves, and challenges, and to find out more about ways you can offer meaningful and direct support to Palestinians in Gaza. Affiliated with Whatcom Coalition for Palestine. Open to the public.
Date:Sunday, March 2, 2025 / Time:1:30 PM – 2:30 PM (with optional Q & A / Discussion following the presentation from 2:30 to 3:00 PM)
Location: Lecture Room at the Bellingham Central Public Library
Categories: Non-Library Program

How To Talk to Kids About Palestine
2025-03-15 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual
Step 1: Donate to Sameer Project here (sugg. donation $30).
Step 2: Register for “How to Talk to Kids About Palestine” here.
In this workshop, illustrator Nathi Ngubane will discuss art as a tool for education and communication, and how adults can talk to children about Palestinian liberation. Nathi will then lead us in an all-ages drawing exercise open to parents, kids, and everyone in between.
Nathi Ngubane is a South African-based writer and illustrator. His most recent work is From the River to the Sea: A Colouring Book (Social Bandit Media, 2024), which features illustrations that teach children about the injustice of the Nakba, the history and culture of the land, as well as key concepts driving and sustaining the Palestinian resistance.

The Mideast Focus Film Series 2025: The Law and the Prophets
2025-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Virtual
March 20, 2025
Film: “The Law and the Prophets” Speaker, Josh Vis
Zoom discussion 7pm. Screening of film on own prior to discussion.

April 3, 2025
Film: “Where Olive Trees Weep” Speaker, Issa Amro
Screening online together 6:30pm, followed by Zoom discussion.

April 10, 2025
Film: “Lyd” Speaker, Sabrene Odeh and Maher Joudi
Zoom discussion 7pm. Screening of film on own prior to discussion.

WEBINAR: ON THIRD WORLD FEMINISM & THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE
2025-03-21 17:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
Join the Palestinian Feminist Collective and CODEPINK during Women’s History Month for a popular education webinar on the revolutionary living histories and tradition of Third World feminist and women’s movements.
Together, we’ll learn how we can harness their teachings, tools, and legacies to inform our movement for Palestine and build a future free from oppression and systemic subjugation.

DATE: MARCH 21
TIME: 8 PM ET
REGISTER NOW

REGISTER NOW!

Recognizing & Understanding Anti-Palestinian Racism
2025-03-23 10:00 - 11:30
Attendee will learn to:
Know who Palestinians are
Describe anti-Palestinian racism
Identify who can be targets of
anti-Palestinian racism
Understand the impact of
anti-Palestinian racism on health
wellbeing
Learn ways to address
anti-Palestinian racism

Misconceptions and stereotypes about Arab Americans
2025-04-02 09:00 - 10:00 | Virtual
Join us to reflect on and debunk some common myths, misunderstanding and biases about the Arab American community.

As we honor Arab American Heritage Month, let’s reflect on and debunk some common myths, misunderstanding and biases about the Arab community. This discussion is designed to increase participants’ knowledge about Arab Americans and to challenge misperceptions about people of Arab descent.
For questions about this event contact Kristina Marshall kmmarsha@oaklandcc.edu
ASL interpreters will be provided for this event.
If you need additional accommodations, click below:

Students can email ACCESS
Employees can email Julie Hoyt at jahoyt@oaklandcc.edu
Community Member can email DEIJ@oaklandcc.edu

The Mideast Focus Film Series 2025: Where Olive Trees Weep
2025-04-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Virtual
April 3, 2025
Film: “Where Olive Trees Weep” Speaker, Issa Amro
Screening online together 6:30pm, followed by Zoom discussion.

The Mideast Focus Film Series 2025: Lyd
2025-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Virtual
Film: “Lyd” Speaker, Sabrene Odeh and Maher Joudi
Zoom discussion 7pm. Screening of film on own prior to discussion.

How We Got Here: Critical Reflections on Racism, Deportation, and Transphobia
2025-04-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Kane Hall – University of Washington, 4069 Spokane Ln 98105, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
A teach-in featuring University of Washington faculty from American Ethnic Studies, American Indian Studies, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Middle East Studies, Political Science, and the Law School to frame the current moment and to organize out of it.

walker-ames hall room 225

Dr. Mimi Syed: Her Work In Gaza
2025-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | the United Churches of Olympia, 110 11th Ave SE Ste 210, Olympia, WA, 98501-2253
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mimi Syed in honor of Rachel Corrie’s birthday. Dr. Syed is an emergency physician working in our community and will share her experience treating children in Gaza this past year.

From Seattle to Sudan: A Global Forum on the Sudanese Civil War
2025-04-12 09:00 - 12:00 | UW – HUB, 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
In April 2023, civil war erupted in Sudan. To mark the second anniversary of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, “From Sudan to Seattle” will provide space for local Sudanese to share their stories of survival and migration, acknowledge the conflict’s connections to local African and Sudanese populations, and offer insights on the current state of US-Sudan relations.
About the speakers
Mubarak Elamin is a Sudanese community organizer and member of the Muslim Association of Puget Sound.
Dr. Ushari Khalil is a human rights advocate who focuses on the rights of internally displaced populations and children affected by armed conflict in Sudan. A former Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law, Dr. Khalil has worked with UNICEF and is the recipient of a Human Rights Watch Monitor Award.
Dr. Khidir Haroun is a former Sudanese Ambassador to the United States. Dr. Haroun currently serves as a Dean of Faculty at the International University of Africa.
Dr. Christopher Tounsel is an associate professor of History and Director of the African Studies Program at the University of Washington. Dr. Tounsel has written two books on Sudan (Chosen Peoples and Bounds of Blackness) and has provided commentary on Sudanese affairs for Al Jazeera, BBC, and NPR.
Dr. Mehari Worku is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Washington. Dr. Worku’s research focuses on Christianity in Egypt, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Yasir Zaidan is a PhD Candidate in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the Middle East’s growing influence in the Horn of Africa, and his commentaries have appeared in Foreign Policy, African Arguments, and World Politics Review.
Samira Mohamed is a Sudanese pharmacy student and mother who escaped from Khartoum to Port Sudan when the war began in April 2023.
HUB Room 250

From Egypt to Palestine: Celebrating Arab Heritage in Teaching
2025-04-30 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
NCTE members are invited to join English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE) and Hannah Moushabeck and Dr. Sawsan Jaber in celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month. This enriching event will uplift Arab literature and culture, with a particular focus on Palestine.
Moushabeck and Jaber will share their personal stories, expertise, and practical strategies for how teacher educators and K–12 classroom teachers can integrate Arab and Palestinian literature and culture into teacher education spaces and K–12 ELA classrooms.
Participants will

learn about the history, culture, and texts of Arab regions in the world, with a particular emphasis on Palestine;
gain practical strategies for integrating Arab and Palestinian literature and culture into educational settings; and
access booklists across K–12 and college settings to expand their text sets and to support the inclusion of Arab literature and culture in their curricula.

Special opportunities for attendees:

Book Giveaway: Attendees can enter to win a book from Interlink Publishers.
Resource Packet: All attendees will receive a curated booklist and teaching resources to support the inclusion of Palestinian literature and culture in their curricula.

This is a members-only event, and registration is required (but it’s free to join). Contact profdev@ncte.org with any questions.

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Critical Conversations (Black & Palestinian Liberation)
2025-05-03 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Cafe
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
📣 IMPORTANT: Some events will require registration/RSVP so you can save a spot!
Take a look ahead at the calendar and then keep an eye out for links to sign up for specific events. You won’t want to miss out.
More details about each weekend’s events will drop on the Monday before. 👀

MECA Event: The Moral Issue of Our Time: Palestine
2025-05-05 16:00 - 18:00 | Livestream
Date: May 5th, 2025
Time: 7 – 9 pm EDT / 4 – 6 pm PDT
Livestream Tickets: $10+ at MECAxNYC.eventbrite.com

Dear Laila,

We are sold out of in-person tickets to MECA’s May 5th event with Gabor Maté and Chris Hedges so be sure to join the livestream when Hedges and Maté discuss The Moral Issue of Our Time: Palestine. We’re also honored to welcome the talented Mona Miari for a special musical performance.

Get your livestream tickets at MECAxNYC.eventbrite.com

Proceeds will support MECA‘s emergency relief efforts in Gaza.

For more info email meca@mecaforpeace.org, or call (510) 548-0542

A Delicate Symphony: Courtship, Guardianship, and (self-)Censorship in Translating from Arabic with Sawad Hussain
2025-05-06 16:30 - 18:30 | UW – HUB, 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, United States
Free and open to the public. No RSVP required. Seats are available on a first come basis.
Sponsored by Lee Scheingold, Simpson Center for the Humanities, UW Translation Studies Hub, Jackson School of International Studies, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Middle East Center, Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS)
Third Place Books will have a comprehensive selection of Sawad Hussain’s translations available for purchase online and at the event, including Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, Counterweight by Djuna, and Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park. Hur will sign books after the lecture and Q&A.
Click here for details about Sawad Hussain’s lecture on University of Washington campus.

Sawad Hussain is a translator from Arabic whose work has been recognized by, among others, The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation and the National Book Award for Translated Literature. She is a judge for the Palestine Book Awards, and has run translation workshops for Shadow Heroes, Africa Writes, the Yiddish Book Center, the British Library, and the National Centre for Writing. Her latest co-translation is The Book Censor’s Library. A former Co-Chair of the Translator’s Association (UK), she is committed to mentoring literary translators and developing the industry in general.

Not So Simple! Translating Young Adult Literature as Resistance and Entertainment with Sawad Hussain
2025-05-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, 93 Pike Street #307, Seattle, WA, 98101
There is a common misconception in literary publishing that books for children and young adults are “simple” and are, therefore, easy to translate. But translating literature for younger people is not simple at all. How does the process of “curating” young people’s literature involve translators’ negotiation with the expectations of English-language editors and publishers? How might translation of young people’s literature into English function as a form of decolonization and resistance? What are the sensitivity issues that are particular to publishing young adult literature? Should young adult literature in translation be handled like highbrow adult literature in translation, like “ordinary” YA literature, or something in between? And, finally, does the original language of the book or its country of origin affect these calculations? Join the panel of three distinguished translators—Sawad Hussain (Arabic), Shelley Fairweather-Vega (Russian and Uzbek), and Takami Nieda (Japanese)—for an engaging discussion of these issues.

Sawad Hussain is a translator from Arabic whose work has been recognised by, among others, The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation and the National Book Award for Translated Literature. Recent releases include a co-translated sci-fi YA title (I Want Golden Eyesby Maria Dadouch) and a murder mystery YA novel (The Djinn’s Apple by Djamila Morani). A former Co-Chair of the Translator’s Association (UK), she is committed to mentoring literary translators and developing the industry in general.

Teaching Palestine: Lessons, Stories, Voices
2025-05-08 16:00 - 17:30 | Virtual
Join Teaching Palestine: Lessons, Stories, Voices co-editors to launch the new Rethinking Schools book. Palestine has long been one of the great silences in the official curriculum. Teaching Palestine: Lessons, Stories, Voices provides educators with powerful tools to uncover the history and current context of Palestine-Israel in the classroom — poetry, personal narratives, interviews, role plays, critical reading and writing activities, and more. Teaching Palestine offers a defense of Palestinian humanity centering Palestinian lives, uplifting and celebrating Palestinians’ struggle for justice, and critiquing racism and inequality.
The editors will be joined by musician and activist Macklemore. Register today!

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Critical Conversations (Kanafani)
2025-05-10 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Mother's Day Celebration and Activity
2025-05-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States

Workshops4Sudan: Transnational Solidarity
2025-05-12 15:30 - 17:00
sudansolidaritycollective
Going back to back weeks this month, we bring you the next #Workshops4Sudan, our first collaborative workshop with long-term friends and award-winning poets and writers Safia Elhillo and Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio.
They will be joining us to speak to their friendship with each other, transnational solidarity and relationships between Sudan and Hawaii, furthering their expressions of home and also share some of their lovely poetry!
Sudanese by way of Washington D.C., @safiamafia is the author of Girls That Never Die, The January Children, Home Is Not a Country, and Bright Red Fruit, and co-editor of the anthology Halal If You Hear Me.
Dr. @jamaicaosorio is a Kanaka Maoli wahine artist / activist / scholar / educator / storyteller born and raised in Pālolo Valley, Hawaiʻi. She is an Associate Professor of Indigenous and Native Hawaiian Politics at the University of Hawaiʻi, an internationally recognized poet, subject of an award-winning film, This is the Way we Rise.
We highly encourage you to sign up ASAP! The link is in our bio and in our stories! You can also visit sudansolidarity.com and click “Workshops4Sudan”link on the home page! Comment down what poem you’re looking forward to them reading on the 12th!
Suggested donation: $40 – $100 per workshop. Your contributions reflect our deep appreciation for the time and expertise of our instructors, as well as the urgent, ongoing needs in Sudan.
All proceeds go directly to the Sudan Solidarity Fund, supporting vital mutual aid efforts on the ground. When registering, please select the workshop you’d like to attend—each donation applies to one session.
#KeepEyesOnSudan #Workshops4Sudan #SafiaElhillo #JamaicaOsorio #TransnationalSolidarity #poetry #friendship #hawaii

Nakba Day: Panel Discussion
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Register for Location
Mark your Calendars!
Baladna, in collaboration with Ya Hala, will be hosting an informative panel discussion regarding the Nakba. This is a great opportunity to learn from Palestinians about the catastrophe that struck their families and homeland, and has carried on for generations.
Registration link in bio – closes at 4pm on 5/14

Screening and Discussion: The Land Speaks Arabic
2025-05-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Liberation Center, 606 MAYNARD AVE S, Seattle, WA
Join us for a screening and discussion of The Land Speaks Arabic (2007) on Saturday to commemorate 77 years of Nakba.
This documentary brings together rarely seen footage of Palestine before 1948 along with historical research, eyewitness accounts, testimonials, historical documents, and more to detail pre-1948 Palestine and the early planning and work that gave birth to Zionism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948 that has come to be known as the Nakba.
Join us as we watch this documentary together and have a discussion together following it.
📅 SATURDAY, MAY 17
🕢 3 PM STARTING PROGRAM
📍LIBERATION CENTER – 606 MAYNARD AVE S, SEATTLE

Contemporary Translated Works Book Group: Sand-Catcher by Omar Khalifah, Translated by Barbara Romaine
2025-05-21 11:30 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join the Contemporary Translated Works Book Group – Now Monthly!
Mechanics’ Institute, in partnership with the Center for the Art of Translation and our new presenting partner, Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, is thrilled to announce the expansion of the Contemporary Translated Works Book Group into a monthly, member-led series! Beginning Spring 2025, we will host lunchtime discussions (12:00–1:00 pm PT) online via Zoom on the third Wednesday of each month, featuring thought-provoking literary selections from around the world.
Four young, Palestinian journalists at a Jordanian newspaper are tasked, on account of their heritage, with profiling one of the last living witnesses of the Nakba, the violent expulsion of native Palestinians by the nascent state of Israel in 1948. The old man has no desire to be interviewed, no desire for his memories to be preserved, no desire to serve as an inspiration for the youth of tomorrow. As threats from the team’s editor-in-chief put more and more pressure on the journalists, they must decide just how far they’re willing to go to get the old man on the record.
Join us at 11:30 AM for a Q&A with the translator before the discussion at 12:00 PM.
Free to Folio members.
Learn more and get tickets >>
Order Sand-Catcher >>

Virtual Lecture: The Timeless Thobe – Documenting Land, Heritage & Culture in Palestinian Dress
2025-05-24 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025

Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Online, Zoom link will be emailed 24 hours prior to event
Instructor: Wafa Ghnaim, Dress Historian, Researcher & Educator
Registration Fee: Sliding scale
The thobe, a traditional hand embroidered dress made and worn by Palestinian women for centuries, is the bedrock of Palestinian identity through heritage, culture and land. For millennia, women in the eastern Mediterranean have showcased their skillful stitchery on their traditional dress, displaying unique motifs, colors and styles across the various villages of old Palestine.
After 1948, over 750,000 Palestinians were forced into exile, carrying their dressmaking and embroidery traditions with them into refugee camps and around the world. As the diaspora spread across the globe, the largest and longest-standing population of displaced people in the world, the thobe evolved into a symbol of national and cultural identity beyond borders.
In this live virtual lecture, dress historian, researcher, and educator Wafa Ghnaim will explore the evolution of the thobe and the visual language of tatreez (embroidery) as used on traditional Palestinian dress. From village styles to diasporic adaptations, this talk offers a compelling look at how dress documents the intertwined threads of history, memory, and identity.
What You’ll Receive:

Live access to the 2-hour lecture
A recording for 7 days after the live session

Important Notes:

Tickets are nonrefundable.
This is a live, virtual event hosted via Zoom.
Registration closes at 10:00 AM EST on May 24, 2025.
A Zoom link will be sent via email the day before the event.
The instructor reserves the right to review and decline registrations at her discretion to ensure a respectful and safe learning environment for all participants.
Space is limited to ensure an intimate and interactive experience.
Sharing your camera is required.

Free Film Screening: Israelism
2025-05-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Vashon Theater, 17723 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon, WA, 98070
Two young American Jews travel to Israel seeking a deeper understanding of the country they were raised to love. What they encounter profoundly impacts them, leading them to join a growing movement to redefine their community’s relationship with Israel in this challenging and emotional journey. Join us for the free screening of this film.
About the film
Two young American Jews – Simone Zimmerman and Eitan – are raised to defend the state of Israel at all costs. Eitan joins the Israeli military. Simone supports Israel on ‘the other battlefield:’ America’s college campuses. When they witness Israel‘s mistreatment of the Palestinian people with their own eyes, they are horrified and heartbroken.
They join the movement of young American Jews battling the old guard over Israel’s centrality in American Judaism, and demanding freedom for the Palestinian people. Their stories reveal a generational divide in the American Jewish community as more young Jews question the narratives their synagogues and Hebrew school teachers fed them as children.
The film also features voices like Jacqui, a Jewish educator who says “Judaism is Israel and Israel is Judaism”, and former Anti-Defamation League President Abe Foxman, who claims voices like Simone and Eitan’s represent a small minority. Thought leaders like Peter Beinart, Jeremy Ben-Ami, Noura Erakat, Cornel West, and Noam Chomsky also weigh in.
Directed by two first-time Jewish filmmakers who share a similar story to the film’s protagonists, Israelism is produced by Peabody-winner and 4-time Emmy-nominee Daniel J. Chalfen (Loudmouth, Boycott), executive produced by two-time Emmy-winner Brian A. Kates (Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Succession) and edited by Emmy-winner Tony Hale (The Story of Plastic), Israelism uniquely explores how Jewish attitudes towards Israel are changing dramatically, with massive consequences for the region and for Judaism itself.
