Here’s the link (below) to the Afternoon of Palestinian Culture my church—specifically, our Holy Land Committee—hosted last Sunday. More than 90 people came to see this beautiful event, including many Iqraa sha’b, beginning with our poet laureate, Zeina Azzam, who was one of the featured artists. I told her afterward that I had to bite my lip during some of her poetry; it was painfully real. 

Our priest, Sari Ateek, gave the welcome, and other speakers/artists included Nizar Farsakh of the Museum of the Palestinian People; Fuad Foty, who played the oud; Lema Bashir-Boulghassoul, who spoke about tatreez, and Malikat al-Dabke, who danced. 

Our reception afterward featured Jenin pastries, and the event raised approximately $3,000 (unofficial total) for Bright Stars of Bethlehem, Project Rozana’s mobile medical clinics, and United Palestinian Appeal. 

Another Iqraa alum, Jay Mallin, supported our event, providing the world-class professional A/V recording you see here. 

While it’s hard for a single video camera trained on the performers to capture the connection these artists established with the audience, every word, note, step, expression, color, and beat comes through.

Shout out to all our Iqraa alumni who showed out, including Maha and Osama, and their daughter Lena (with a future Iqraa runner), Bill, Bilal, Ramsey and his daughter, Khaled and his wife, Reza, Samar, Sawsan and her husband, Shobi, and as noted, Zeina, Jay, and me. I hope I’m not forgetting anyone.  

This was an afternoon filled with love and pride and I’m grateful to share it.