Stories from Palestine Kristel

This is the third and last part of a trilogy that I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments.

In this last episode Anwaar, who works for MEND and is the media and outreach coordinator for this project and journalist Hayat Hamdan tell us more about an important part of the Civil Society for Dignity project: the media training. This training helps young Palestinians to brainstorm about and to vocalize what they would like to change in their societies and it teaches them the skills and tools to create media content that can be used to communicate their wishes for change. This is an important skill that can be used in civil society participation on the political level.

Partners in this joined project are:

MEND stands for Middle East Non Violence and Democracy. MEND promotes active nonviolence and encourages alternatives to violence among youth and adults throughout Palestine. MEND employs innovative methods, especially with the media, and is widely respected for working with authenticity, professionalism
 and courage.

PCR is the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between people.  PCR works to bridge the gap between Palestinians and peoples from all around the world, informing the public about the reality in Palestine, and empowering the community through nonviolent direct action.

PCPD is the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy. They were established to promote a just peace based on the Palestinian Declaration of Independence of 1988 and relevant United Nations Resolutions towards a two state solution, in which democracy and social justice are guaranteed.

PAX for Peace is based in the Netherlands and works together with committed citizens and partners to protect civilians against acts of war, to end armed violence, and to build a just peace.  In Palestine PAX supports local partners in building resilient communities, promoting human security and equality in the political, cultural and social domain, and in fighting the injustices resulting from the protracted occupation.

 If you want to know more about the work of Pax for Peace you can visit their website https://paxforpeace.nl

MEND: https://www.mend-online.org/
PCR: https://www.pcr.ps
PCPD: https://pcpd.ps

This is the second part of a trilogy I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments.

In this episode you will learn more about the project 'Civil Society for Dignity' itself. Muna Rishmawi, the project manager, talks about the aims of the project, the cooperation between the different organizations that are involved and how the project is being implemented. One of the young female participants, Aseel, tells us about her personal experiences and what her participation meant to her personal development. We conclude with Yara, who carried out a research and shares her findings with us.

Partners in this joined project are:

MEND stands for Middle East Non Violence and Democracy. MEND promotes active nonviolence and encourages alternatives to violence among youth and adults throughout Palestine. MEND employs innovative methods, especially with the media, and is widely respected for working with authenticity, professionalism
 and courage.

PCR is the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between people.  PCR works to bridge the gap between Palestinians and peoples from all around the world, informing the public about the reality in Palestine, and empowering the community through nonviolent direct action.

PCPD is the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy. They were established to promote a just peace based on the Palestinian Declaration of Independence of 1988 and relevant United Nations Resolutions towards a two state solution, in which democracy and social justice are guaranteed.

PAX for Peace is based in the Netherlands and works together with committed citizens and partners to protect civilians against acts of war, to end armed violence, and to build a just peace.  In Palestine PAX supports local partners in building resilient communities, promoting human security and equality in the political, cultural and social domain, and in fighting the injustices resulting from the protracted occupation.

 If you want to know more about the work of Pax for Peace you can visit their website https://paxforpeace.nl

MEND: https://www.mend-online.org/
PCR: https://www.pcr.ps
PCPD: https://pcpd.ps

 This is the first part of a trilogy that I made for Pax Palestine Podcast about the 'Civil Society for Dignity' project, a project by MEND, PCR, PCPD and PAX for Peace, supported by the European Union. This project aims to bridge the gap between the Palestinian civil society and the local governments.

In this first episode you will learn more about the political reality for Palestinians under military rule and the civil society landscape of Palestine, in an interview with George Rishmawi, Director of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement of people.

Partners in this joined project are:

MEND stands for Middle East Non Violence and Democracy. MEND promotes active nonviolence and encourages alternatives to violence among youth and adults throughout Palestine. MEND employs innovative methods, especially with the media, and is widely respected for working with authenticity, professionalism
 and courage.

PCR is the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between people.  PCR works to bridge the gap between Palestinians and peoples from all around the world, informing the public about the reality in Palestine, and empowering the community through nonviolent direct action.

PCPD is the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy. They were established to promote a just peace based on the Palestinian Declaration of Independence of 1988 and relevant United Nations Resolutions towards a two state solution, in which democracy and social justice are guaranteed.

PAX for Peace is based in the Netherlands and works together with committed citizens and partners to protect civilians against acts of war, to end armed violence, and to build a just peace.  In Palestine PAX supports local partners in building resilient communities, promoting human security and equality in the political, cultural and social domain, and in fighting the injustices resulting from the protracted occupation.

 If you want to know more about the work of Pax for Peace you can visit their website https://paxforpeace.nl

MEND: https://www.mend-online.org/
PCR: https://www.pcr.ps
PCPD: https://pcpd.ps

Beit Shean or Beisan as it is called by Palestinians because before 1948 it was called Beisan and it had a population of 6000 people, is mainly known for the excavation of the ancient city and it is sometimes compared to Pompeii that was preserved so well because of the volcanic eruption, in this case the remains of Roman and Byzantine Beit Shean were preserved after a major earthquake. The ruins remained undisturbed and are now part of an archaeological park. 
The history of Beit Shean goes back to the Canaanite period, about 4000 years ago!
It became an important Egyptian administrative center and it is mentioned in the Bible. 
It grew into a really big Roman city with a lot of typical Roman features and it was the capital of the Decapolis. It flourished in Byzantine time. But then it was hit very hard by the major earthquake of 749 and since then the ruins have been left untouched. 
Today it is a national park that requires an entrance fee. It is located on the north side of the modern city of Beit Shean, it is South of the Lake of Galilee and it is east (north east) of Jenin. 

Connect to Stories from Palestine on social media, find out more about trips to Palestine, sign up for the e-mail list and support the podcast, all through this one link:
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

In a previous episode with Apo Sahagian,  we talked about the Armenian community in Jerusalem. This episode is a deeper dive into the history of the Armenians and their presence in the holy land in general and in Jerusalem in particular.

The newly renovated Edward and Helen Mardigian Armenian Museum of Jerusalem offers a wealth of stories about the Armenians of Jerusalem.

A key attraction is the sixth century mosaic floor that was found in the Musrara neighborhood while a Palestinian family was putting the pillar of a house in 1894. The mosaic had been part of an ancient Armenian convent, Saint Polyeuctus, one of the 72 Armenian convents that the holy land used to have.

The Armenian inscription on the mosaic says: in memory and salvation of all Armenian martyrs whose names only God knows.

The museum is divided into two floors, the ground floor tells the history of the Armenians from the first century BC to present day. The second floor tells the history of the Armenian genocide, the first genocide of the 20th century.

The building in which the museum is housed, sheltered hundreds of children who became orphans due to the genocide.

You can find the museum on Facebook: Helen and Edward Mardigian Armenian Museum of Jerusalem

Phone: 00 972 2 6328807
E-mail: mamjerusalem@gmail.com
Opening hours: from 9.00 til 16.00
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Address: Armenian Patriarchate Road, across the Armenian parking lot

The Palestinians call it Akka, in English they say Acre, which goes back to how the Crusaders called the city, today we hear people referring to it as Akko and the root letters AK go back to the Egyptian execration texts in hieroglyphic script that mention AK already in the 19th century BC. 

Today we can talk about three parts of Akka: the old city inside the Ottoman walls on a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, the ancient city that dates back to early and middle bronze age on the Tel east of the old city and modern Akko that has developed in the last decades and now incorporates the ancient Tel, known in Arabic as Tel el Fukhar. 

When you visit Akka today, you will mainly see the remains of the Crusader period and the Ottoman period. The biggest tourist attractions are: the Crusader Knights' halls, the Crusader tunnel, the old city with its 'khans', the Al Jazzar mosque, the sea port with its fish restaurants, the suq and the Ottoman city walls. 

In this episode you can learn more about the ancient history of Akko. 

If you want to connect on social media, subscribe for the newsletter, learn more about the ten days travel program or make a donation to the podcast, use this linktree:
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine