Statement & Outline
I am a Jewish-American three-time volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service, a human rights organization based in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Since the summer of 2005, I've been touring around the United States and abroad with a presentation and book describing my personal experiences, observations, and photographs from eight months documenting the situation in the West Bank and supporting Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance to the Occupation.
My presentation is called "Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories & Photos," and my book is entitled Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories. The purpose of my presentation and book is to provide those interested in the Israel/Palestine conflict with critical information and documentation that can be difficult to obtain through mainstream U.S. media sources, and to encourage taking action on the issue. My hope is that my presentation and book will also offer a thoughtful perspective given my background as the grand-daughter of Polish-born Holocaust refugees. I see it as my responsibility to expose the injustices of today in light of—not in spite of—those of the past.
My presentation covers—among other things—checkpoints, settlements, the Wall, censorship, the 1948 Nakba, Palestinian refugees, Gaza, Israeli activism, Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance movement, and ideas for what people can do. See below for the presentation outline.
Previous venues have included universities, middle and high school classrooms and assemblies, churches, mosques, synagogues, prisons, bookstores, radio programs & television shows. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you or a group or institution you know are interested in hosting, organizing, publicizing, or co-sponsoring a presentation by me or another witness in your area.
In peace,
Anna
Presentation Outline
Presentations vary from talk to talk but generally include the majority of the following components:
1. Introduction
2. Structures of the Occupation
A. Restricted Movement: Checkpoints & Roadblocks
i. Segregated Roads & License Plates
ii. Disabling Effects on Palestinian Education & Economy
iii. Health Violations
B. Settlements & Outposts
i. Economic Settlers
ii. Ideological Settlers & Settler Violence
iii. Environmental Impacts
C. The Wall
D. Gaza Blockade & Attacks
3. Media Censorship
4. History
A. 1947 – 1967 Maps
B. Nakba & Destroyed Villages
C. Palestinian Refugees
5. U.S. Roles
A. U.S. Aid to Israel
B. Parallel history of U.S.
6. Resistance
A. Palestinian Nonviolent Resistance
i. Demonstrations
ii. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
iii. Wall Art
iv. Palestinian Hip-Hop
v. Preserving culture
vi. Everyday resilience
B. Israeli Activism
C. What Can We Do?
7. Slide-Show Finale
8. Post-Presentation
A. Questions & Discussion with Audience
B. Free Handout & Postcards
i. Facts, Maps, & Statistics from the Presentation
ii. Sources of Information (useful for further research)
iii. Ideas for Getting Involved
C. Book (signed by author!), DVD, Handicrafts, & more for suggested donation
