ArabishWay

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: What is Land Day?
2025-04-06 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all on weekends this April, Fridays 5-9p, Saturdays and Sundays 10a-1p.
📣 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. 👀

Families4Ceasefire: Kids Market
2025-04-06 10:00 - 15:00
Date: Sunday, April 6th
Time: 10am-3pm
Location: 3518 SW Genesee St, Seattle, WA 98126
Please join us* for a Kids Market where you can find new and gently pre-loved clothes, shoes, books, toys, baby essentials and gear, and much more! All proceeds will directly support local Palestinian Refugee Families 🍉
Let’s come together to nurture our community and celebrate the joys of family and childhood!
*organized by Seattle Families for Ceasefire (@Families4CeasefireSEA) and other community members.
Artwork by @lyji_art ❤️
DONATION DRIVE
Get ahead for Spring Cleaning and donate to the Kids Market! Donation Requests:
We are looking for new and gently used kids’ clothing, shoes, books, toys, craft items, puzzles/games, and baby items for pregnancy and kids’ ages from birth to 12-years-old (all seasons).
*Please refrain from donating worn-out items with stains, rips, or broken/missing pieces.
* Shoes
* Clothing (Please no socks or underwear unless brand new with tags/packaging)
* Seasonal gear
* Toys, crafts, puzzles & games
* All baby items in good condition
* Pregnancy-related items
Unsold items will be donated ❤️
HOW TO DONATE
Drop off items at our donation sites! See our Donation Sites highlight reel and relevant posts.

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Fairuz and Coffee
2025-04-06 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-04-05 10:00 - 13:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States

Moroccan Culinary Tour with A Crafty Arab
2025-04-06 - 2025-04-19
April 6-19, 2025Embark on a 14-day culinary tour of Morocco, where food enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the country’s rich gastronomic traditions. Begin with cooking classes in Casablanca, Tangier, Fes, and Marrakesh, learning to create authentic Moroccan dishes like tagines and couscous. Between classes, explore the vibrant cities and their unique culinary scenes. In addition to the cooking experiences, visit the historic and cultural sites of Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Erfoud, and Ouarzazate. This small group tour offers a perfect blend of hands-on culinary education and the opportunity to discover Morocco’s diverse landscapes and heritage.
Find more information and book on Caravan Serai here: https://www.caravan-serai.com/tours/morocco-culinary-tour/

Kids Market Fundraiser for Palestinian refugee families
2025-04-06
SAVE THE DATE: Join us Sunday, April 6th at a special fundraiser market for local Palestinian refugee families. More information coming soon!

Movie: The Encampments
2025-04-05 22:00 - 23:30, 2025-04-05 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-04-04 19:00 - 21:00 | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
THE ENCAMPMENTS follows student organizers at some of the world’s most prestigious universities as they take a historic stand against their institutions’ investments in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, igniting one of the largest student movements in history which continues to have far-reaching effects on US and world policies today.
Filmed on the ground and in real-time as these events were unfolding, THE ENCAMPMENTS features detained student activist Mahmoud Khalil and takes viewers inside America’s student uprising with incredible intimacy and urgency. Professors, whistleblowers from inside Ivy League administrations, and student activists shed light on a moment that captivated the nation’s attention and continues to make headlines today.
“What makes THE ENCAMPMENTS artistically triumphant is its sense of contemporary and historical detail, owed to both footage shot by the filmmakers, as well as by the protesters themselves. In the process, co-directors Kei Pritsker and Michael T. Workman craft a work of cinema that’s as rigorously journalistic in its arguments as it is nakedly sentimental.” – IndieWire
“This is more than a student protest—it’s a generational struggle for justice. Students have always led the charge for justice, from the sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement to the campus protests against South African apartheid. The encampments that started at Columbia are part of that legacy, inspiring millions of people around the world. The film ensures the students in US and Gaza are heard, their actions are remembered, and the fight for Palestinian liberation continues.” – Macklemore
“Khalil remains detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana amid a legal battle to prevent his deportation from the U.S. after the Trump administration ordered his removal… The legal challenge to Khalil might ultimately come down to the Supreme Court, which would decide how far the secretary of state can determine whether a permanent resident can be removed for speech.” – Axios

Mo Amer: El Oso Palestino Tour
2025-04-05 19:30 - 21:00 | Aladdin Theater (Portland), 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, Oregon, 97202
Mohammed “Mo” Amer is a celebrated Palestinian-American stand up comedian and award-winning writer. Currently starring in the acclaimed Netflix series MO, a semi-autobiographical series. MO was ‘certified fresh’ by Rotten Tomatoes with a rare 100% from critics and was named one of the best shows in 2022 from The New York Times and NY Magazine. The series also garnered Amer a Gotham Award, 2023 Peabody Award, AFI Honors and a Television Academy Honor. The highly anticipated season 2 of MO is due to be released January 30th, 2025 on Netflix.
Mo also co-starred in the Hulu show Ramy, where he plays Ramy’s cousin, who owns and operates a diner, where many of the show’s characters congregate. Alongside his TV success, Amer co-starred with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the DC blockbuster Black Adam, bringing humor to the DC comic. Known for his global reach, Amer has toured in over 40 countries, and his stand-up specials, Mo Amer: The Vagabond and Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas, are both available on Netflix.
Audiences can look forward to Amer’s show covering life, family, and his journey as a new dad in today’s political climate, all delivered with his signature humor and perspective just like he does on his eponymous show, “Mo”.

APR 05 SAT
ALADDIN THEATER @ 7:30PM
PORTLAND, OR

TICKETS

Movie: No Other Land
2025-04-05 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Roxy, 270 4th Street, Bremerton, WA, 98337
Directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal
This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.

No Other Land: SIFF
2025-04-05 16:30 - 18:30 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight.

Director:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Country:Palestine, Norway
Running Time:95 min.
Producer:Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Cinematographers:Rachel Szor
Editors:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Music:Julius Pollux Rothlaender
Language:Arabic, Hebrew, English
US Distributor:Cintetic Handling
International Sales:Autlook

TICKETS
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

Also:

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:00 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM7:30 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:15 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM7:00 PM

Boycott Chevron!
2025-04-05 14:00 - 16:00 | Chevron Station – Aurora, 15510 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA
Choose one and join us! We would love to meet you and build this movement together. Show up to picket Chevron, raise awareness about their complicity in genocide and apartheid, pressure Safeway to stop purchasing fuel from Chevron, and encourage people to #BoycottChevron gas stations! You can also sign and share the letter at http://bit.ly/boycottchevron

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Critical Convos: Perfect Victims
2025-04-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States

Saturday Family Concert: House of Tarab
2025-04-05 11:00 - 12:30 | Wyncote NW Forum, 1119 8th Ave (Entrance off Seneca St.), Seattle, WA, 98101
Bring the whole family to experience the magic of Middle Eastern music with House of Tarab! This talented Seattle-based ensemble will take you on a musical journey through the Golden Era of Egyptian film and music, along with the rich sounds of the Levant and the greater Middle East. Learn about the word “tarab,” which describes the joyful, emotional transformation music can inspire, and enjoy songs by legendary artists like Oum Kalthoum and Farid El Atrash. It’s a perfect way to introduce kids to new sounds, rhythms, and cultures—don’t miss this lively and interactive concert!
House of Tarab has played at numerous cultural events, music festivals, parties, belly dance cabarets, belly dance retreats, and competitions.The look forward to sharing the wonderful music of greats like Oum Kalthoum, Farid El Atrash, Muhammed Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim Hafez, folk music, and others as well as original compositions!
As with all of our Saturday Family Concerts, this event is free for ages 22 and under.

International Children’s Friendship Festival: Seattle Kids Dabkeh
2025-04-05 11:00 - 11:30 | Seattle Center – Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
We are proud to invite you to watch our performance on the big stage! For the second year in a row, Seattle’s kids’ Dabkeh group will be performing at the **16th International Children’s Friendship Festival!** We’d love for you to join us and show your support—your encouragement means the world to us! Seattle kids Dabkeh School

Arabic Storytime @ Lake City Branch / وقت القصص بالعربية في فرع ليك سيتي
2025-04-05 10:30 - 11:30 | Lake City – Seattle Public Library, 12501 28th Ave. N.E., Seattle, Washington, 98125, United States
At storytime, children from birth through elementary school and their families can enjoy stories, songs, and fun learning activities.
Event in English and Arabic.
———————————————————————————————
في وقت القصص، يمكن للأطفال الذين تتراوح أعمارهم من حديثي الولادة وحتى سن الخامسة وعائلاتهم الاستمتاع بالقصص والأغاني وأنشطة التعلُّم المرحة.
نرحب بالعائلات من جميع الأعمار.
يُعقد الحدث باللغة الإنجليزية والعربية.
Registration is not required.

No Other Land: SIFF
2025-04-04 19:15 - 21:15 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight.

Director:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Country:Palestine, Norway
Running Time:95 min.
Producer:Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Cinematographers:Rachel Szor
Editors:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Music:Julius Pollux Rothlaender
Language:Arabic, Hebrew, English
US Distributor:Cintetic Handling
International Sales:Autlook

TICKETS
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

Also:

SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:30 PM

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:00 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM7:30 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:15 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM7:00 PM

Ya Hala
2025-04-04 17:00 - 21:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States

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.

Arabic-English Language Exchange: Chatting and Games at Teku Tavern:
2025-04-03 18:30 - 20:00 | teKu Tavern, 552 Denny Wy, Seattle, WA, 98109
هلا يا جماعه
We’ll meet at Teku Tavern for some chatting in Arabic/English and possibly some games. I’ll bring conversation starters and games but feel free to bring your own!
*Teku Tavern is all ages and has both non-alcoholic, cafe drinks and beer*
Come join us, all dialects welcome!

Canvassing Training for Tax Day Divestment Actions
2025-04-03 16:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
In this training, you’ll learn:

Why canvassing is critical to winning campaigns: How canvassing works to popularize your campaign and grow leadership in your community to sustain every phase
Messaging & Framing: How to craft compelling conversations that resonate with different audiences
Handling Tough Questions & Opposition: Strategies for navigating challenging discussions and overcoming skepticism
Role-Playing & Practice: Interactive exercises to build confidence and refine your pitch
Building Long-Term Support: How to track and follow up with people to sustain momentum
Taking Action: Committing to local canvassing/outreach efforts on Tax Day & spreading the word via the Tax Day of Action map.

Get ready to hit the ground running. Sign up now for our Canvassing Training on Thurs. April 3 at 7PM ET / 4PM PT

Art: Resilience in Ruins: Reem Bassous
2025-04-03 - 2025-04-17 | Slip Stitch Studio, 604 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA, 98104
“Resilience in Ruins” powerfully explores trauma, memory, and resilience through the art of Reem Bassous, a Lebanese painter whose practice is deeply rooted in her personal experiences of war and its aftermath. Bassous confronts the destruction and emotional scars of the Lebanese Civil War through abstract, layered compositions and symbolism while creating space for healing, survival, and resilience.
​
This exhibition explores the enduring power of memory in shaping identity, community, and responses to ongoing violence. Bassous’s work transcends her personal history, engaging with universal themes of conflict and recovery, making her art deeply relevant in today’s geopolitical context. The Middle East remains fraught with tensions, mainly due to the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas, as well as Lebanon’s precarious position.
Bassous is continually reckoning with her past, present, and future self. She uses her art to resist violence and question how we witness conflict while inspiring compassion and resilience. The exhibition examines how personal and collective memory can serve as a means of resistance, offering a narrative of endurance and recovery in the face of trauma.

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

Tamino
2025-04-01 20:00 - 22:00 | Moore Theater, 1932 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
Tamino
“During a soundcheck at a small Italian festival, which took place in between the walls of a medieval castle, I would start playing a newly written song called Babylon. My band, noticing that something special was happening, quickly caught on and joined in, improvising their parts along the way, following my lead along a nearly 6-minute dynamic journey. By the end of the epic outro we all looked at each other with an excitement that had been absent from our faces for a while. Tour can get repetitive and turn even the most passionate people indifferent, so injecting a boring soundcheck with the newness and grandeur of Babylon felt great. We played the track for the first time that night and have been playing it ever since.
Going into the studio to record my new album, the song proved to be a cornerstone there as well, and even though I had been playing it in front of audiences, getting the right feel on record required many different approaches. The groundwork was laid in an old church turned recording studio in New Orleans. From there it traveled to Brussels and then back to New York. Three monumental cities, each in their own way modern Babylons. I’m still excited about the release of this song, even after playing and working on it so much. That means something.”

Palestinian Author Safa Suleiman at Brick and Mortar presenting Hilwa's Gifts
2025-04-01 18:30 - 19:30 | Brick and Mortar Bookstore, 7430 164th Ave NE - Suite B105, Redmond, WA, 98052, United States
Safa Suleiman and Anait Semirdzhyan, author and illustrator of HILWA’S GIFTS

Tuesday Apr 1st, 2025

6:30 PM

–

7:30 PM

Kids’ event

Brick & Mortar Books

Join us to welcome debut author Safa Suleiman and local illustrator Anait Semirdzhyan as we celebrate the release of their new picture book, Hilwa’s Gifts!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Ali has arrived in Palestine for a visit just in time for the olive harvest. His grandfather, Seedo, and Hilwa—his favorite tree—greet him in the grove, where Seedo explains that Hilwa has many gifts to share. Other family members whack the trees’ branches with sticks, singing “Zaytoon, ya zaytoon” while cousins clap and dance and happily pick up fallen olives. (Luckily, a gentle whack is all it takes for Hilwa’s fruits to rain down!) The next day, at the olive press, Ali watches the drip of gold liquid into a can, another of Hilwa’s gifts. Later, they picnic under the tree’s branches with hot mint tea, pita, and delicious olive oil swirled on hummus. Tradition is the greatest gift of all: the family gathering—generation after generation—to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Dynamic illustrations and a graceful text peppered with Arabic words, plus a glossary and author’s note, make for an intimate picture-book debut about a child discovering his heritage.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Safa Suleiman is a Palestinian American educator with more than twenty years of experience in undergraduate and elementary school pedagogy. She now focuses on writing and teaching through storytelling centering the Palestinian and the American Muslim communities. Hilwa’s Gifts is her first book. She lives with her family in Colorado on the homeland of the Ute Nation.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Anait Semirdzhyan is the illustrator of Just Us by Molly Beth Griffin, Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day by Astrid Kamalyan, The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil, and many other acclaimed books for children. Born in Kazakhstan and raised in Armenia, she now lives in the Seattle area with her husband and twin daughters.

Tamino [Portland]
2025-03-31 20:00 - 22:00 | Aladdin Theater (Portland), 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, Oregon, 97202

No Other Land: SIFF
2025-03-31 19:00 - 20:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight.

Director:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Country:Palestine, Norway
Running Time:95 min.
Producer:Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Cinematographers:Rachel Szor
Editors:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Music:Julius Pollux Rothlaender
Language:Arabic, Hebrew, English
US Distributor:Cintetic Handling
International Sales:Autlook

TICKETS
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:00 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:15 PM

SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:30 PM

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:00 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM7:30 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

7:15 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

4:15 PM7:00 PM

3 Short Films (streaming) by Mahdi Felafel
2025-03-31 - 2025-04-02
Rounding out our March program curated by Batool Elhennawy, today we are excited to share 3 Shorts by Mahdi Fleifel: Xenos (2014), I Signed the Petition (2018), and 3 Logical Exits (2020). Streaming with English subtitles at palestinefilminstitute.org through April 2nd.
في ختام برنامجنا لشهر مارس، الذي أشرفت عليه بتول الحناوي، يسرّنا اليوم أن نشارككم ثلاثة أفلام قصيرة من إخراج مهدي فليفل: “زينوس” (2014)، و”وقعتُ على العريضة” (2018)، و”ثلاثة مخارج منطقية” (2020). الأفلام متاحة للمشاهدة مع ترجمة إنجليزية على palestinefilminstitute.org حتى 2 أبريل.
