PfP Blog

Summer Film Reminder

    Please join us for our summer films! Screenings of three Palestinian films: Private, Jenin Jenin, and Salt of this Sea This August, PfP is hosting two film screenings and co-sponsoring another with the International Action Center in the Philadelphia area:   Private When: August 12th @ 7PM Where: Ethical Society Building, 1906 Rittenhouse Sq, Philadelphia PA Description: Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo’s feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation in their home that in many ways reflects the larger ongoing conflict …

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Summer Films, Kites, Playgrounds, and More…

  . . . helping children reclaim their childhoods  July Newsletter  PfP’s Summer Film Nights  Current Projects   We’re pleased to invite you to PfP’s summer film screenings during the month of August. First Film: Private, Saverio Costanzo’s allegorical film which reflects the larger struggles of Palestinians. A squad of Israeli soldiers invades the private home of a Palestinian family and forces the family members to live and sleep entirely in their living room while the soldiers move in upstairs. The family, like the Palestinian people, is faced with a difficult dilemma: how to respond to Israeli invasion and occupation. Here are the …

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Summer Films, Kites, Playgrounds, and More…

  . . . helping children reclaim their childhoods  July Newsletter  PfP’s Summer Film Nights  Current Projects   We’re pleased to invite you to PfP’s summer film screenings during the month of August. First Film: Private, Saverio Costanzo’s allegorical film which reflects the larger struggles of Palestinians. A squad of Israeli soldiers invades the private home of a Palestinian family and forces the family members to live and sleep entirely in their living room while the soldiers move in upstairs. The family, like the Palestinian people, is faced with a difficult dilemma: how to respond to Israeli invasion and occupation. Here are the details: Where: Ethical Society Building (1906 Rittenhouse Sq, Philadelphia PA) When: August 12th @ 7PM   Second Film: Jenin Jenin, a …

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Palestinian Children Break World Record

This event, which took place on a beach close to the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, was organized by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as part of the Summer Games program. The Summer Games Program is designed to provide Palestinian youth in the Gaza Strip with arts and crafts activities, festivals, and Arabic and math education during the summer months. This kite festival was an attempt to break the previous Guinness World Record for kite flying. By all accounts, the previous record was …

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Israeli Siege of Ship Bringing Aid to Gaza

This ship which carried reconstruction and 3 tons of medical supplies, in addition to childrens’ toys, also carried passengers such as Cynthia McKinney, a former US Congresswoman and presidential candidate, and Mairead Maguire, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. The reason for the ship’s detainment is the Israeli-enforced blockade on Gaza. The ship’s supplies were confiscated, and the IDF has stated they will be delivered “subject to authorization.” The ship, sent as a part of the Free Gaza Movement, is said to have been in international waters at the …

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Host a Palestinian Olive Oil Party

When you help PfP fundraise by buying our olive oil or hosting an olive oil party, you are doing more than simply providing playgrounds for Palestinian children. The World Bank estimates that Palestinian agriculture accounts for about 25% of the GDP, and olive trees are raised on at least 45% of all cultivated land. Traditionally, the Palestinian market for olive oil was internal, production met demand, and there were not excesses of oil to be exported to other markets. Since 2006, however, Palestinian farmers have increased production dramatically, and the increase in supply means that there is tons of oil available to export. It has been a challenge …

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PfP’s Summer Film Nights!

On August 12th, PfP is screening Saverio Costanzo’s 2004 film Private. This film explores the Palestinian situation through the means of an allegory. Here’s a short description: “Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo’s feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation in their home that in many ways reflects the larger ongoing …

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Thank you! we’re building two playgrounds in Gaza this summer!

    To all of our supporters: THANK YOU! Our fundraiser was a success and we’re building more playgrounds in Gaza this summer! We raised over $17,000 and still counting at our fundraiser.  To read the sordid details, click here. Two friends of PfP, both architects, one in Gaza and one in Pennsylvania, designed the following two playgrounds for us, which will be installed in Gaza this summer using local materials and local labor: We have several playgrounds in the pipeline, which will be started in 2010.  They are: 1. Maysoon’s Kids in Silwad [finally!] 2. Arroub refugee camp [from Heather and Armen’s wedding] 3. Jenin refugee camp [from the Madison PfP chapter] If you would like to learn more about PfP or to support PfP’s work, please visit …

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Thank you for another successful fundraiser

Thanks to all of you, our gala dinner and concert proved to be a wonderful evening and a successful fundraiser! We raised over $17,000 and still counting. To read all of the sordid details, click here To watch a video of the best moments of the evening, click here To donate, click here

Announcing A Gala Dinner and Concert for Gaza

On May 3, 2009, PfP will host a wonderful evening with friends and supporters for the benefit of the children of Gaza. The evening will feature a concert by renowned Lebanese singer/songwriter May Nasr. The evening will feature a concert by renowned Lebanese singer May Nasr. You can listen to her music online. Her voice is mesmerizing. Trained by Zaki Nassif, a composer for Fairuz, she is one of the few artists who can truly sing Fairuz songs with their full meaning and liveliness. It was the knowledge of this potential that brought Zaki Nassif out of retirement upon …

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Phoenix Elementary in Gaza

We are excited to announce the launch of an initiative we’ve been working on for a while. PfP established a school in Gaza for grades 1-5. We’re in our third week now of operation and it’s amazing. The school is a mixture of traditional and non-traditional learning. The first few days were focused on getting to know each other, consulting with children about what they want to get out of the school, how they want to decorate the

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My contribution makes me happy for the cause, and is inspired by my friends, Holly and Scudder, who are getting married.