What: PfP’s Annual Gala Where: Material Culture 4700 Wissahickon Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19144 When: April 8, 2017 Jan.8, 2017 Dear Friends, As we begin our 17th year together, PfP is working hard to plan for our annual gala. We hope you will mark your calendar to join us on April 8th at Material Culture in Philadelphia (materialculture.com). We are excited to share another wonderful evening with you, and we have a few surprises that we think you
December 24, 2016 Dear Friends Just a note to wish you and your family a Joyful Holiday, and to give you a glimpse of a few things you helped make possible. On December 2nd in Palestine, PfP dedicated a playground in memory of two young boys, one Palestinian, one African American, whose lives were ended, ultimately, by institutional racism. Rev. Graylan Hagler, who was there with a group of pastors from the United Church of Christ, performed the dedication together with Mr. Salah Ajarma, PfP’s Palestine representative. You can find coverage here. As a reminder, we remain an all-volunteer organization that operates on what most would call a
On December 2, 2016, Playgrounds for Palestine dedicated a playground to two boys, one African American and one Palestinian, who were killed, ultimately by institutional racism. Tamir Rice was killed by police in Cleveland, Ohio, as he played in a park. Abdurrahman Obeidallah was killed by an Israeli sniper as he walked home from school. Both boys were 12 years old. A monument in their memory was erected at the Lajee Center, where PfP built a new playground. The Reverend Graylan Hagler, together with a group of pastors from the United Church of Christ, participated in the ceremony. They were in Palestine
Once again, we had a spectacular dinner fundraiser. Thank you to all of our supporters and volunteers! With love, PfP
So proud to support Freedom Theatre in Jenin! http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3ae37c7a5636c2013d7c8ef29&id=9403cb77a7&e=af30e2e28e
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Children from Bethlehem’s Aida and Beit Jibrin refugee camps talk to Mondoweiss about their life in the camps. Filmmakers Sheren Khalel …and Abed al Qaisi wanted to know exactly how much the children understood about the military occupation going on around them, and how normal they believed their lives were. With their parents permission, Khalel and al Qaisi asked five children from the streets of the two camps what they thought. All of the answers were spontaneous and unrehearsed, and as it turned out, the kids understood — and have experienced — quite a lot. Many of the children talked about tear gas, soldiers, and being scared of going outside. All of the children have seen family members killed, injured and detained by Israeli forces — as is the life in the occupied West Bank’s many refugee
These pictures of Abdulrahman Obeidallah were taken this summer at the PfP playground opening ceremony at the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem. Abdul was full of joy and wonder, and did not stop beaming the entire day as he played on the only playground he has ever known. The Israeli soldiers shot and killed him while he was coming home from school. PfP unequivocally condemns the targeting of innocent Palestinian children, and the tragic loss of life of any and all children. Abdul was more than just a name, or
Playgrounds for Palestine showcasing Palestinian olive oil while author Susan Abulhawa read excerpts from her books. www.playgroundsforpalestine.org
We took a short break from planning our upcoming fundraiser to pose for this selfie. Can you tell that we love what we do?!! We can’t wait to see you on March 29th! — with Stephanie Sena, Hanan Urick, Susan Abulhawa,Sonia M. Rosen, Karen Kovalcik, Dounia Tamri-loeper and Amali Abdrabbah Elabed.
hi Friends. I don’t usually send out essays I publish, but hope you will forgive me for this exception. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/11/almond-tree-when-novels-distort-legacies-struggle-20131114102216116623.html Warmly, susie
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 space, and assessing their skills and abilities. It was decided to name the school: Phoenix Elementary. مدرسةالعنقاء As you can see, the kids were over the moon to be in a classroom after their lives were turned upside down. Grades 1-4 are focused on Arabic, English, math, and science, while grade 5 (along with anyone in grade 4 who wants) will solely focus on literature, where they will
Enjoy, laugh, play! Our donation is for the children of Palestine in memory of our beloved friend, Marita Boullata. Marita lived in Palestinian in her early marriage. She championed its land, culture and people, especially children.