Community at Ya Hala
2026-04-03 17:00 - 2026-04-04 22:00, 2026-04-04 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Games, Music, Cafe
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
This Friday and Saturday, April 3rd and 4th, join us to celebrate 1 year of community, and to say farewell (but not goodbye!) to Ya Hala on Mercer Island.
What started as a 1 month experiment turned into a full year of love, laughter, music, tears, joy, and everything in between.
Thank you for bringing your gifts and love to our space.
Friday we open at 5 – come grab a bite from @reemskitchenseattle, then at 7 pm join us for a sing-along, play games, and stay until we close!
Saturday morning we open at 10 – come chill out with us and get your morning caffeine, then join us at 1 pm for a community/ gratitude/ forward vision setting with @zanecounseling.
We can’t wait to be with you ♥️

Mercer Island Art Walk: SZ Gallery: I'm Still Alive
2026-04-03 18:00 - 21:00 | SZ Art Gallery, 2441 76th Avenue SE, Suite 160, Mercer Island, WA
Please join SZ Gallery’s final art reception during the Mercer Island ArtWalk featuring Palestinian Artists, Yazan Abu Salameh and Bashar Alhroub.
Come gather for the SZ Gallery exhibit and Ya Hala’s community spirit one last time in this cherished safe space, as we honor what we have built together and gently envision what comes next.

Warm Turkish coffee, teas and Palestinian treats by Ya Hala!

Movie: Palestine 36
2026-04-03 19:15 - 21:15, 2026-04-04 12:15 - 14:15, 2026-04-04 15:15 - 17:15, 2026-04-05 12:15 - 14:15, 2026-04-05 15:15 - 17:15, 2026-04-05 18:15 - 20:15 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
Palestine’s Official Submission to the 98th Academy Awards. Official Selection of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
A film by Annemarie Jacir Starring Hiam Abbass, Kamel Al Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Robert Aramayo, Saleh Bakri, Yafa Bakri, Karim Daoud Anaya, Wardi Eilabouni, Ward Helou, Billy Howle, Dhafer L’Abidine, with Liam Cunningham, and Jeremy Irons.
In 1936, as the British Empire tightens its grip on Palestine, Yusuf is caught between his village home and his work in Jerusalem. Amidst an anti-colonial revolt, and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all sides converge in a decisive moment for the entire region.
Watermelon Pictures is a film production and distribution company rooted in creative resistance. Our mission is to champion unheard voices, inspire the world to stand up to injustice and imagine our way into a shared, liberated future.

https://www.siff.net/cinema/in-theaters/palestine-36

Virtual Movie Screenings: Every Saturday with Palestine Museum US
2026-04-04 09:00 - 11:00, 2026-04-11 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Check website: https://www.palestinemuseum.us/events for current showings and for registration links!
Often the screening ends with a Q&A with the director!

Arabic Storytime @ Lake City Branch / وقت القصص بالعربية في فرع ليك سيتي
2026-04-04 10:30 - 11:30, 2026-04-11 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.

An Overview of the History of Palestine and Israel : A Three-Part Series
2026-04-04 14:00 - 15:30 | Poulsbo – Kitsap Regional Library, 700 NE Lincoln Rd, Poulsbo, WA, 98370
Save the date March 7. ❤️ Kitsap Palestine Solidarity Coalition is continuing to offer an educational program,
An Overview of the History of Palestine and Israel : A Three-Part Series
We were so excited that the first part of our series had over 70 people in attendance. The second part of the series continues on March 7, 2-3:30 pm in the meeting room of the Poulsbo branch of Kitsap Regional Library.
The topic is “A European-Dominated State in the Middle East: From the founding of the state of Israel to October 2023 ”
We will cover: The Nakba, Why the formation of Israel was a disaster for the Palestinians, An American Jewish perspective on the history, The Occupation, and Palestinian and Jewish resistance to it. Why the U.S. supports Israel., A history of the peace process, and why proposals have not worked so far, How Hamas gained power and what led to the 10/7/23 attack.

Hear from Delegation to the West Bank of Palestine
2026-04-07 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual
Our recent delegation to the West Bank of Palestine (sponsored by the Mennonite Palestine/Israel Network–MennoPIN, and MennoniteMen).

Our group was there to assist with olive tree planting on Palestinian farms and to visit with a number of different Palestinian farmers, activists and liberation theologians in and around Nazareth, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and East Jerusalem. The nine of us from the PNW region who joined the delegation will hold a storytelling session on Zoom next month (see attached announcement).

You are most welcome to attend!

Take The Quad: Rally
2026-04-08 14:15 - 15:00 | UW – the Quad, Pierce Ln, Seattle, WA, 98195
Via @uw_sds TAKE THE QUAD, WEDNESDAY THE 8TH AT 2:15PM! Expose UW’s refusal to divest from war and genocide during tourism season. As the US prepares to deploy boots on the ground in Iran and the genocidal apartheid state of Israel ethnically cleanses southern Lebanon, we must show UW administration that we still haven’t forgotten their complicity! SDS believes that students should have a say in how their tuition is used, but UW administration thinks otherwise. They’ll only change their mind if we make them. Join us to demand NO WAR IN IRAN! NO GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE! UW ADMIN DIVEST NOW!

وقت القصة باللغة العربية / Arabic Story Time - KCLS
2026-04-09 17:00 - 17:30, 2026-04-16 17:00 - 17:30 | Virtual
Enjoy stories, music, movement and rhymes in Arabic that develop your child’s early literacy skills, then stay to play, have fun and make new friends.
All ages welcome.

وقت القصة باللغة العربية
!انضموا إلينا في وقت القصة باللغة العربية عبر الإنترنت، كل يوم خميس من الساعة 5:00 مساءً حتى 5:30 مساءً
.تمتعوا بالقصص العربية، والحركات المفعمة بالحيوية، والأناشيد التي تهدف إلى تنمية مهارات القراءة والكتابة…

Registration requiredRegister for event

Rainbow Story Time (online) w/ Lindz Amer
2026-04-10 11:00 - 11:30, 2026-04-17 11:00 - 11:30 | Virtual
Join Lindz Amer, the award-winning LGBTQ+ activist, author and co-host of the beloved indie web series, Queer Kid Stuff, for songs and stories that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community all-year-round.
All ages welcome with adult.
Please register:
https://kcls.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvdOuqpzssGtC5XlvnFdvIAD2bwlBzP-RA

Rachel Corrie's Birthday
2026-04-10 11:00 - 13:00 | Evergreen State College, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW, Olympia, WA, 98505
On April 10, Rachel Corrie’s birthday, the community is invited to attend the rededication of the Rachel Corrie Memorial at The Evergreen State College (TESC).
There will be readings of Rachel’s writings, poetry, music, and more to celebrate TESC’s commitment to continue to honor Rachel.

Weekly Peace Vigil
2026-04-10 16:30 - 18:00, 2026-04-17 16:30 - 18:00 | Percival Landing, 217 Thurston Ave NW, Olympia, WA, 98501
ONGOING LOCAL ACTIONS FOR PEACE

WEEKLY PEACE VIGIL
Every Friday 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Percival Landing in Downtown Olympia
4th & Water Street

We continue to vigil, network, and advocate for Palestinians, for peace with justice, and for our civil rights. Despite an agreed ceasefire, Israel continues to attack Gaza. Bring a sign and a friend, and join us at Percival Landing every Friday!
Thanks to the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation for organizing these peace vigils through the years, and for inviting us to share this space as we advocate for peace.

Broken and Beautiful: Art by Gazans
2026-04-11 - 2026-05-11 | Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103, United States
Phinney Neighborhood Center Community Board, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle
2nd Floor, 206-783-2244. Hours: Mon – Fri: 9:00 am – 9:30 pm, Sat: 9- 9 and Sun: 1-5.
The art featured is by young people and women who experienced the war and are either still in Gaza or are now refugees in Egypt. Exhibit is sponsored by Seattle Gaza Mutual Aid, a local group which raises money for artists and families through selling their art and collecting donations for the Meera Center, a healing resource which supports survivors in Cairo. See seattlegazamutualaid.org to learn more.

Author Talk: Ifrah F. Ahmed, Soomaaliya
2026-04-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Book Larder, 4252 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103, United States
Book Larder is thrilled to welcome Ifrah F. Ahmed to the shop on Monday, April 13th for an author talk to celebrate her debut cookbook, Soomaaliya: Food, Memory, and Migration. Ifrah (a sometime Seattleite!) has created this stunningly photographed living archive of Somali recipes and traditions, from both at home and in the diaspora, spanning cherished classics and modern interpretations that bring the soul of Somali cooking to the world stage. Moderator to be announced.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, National Book Award-winning author, says: “Ifrah F. Ahmed, along with the writers, restaurateurs, herders, and chefs she highlights in this book, underscore the centrality of food to a culture. In Soomaaliya, Ahmed offers something more than a cookbook, with color, profiles, history and, yes, recipes. She offers a reclamation for a people who never should have needed one.”

Reservations are non-refundable and can include a signed copy of the $40.00 book. Applicable sales tax and a $2.50 transaction fee are also included. Can’t attend but still want a signed book? Order here for shipping or in-store pickup.
About the book: Known by many names, the cape of spices, the nation of poets, and the land of cinnamon, Somalia is nestled in the Horn of Africa and is blessed with fertile fields, rich in spices, and endowed with the longest coastline in mainland Africa. This location and natural abundance have made Somalia a corridor between east and west, and a central point in global trade and migration, dating back millennia.

In Soomaaliya, Ifrah F. Ahmed tells the story of her country through its history, its food, and its people. Through recipes and also profiles of food producers, writers, and chefs, Ahmed shines a light on the many Somalis, at home and abroad, working to both preserve and transform the cuisine. Expansive and generous, and fueled by a deep love, Soomaaliya is a celebration of the richness of Somali food, and the remarkable resilience of its people.
Ifrah F. Ahmed is a Somali-born, New York-based writer, chef, recipe developer, and artist whose work centers around food, history, culture, memory, and migration. Her writing and recipes are published in The New York Times, where she is a regular contributor. Her popular Somali culinary pop-up MILK & MYRRH has routinely sold out in Seattle and beyond. Named one of Cherry Bombe’s “Future of Food 50”, she is dedicated to the preservation of Somali culinary traditions.

Soomaaliya
2026-04-14 18:30 - 21:00
Then, on April 14 we’re hosting Somali-American chef and writer Ifrah F. Ahmed to celebrate the release of her new cookbook: Soomaaliya. In her debut cookbook, New York Times Cooking contributor Ifrah F. Ahmed tells the story of her country through its history, its food, and its people. Ifrah will join the Pantry team to enjoy some of her favorite dishes from the book. Pricing includes a wine pairing with each savory course, Somali tea with dessert, and a copy of Soomaaliya. The menu:
Soomaaliya
Spiced Beef sambuus (dumplings) with basbaas (green garlic hot sauce)
Little gem salad with radishes, tomato, and tamarind-date dressing
Mallaay qumbe (coconut fish curry) with coconut milk and xawaash, a 7-spice mix
Bariis (Somali-style rice pilaf with cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin)
Doolsho timir (date and cardamom cake)
Shaah (spiced Somali tea) with oat milk and maple syrup

CSDE Seminar - Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria’s War - In Person and Virtual
2026-04-17 12:30 - 13:30 | UW – Parrington Hall, 4105 George Washington Lane NE, Seattle, WA, 98195
Speaker: Rana Khoury, Assistant Professor of Political Science & Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Abstract: In Civilizing Contention, Rana B. Khoury asserts that to understand civilian and refugee activism in war, we must regard the international actors and organizations that enter the scene to help. When these organizations respond to crises, they work with local actors. In so doing, they facilitate the activists’ participation in something like a civil society even in the depths of war. Yet as aid imposes its structures and routines, it also leaves activists unprotected from the violence of war and its aftermaths.
Khoury pursues these ideas through analysis of Syria’s war that emerged from the 2011 Arab Uprisings. She traces the afterlife of a social movement that did not merely take up arms or capitulate to repression. Interviews with Syrian activists and international aid workers in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon provide insight into action among actors in the war, while original social-media data offers additional evidence. Civilizing Contention deepens knowledge of civilian and refugee agency by explaining how ordinary people act in extraordinary ways in a world structured by powerful forces.
Bio: Rana B. Khoury is an assistant professor of political science at Illinois. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University. She received her Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University and M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Rana’s research interests include contention, displacement, and humanitarianism in the Middle East, as well as qualitative and multi-method research. Her research has been published in Perspectives on
Politics, World Development, Middle East Law and Governance, and Forced Migration Review. Her book, Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria’s War is forthcoming with Cornell University Press.
Parrington Hall – Rm 360
Virtual Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1Ij7h6opR1mdgyO7C0IUzQ#/registration

Two Palestine Movies: Social Justice Film Festival
2026-04-17 17:00 - 19:00 | Pacific Tower – Panoramic Room, 1200 12th Ave South (Floor 8), Seattle, WA, 98144
What does Palestinian liberation mean? Two films centering the lives of Palestinians since October 7th, and the global fight for liberation through the Free Palestine movement.

Abu Jabal
Documentary Short

View all films tagged “Documentary Short”

After Rafah and Khan Yunis were destroyed, many refugees lost their homes. Tahani found only ruins and took shelter by a grave. Like others in Gaza under military rule, returning meant enduring harsh conditions.

Seeds for Liberation
Documentary Feature

View all films tagged “Documentary Feature”

“Seeds for Liberation” links Palestinian experiences to global social movements, such as Black and Chicano struggles. Using iPhone footage and activist B-Roll, it highlights solidarity from Gaza to Stop Cop City and the ongoing fight for liberation.

Palestinian Prisoners' Day
2026-04-17 18:00 - 20:00 | TBD
Join us for Palestinian Prisoners’ Day to honor our political prisoners. We will learn about the significance of their liberation and resistance and why we must point our compass towards our Palestinian political prisoners. Come learn and write letters to our prisoners. We look forward to seeing you there.
SAVE THE DATE: Friday, April 17th, 6-8 PM. Food will be provided.
LOCATION: TBD. Details to come.
Victory to our prisoners!
انتفاضة! انتصار!
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

Comedian: Sam Salem
2026-04-17 19:30 - 21:00 | Tacoma Comedy Club, 933 Market St, Tacoma, Washington, 98402, United States
Once a midwesterner, Sam Salem is an LA-based comedian known best for fitting in with the youth (read: making up Gen Z slang for his students). When Sam isn’t headlining at clubs and theaters throughout the U.S., he’s creating online videos featuring his uniquely laidback comedic voice, reaching more than 100 million views across platforms. As a result, his comedy has been featured on EllenTV, iHeartRadio, and in national commentary on SportsCenter. Perhaps his most impressive feat, Sam faces his toughest audience when he’s not on stage: high school classrooms.
