ArabishWay

Nakba 76
2024-05-19 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Gas Works Park, 2101 N Northlake Way, Seattle, WA, 98103
🇵🇸 SEATTLE 🇵🇸: This year, the Palestinian Nakba enters its 76th year and comes at the heels of a violent onslaught against our people in Gaza who have been facing a US-backed Israeli genocide for over 6 months. What we have witnessed these past months in Gaza is part of an ongoing colonial project to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their land since the Nakba, which began in 1948. For more than 76 years, Israel and its imperialist allies have conspired to destroy the will for Palestinian liberation, and for more than 76 years Palestinians have resisted their oppressors.
We must carry on this struggle of resistance until all Palestinians return home! We invite all Palestinian, Arab, and progressive organizations and people of conscience to join us on May 18 to honor the martyrs and demand:
1️⃣ An end to the genocide in Gaza
2️⃣ An immediate two-way arms embargo
3️⃣ The release of all Palestinian political prisoners
4️⃣ Immediate humanitarian aid and investment in relief efforts to help rebuild Gaza
5️⃣ An end to the Zionist occupation of Palestine!

SIFF: Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano [Lebanon]
2024-05-20 - 2024-05-27 | Virtual
While shooting Costa Brava, Lebanon (SIFF 2022), the film crew’s world stopped when Lebanon’s Port of Beirut suddenly exploded, killing over 200 people and injuring thousands more. What does it mean to strive for human dignity and make art amid a country’s continuing turmoil?

SIFF: The Mother of All Lies [Morocco]
2024-05-20 - 2024-05-27 | Virtual
How do you reconstruct the past when all traces of that past have been erased? This is the dilemma that confronts filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, in terms of both her personal history and the history of her country. In terms of her personal history, her tyrannical grandmother has forbidden the taking of photographs in the family, seemingly as part of a larger obfuscation of the past. In the absence of photographs, El Moudir enlists her father, a successful builder, to help her construct an elaborate diorama of the street where the family lived during her childhood, in the Sebata district of Casablanca. She populates the diorama with miniature clay figurines of her family, friends, and neighbors. Their real-life counterparts are then invited to revisit their memories of that time and place—in particular the 1981 Casablanca Bread Riots, protests over the price of bread that were brutally suppressed by the police and military. On El Moudir’s street alone, a girl her age named Fatima was killed in the street; neighbors Saïd and Abdallah were seized and tortured. These events have been suppressed in El Moudir’s family history, as well as in the national history. But El Moudir recreates them, retrieving what might otherwise be lost; bringing family secrets and memories to light, and achieving some measure of justice, if only in miniature.

Movie: The Old Oak
2024-05-20 16:30 - 18:30, 2024-05-21 16:30 - 18:30, 2024-05-22 16:30 - 18:30, 2024-05-23 16:30 - 18:30 | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
The Old Oak is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing in its small northern town, but it’s also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. Its owner TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice. In an unlikely friendship, TJ meets a curious young Syrian photographer named Yara (Ebla Mari). Together can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes.

The Moroccan Kitchen: Cooking Class
2024-05-24 18:00 - 20:30 | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
In this hands-on class you’ll be swept off to another continent to experience the exotic spices and fresh herbs of classic North African cuisine. This authentic Moroccan menu highlights traditional ingredients that are easy to find here. You’ll learn about using preserved lemons, couscous, saffron and fenugreek in the savory dishes and ground almonds, honey and orange blossom water in dessert. Make a fork-tender chicken dish baked in a traditional, earthenware dish called a tagine. Chef Barbara Sowatsky will show you that “spiced” doesn’t have to mean “spicy” as she takes you step-by-step through this flavor-layered menu.
You will make:

Chicken Tagine with Meyer Lemons and Olives
Couscous with Saffron, Mint and Basil
Cucumber and Tomato Chopped Salad
Almond-Stuffed Dates

Seffarine (Portland)
2024-05-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave, Portland, OR, 97201
At a momentous first meeting at a coffee shop in Fez, Moroccan vocalist Lamiae Naki and multi-instrumentalist Nat Hulskamp composed their first song and decided to get married. Brought together by their deep knowledge of the music of both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar — Spanish flamenco and Moroccan Arabic music — they created Seffarine.
Seffarine takes its name from the ancient metalworking square in Fez, which is famous for the complex rhythms that ring out from the blacksmiths’ hammers, and where Lamiae’s family is well known as masters of the tradition. Seffarine‘s music embraces and extends Morocco’s musical collision between Arabic, Iberian and West African cultures, forging vibrant original music deeply rooted in their backgrounds in flamenco guitar, oud and Arab Andalusian music. Nat and Lamiae built an international quintet bringing in all star musicians from Iran, the US and Spain, who infuse the sound with textured instrumentation and inspired improvisation. Sweeping kamancheh (Persian spike-fiddle) ornamentation plays off gritty bass grooves and explosive flamenco footwork, with Lamiae’s fluidly riveting voice at the center, sending up sheets of cascading Andalusi melodies punctuated by the catchy hooks of North African Chaabi, sung in her native Moroccan Arabic. Their sound has taken them around the world, from touring Indonesia and Europe to receiving grants to study Ottoman singing in Turkey, to recording with top flamenco musicians in Spain such as Diego del Morao and Latin Grammy Award winner Antonio Rey.

Arabic Storytime @ Lake City Branch / وقت القصص بالعربية في فرع ليك سيتي
2024-05-25 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.

A 25-Mile March for Palestinian Liberation
2024-05-26 | WA
Join us on a 25-mile march for Palestinian liberation this Memorial Day weekend, May 26th 🍉
👇Our vision statement:
As we grieve more than seventy-five years of unbearable loss of life and freedom in occupied Palestine, we are coming together to walk 25 miles—the length of Gaza—for justice.
We are a group of Palestinians and non-Palestinians; Indigenous and non-Indigenous; Black, POC, and white; Jews and non-Jews; Christians, Buddhists, and people of many faiths; settlers and immigrants, living on Duwamish and other Coast Salish land and united in our longing for the liberation of Palestine. We are disabled and abled, elders and young. We know ableism is at the heart of every genocide, and we welcome all bodies into this movement.
When we say “freedom from the River to the Sea,” we call for universal freedom and safety for everyone from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. We call for universal access to food, water, shelter, education and medical care. We call for freedom of movement and freedom of expression regardless of religion or ethnicity.
When we say “freedom from the River to the Sea,” we long for true liberation for all peoples beyond false borders. Our conscience calls us to forcefully and unceasingly demand an end to the continuing Israeli expulsion of Palestinians. We know that there is no military solution. True safety and freedom must be collective. We are unequivocal in our vision: one state, called Palestine, with equal rights for all.
We are walking toward the world we yearn for: Indigenous sovereignty restored, land held as sacred, not as property, and an end to all systems that exploit, extract, and kill. We are walking for peace, life, and liberation, from every river to every sea.
Will you walk with us?

riverseawalkseattle@gmail.com

Northwest Folklife Festival
2024-05-26 14:00 - 14:45 | Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
The schedule isn’t out but I have heard that there will be Arab performers! Wahoo!
Please triple check the time and specific stage location when the official schedule comes out:
https://nwfolklife.org/festival/home.html

The Traveling Bakeshop
2024-05-28 08:00 - 17:00 | WA
https://www.whiskcooks.com/cooking-class/kids-in-the-kitchen-the-traveling-bakeshop/

Spaces of Exception (Film & Discussion)
2024-05-28 19:30 - 21:00 | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
With filmmaker Matt Peterson in attendance for an introduction and Q&A following the screening.

Shot between 2014 to 2017, SPACES OF EXCEPTION observes and juxtaposes the communities and struggles of the American Indian reservation and the Palestinian refugee camp. It visits reservations in Arizona, New Mexico, New York, and South Dakota, as well camps in Lebanon and the West Bank, “places defined by their historical and spiritual resistance” in order to “understand the conditions for life, community, and sovereignty.”

More info and buy tickets (for profit to the theater): https://thebeacon.film/calendar/movie/spaces-of-exception
more details» copy to my calendar

Resistance and Repression Discussion and Q&A
2024-05-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Contact Host for Location Details
What: Join Samidoun Seattle for a panel and conversation on the increased repression we are facing in occupied Palestine and here in the U.S. along with the increased support for Palestinian liberation across the world. Our panel includes author and journalist Mariam Barghouti and Nizar Mansour, a longtime Palestinian activist in the community, and Samidoun Seattle organizer Bissan Barghouti.
More info and registration link: tinyurl.com/samidoun531

[Virtual] Weekly Arabic Conversation: Open discussion
2024-05-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Virtual
أهلاً وسهلاً
Every Thursday 6 PM PDT 8 PM CST or 9 pm EST
We see who shows up and can talk about anything. Feel free to bring something to work on or share if you are so inspired.
This is an ongoing weekly practice group to support people at an upper beginner to intermediate level of any form of Arabic.
Beginners may benefit from the introduction, and the discussion or activity part will be most appropriate for upper beginners through intermediate. Native speakers and Heritage speakers are welcome to join in.
We may mix things up a bit occasionally with a reading or watching a video together. Open to suggestions on how to make this beneficial for us all.
Zoom link available if you RSVP

Peace Vigils [Olympia]
2024-05-31 16:30 - 18:00 | Percival Landing, 217 Thurston Ave NW, Olympia, WA, 98501
4:30-6:00 PM
Percival Landing in Downtown Olympia
4th &Water Street

Join us every Friday in downtown Olympia as we continue to gather to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to occupation, saving Gaza’s children, and for peace.

Thanks to the Olympia Fellowship Of Reconciliation for supporting and joining our efforts to demand a permanent peace in Gaza. Thank you to everyone for continuing to respect the peaceful and welcoming atmosphere that the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) has maintained at these weekly vigils for so many years.

Narratives of Pain
2024-05-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Contact for Location, See above for contact
We are excited to announce our next community event with Narratives of Pain!
Please join Narratives of Pain and Baladna for an evening of healing through the telling and witnessing of stories. Narratives of pain is a unique showcase highlighting the value of collecting gathering and communal witnessing. The Narratives of Pain structure honors both storytellers and witnesses (i.e the audience) with stories that range in subject matter and form, focused on the needs of each person.
It is important that the Palestinian community can come together in a safe, shared space to feel free to open up with the intention to heal individually and collectively. We must take care of ourselves as much as we show up for our community in order to sustain the resistance we are all engaging in daily.
If you are interested in signing up as a storyteller, please contact Zain Shamoon via email at zain.shamoon87@gmail.com

Seattle, WA
Friday, May 31st
7-9
Doors open at 6:30
*This event will take place in Seattle WA, with the exact location being shared the week of the event.

Virtual Movie Screenings: Every Saturday with Palestine Museum US
2024-06-01 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!
Free virtual screening of the documentary film “Children’s Cries,” directed by Iyad AbuRok

Saturday, June 1, 2024
12:00 PM 1:30 PM

Click here to register for this event.
Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EDT; 19:00 Palestine, 18:00 Europe, 17:00 London; Running Time 32 minutes, 2024, English with Arabic subtitles. The film screening will be followed by discussions with film director Iyad AbuRok.
About the Film
The film is a poignant work that sheds light on the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people from the Nakba of 1948 to the present day. It provides a realistic and vivid depiction of the massacres and crimes committed against children and civilians in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank.

Arabic School: Saturdays in Kent
2024-06-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Kent Meridian High School, 10020 SE 256th St, Kent, WA, 98030
Our Arabic School provides those who want to learn Arabic the opportunity to fine-tune their knowledge. Our classes are held weekly at Kent Meridian High School for our kids and youth.
​
Program Eligibility Requirements:
– Elementary or middle-school age children
– Living in King County

When: Saturdays
Time: 10-12
Where: Kent Meridian High School (10020 SE 256th St, Kent, WA 98030)

Arab Senior Men's Coffee Club
2024-06-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Contact Host for Location Details
Are you bored at home?
Do you like to share your rich life experiences with others?
Are you interested in discussing politics and how to solve world problems?
Then join the Arab senior men’s club for coffee.

We meet on the first Saturday of every month.
If you are interested please email Nadera for details at:
nadera0425@yahoo.com

We look forward to seeing you there.

Let's Talk About Palestine: Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani and Rifqa by Mohammed el-Qird
2024-06-01 11:15 - 12:45 | Contact for Location, See above for contact
For anyone who wants to learn, discuss and understand Palestine.
Please sign up here if you are interested: https://forms.gle/eFxQ5Ps6JbJfAYAE8
For our 3rd meeting we are reading Ghassan Kanafani’s Men in the Sun and Mohammed el-Qurd’s Rifqa

Our 2nd meeting we read Rashid Khalidi’s book Hundred Years War.
You can order a copy from your local bookstore or here on the ArabishWay bookshop.org page in joining and we will add you to the listserve. We will send out a location via the listserve ASAP.

Please sign up here if you are interested: https://forms.gle/eFxQ5Ps6JbJfAYAE8
Our first book started in the present:
we read and discussed with the author, Nada Elia, her book: Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts: Feminism, Inter.Nationalism, and Palestine
we met on Saturday, January 13th. You can order a copy from my ArabishWay page on bookshop.org

Stand in Solidarity on an Overpass Near You
2024-06-02 11:00 - 13:00 | Multiple Locations, WA, United States
A massive shoutout to everyone who fueled our movement with their time and passion during our banner events this weekend! Your commitment is our driving force.
Now, we’re revving up for the upcoming weekend, and we need YOUR continued support!
📢 Calling all volunteers! Join us on Saturday, Sunday, or both, at vital locations including 145th, 92nd, 80th, 50th, 45th, Roanoke, Denny, Olive, Pine, Lakewood, and everywhere in between here and Tacoma!
Let’s make the next weekend even more impactful. Your dedication propels us forward! 🚀💙 Let us know if you would like to volunteer to hold down a location!

Cook With . . . A Palestinian!
2024-06-02 13:00 - 16:00 | Contact Host for Location Details
Event by A Crafty Arab

Bellevue, WA

Duration: 3 hr

Public · Anyone on or off Facebook

Please fill out this Google Form to sign up: https://forms.gle/aC9BAbxcA1qbVW986
I am so excited to bring you our next culinary adventure: Cook With… A Palestinian!
This experience follows our journey that began in Egypt, stopped in Morocco, Palestine, and Syria, and then went to Iraq. We are so excited to now take you back to Palestine.
We will be making stuffed grape leaves, stuffed zucchini, and foul medames. Then we will sit together and share our delicious creations, followed by knafah dessert and tea.
Class registration ends on May 30th.
Jazak Allah khair for @ThereForYu for being our wonderful sponsor. May you be blessed with barakah.

وقت القصة باللغة العربية / Arabic Story & Play Time
2024-06-02 16:00 - 17:00 | King County Library System – Kent, 212 2nd Ave N, Kent, WA, 98032, United States
Description

وقت القصة باللغة العربية
انضموا إلينا للاستماع إلى القصص و الأناشيد باللغة العربية لتطوير مهارات القراءة المبكرة لأطفالكم. سنستمتع أيضا باللعب والمرح، وتكوين صداقات جديدة.
.جميع الأعمار مرحب بها برفقة الكبار
تتوفر ترتيبات تيسيرية ملائمة للأشخاص ذوي الإعاقة عند الطلب عبر البريد الإلكتروني access@kcls.org قبل سبعة أيام على الأقل من الحدث. و أيضا تتوفر التسميات التوضيحية التلقائية دائمًا للأحداث عبر الإنترنت

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 with adult.

Free Film Screening: Israelism
2024-06-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St, Edmonds, WA, 98020
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.

Meaningful Movies on Vashon: Lyd
2024-06-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Vashon Theater, 17723 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon, WA, 98070
LYD (the Arabic name of Lod, a city now in Israel) is about a 5,000-year-old bustling Palestinian town that was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948, and the film LYD is the story of that city’s rise and fall. An exploration of what it once was, and what it is now, in the context of the continuing conflicts and the war in Gaza, LYD’s excavation of one community’s complex history offers us not only lessons but possible futures.
As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion, while vivid animations envision an alternate reality where the same characters live free from the trauma of the past and the violence of the present.
Using never-before-seen archival footage of the Israeli soldiers who carried out the massacre and expulsion, the personified city explains that these events were so devastating that they fractured reality, and now there are two Lyds — one occupied and one free. As the film cuts between fantastical and documentary realities, it ultimately leaves the viewer questioning what future should prevail.
Made by a Palestinian from Lyd and a Jewish American, LYD provides much-needed context for this moment, as it goes deep into the history of the Nakba from the perspective of Palestinians who survived. The film imagines an alternate reality where Palestine was never occupied and Palestinians of all religions (Muslims, Christians, and Jews) live in a liberated Palestine. Narrated by Palestinian actress Maisa Abd Elhadi who personifies the city, the viewer is guided through the lifespan of a five-thousand-year-old city and its residents.
“A harrowing watch, but a vital one if the goal is gaining a greater understanding of the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.”

Rainbow Story Time (online) w/ Lindz Amer
2024-06-05 11:30 - 12:00 | 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

Streaming: Movie: Where the Olive Trees Weep
2024-06-06 - 2024-06-27 | Virtual
Where Olive Trees Weep offers a searing window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice.
We follow, among others, Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, grassroots activist Ahed Tamimi, and Israeli journalist Amira Hass. We also watch Dr. Gabor Maté support a group of women seeking understanding and healing and offer his insights into intergenerational trauma.

Words for Palestine: Virtual
2024-06-06 16:00 - 17:30 | Virtual
Online via livestream
Free with RSVP
Join our monthly online series “Words for Palestine” which aims to center and highlight Palestinian voices during this devastating time. Featured readers include leena aboutaleb, Summer Awad, Sarah Aziza and Noor Hindi.
“Words For Palestine” is co-sponsored by Mizna, Palestine Writes and RAWI, and is free with RSVP. We encourage you to make a donation to support the work of Palestine Legal and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). Palestine Legal is an organization dedicated to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the U.S. who speak out for Palestinian freedom. PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine, providing crucial and life-saving relief and humanitarian aid in Gaza.
For questions, e-mail Rewa Zeinati at rzeinati@accesscommunity.org
leena aboutaleb is an Egyptian and Palestinian writer, asking you to commit to the Palestinian liberation struggle. Read her work at www.leenaboutaleb.onl

Summer Awad is a multi-genre writer with roots in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Nablus, Palestine. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University. In 2023, she was awarded a de Groot Foundation LANDO grant in immigration, migration, and refugee writing for her essay collection in progress about her work in refugee resettlement. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in Adi Magazine, J Journal, About Place Journal, Chapter 16 and others, with poems forthcoming in The Rising Phoenix Review. Her play, Walls, A Play for Palestine, was produced in 2016 at The New York International Fringe Festival.

Sarah Aziza is a Palestinian American writer and translator. Her essays, journalism, poetry, and creative nonfiction have appeared in the New Yorker, the Baffler, Harper’s Magazine, Mizna, Jewish Currents, Lux Magazine, the Intercept, NPR, and the Nation, among others. She is the recipient of numerous grants from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a 2022 resident at Tin House Books and a 2023 Margins Fellow at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Her book, forthcoming in Spring 2025, is a hybrid work of memoir, lyricism, and oral history exploring the intertwined legacies of diaspora, colonialism, and the American dream.

Noor Hindi (she/her/hers) is calling on you to join the global fight for the survival and liberation of Palestinians and all oppressed people. Anywhere and everywhere you are, you can disrupt, advocate, speak out and refuse in small and big ways. Revolution until freedom. Hindi is a Palestinian-American poet. Her debut collection of poems, Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow (Haymarket Books 2022), was an honorable mention for the Arab American Book Award. She is currently editing a Palestinian poetry anthology with George Abraham (Haymarket Books, 2025). Follow her on Instagram @NoorKHindi
