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Ibis Editions Reprints the Levant in Handsome Editions

Subtitle: 
Jerusalem publishing house features Arab and Jewish poets and writers


By Sarah Burke

Sadder Than Water: poems by Samih al-QasimSadder Than Water: poems by Samih al-QasimMaps

Several years ago I traveled in Tunisia with a friend. We felt pretty cool: we avoided the resorts, took local transport, ate local food, practiced our languages. One day we rolled into a town by the edge of the Sahara that is the starting point of many coordinated journeys into the desert—camels, sunset over the dunes, dinner cooked on a fire, etc. We had compared the reviews of several tour agencies in Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, volumes stored like talismans in our respective backpacks. As we emerged from the shared van into this new town, a man approached us and began talking about the agency he represented. It was the best, he said, the number one agency for trips into the desert.

January 31 Conference, "Whither the Levant?" Addresses Future of the Middle East

Subtitle: 
films, panels and a symposium feature scholars and filmmakers
On January 31, 2009, Levantine Cultural Center and the University of California, Irvine, the Middle East Studies Student Initiative (MESSI) will present “Whither the Levant? The Crisis of the Nation-State: Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. This conference includes documentary and feature film screenings, panels and a symposium.

"Whither the Levant?" The Crisis of the Nation-State: Lebanon, Israel and Palestine

Date/Time: 
Jan 31 2009 11:00am - 7:00pm
Price: 
General public $40 all activities, $55 with catered lunch reception.
Single panel or symposium, $20
Films only $10, $8 students (entry good for two films).
Conference/films free to UCI students and faculty.
Conference (panels and symposium) free for all students.
Middle Eastern lunch $12 students/$15 general public with advance reservations, $15/$18 at the door.
Student i.d. must be presented at the door.
Where: 
UC Irvine Student Center
East Peltason Drive
Irvine, CA 92617
949.824.2419

A conference including documentary and feature screenings, panels and symposium, organized by Levantine Cultural Center and the University of California, Irvine, the Middle East Studies Student Initiative (MESSI). Cosponsored by the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies/UCI, American Friends Service Committee, LA Jews for Peace and supported by Diane and Jeanette Shammas, Lawrence Joseph, Kanan Hamzeh, Casey Kasem, Bana Hilal, Asad Farah and the Salaam-Shalom Educational Foundation.

UC Irvine Student CenterUC Irvine Student CenterThis conference takes place at the UC Irvine Student Center in the Crystal Cove Auditorium and Pacific Ballroom. [Map].

Who Speaks for Islam? Dalia Mogahed on the Gallup studies

Subtitle: 
the co-author of "Who Speaks for Islam" comments during a Levantine forum
The book Who really speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really is based on the largest and most in-depth study of its kind conducted by the Gallup Organization. Levantine Cultural Center presented the remarkable findings of the six-year poll of the Muslim world—the first ever data-based analysis of the points of view of more than 90% of the global Muslim community, spanning nearly 40 countries and representing 1.3 Billion Muslims.

On Tuesday, April 29, 2008, co-author Dalia Mogahed discussed "Who Speaks for Islam?" with "24" executive producer Howard Gordon in a public forum moderated by KPFK's Nile El Wardani. Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer who graduated from Princeton; his writing/producing credits include "The X Files," and "24." The forum took place at the Los Angeles Central Public Library, Mark Taper Auditorium.

An extended version of “Who Speaks for Islam?” is available from Levantine Cultural Center and Global Voices for Justice.

"Jihad Jones" the Hit Play Comes to Los Angeles

Subtitle: 
comedy looks at Arabs in Hollywood

The artwork for the New LATC's "Jihad Jones" productionThe artwork for the New LATC's "Jihad Jones" productionWhether or not Arabs and Arab Americans are represented in their genuine diversity in Hollywood films and television remains an open question—one which author Jack Shaheen, to be sure, has addressed in his book (and eponymous documentary) Reel Bad Arabs. As well, a number of recent forums in Los Angeles have looked at just how Arabs/Muslims are depicted in film/TV. [Levanine Cultural Center, SAG and MPAC will present a roundtable on the topic in January 2009, “Broadening the Scope, Roles for Arab/Muslim Actors in Film/TV”; we invite you to stay tuned or sign up to receive our email blasts.]

Cultural Crossroads of the Levant

Subtitle: 
boutique press publishes first English translation of 1949 Israeli novel on the Nakba

By Rachel Donadio

From the war in Iraq to the rumblings in Iran to the heightening tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, there are few bright spots in the Middle East these days. But one boutique Jerusalem press has cleared a space for conversation in a contentious region. Started in 1998 by a husband-and-wife team, Ibis Editions has published English translations of works in Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, French, German and Judeo-Spanish—all relating to the Levant.

The Lemon Tree Recounts Personal Stories of Palestinians and Israelis

Subtitle: 
history that reads like page-turning fiction
Reviewed by Jordan Elgrably

The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East: your purchase benefits LCC programmingThe Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East: your purchase benefits LCC programmingFor years, the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians has galvanized our attention with sensational headlines and stories of bloody conflict. Frequently lost in media reporting are the human stories of individuals and families on both sides. In Sandy Tolan’s The Lemon Tree, an intimate portrait of a Palestinian and an Israeli family emerge, both sharing a history in the same house in al-Ramla, once a town in Palestine, now an Israeli city south of Tel Aviv.

Egyptian Blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy

Subtitle: 
3arabawy

3arabawy3arabawy

Egyptian blogger and activist Hossam el-Hamalawy is an outspoken proponent of human rights, labor movements, and free speech. His blog, 3arabawy, features daily updates in English about the ongoing struggle for equality and human rights in Egypt.

In an op-ed he wrote for the Los Angeles Times, he addressed the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq:

The fall of Baghdad, as President Bush had expected, sent shockwaves throughout the region. Some say, however, that if the American president thought the domino effect would be one of democratization, he is likely to be mistaken. Many Arabs across the region are not savoring America's triumph and instead, they argue, Muslims are more likely to rally around the Qur'an and the Kalashnikov to provide an answer to the American tanks on the streets of Iraq's capital.

Susan Nathan on "The Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish-Arab Divide"

Date/Time: 
Oct 18 2008 7:30pm
Price: 
Free to the public
Where: 
Beverly Hills Library Auditorium
444 N. Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills 90210
Free parking

The Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish/Arab DivideThe Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish/Arab DivideA Jewish-Israeli activist for Israeli-Arab coexistence, Susan Nathan will present her book in Los Angeles, October 16-18, 2008, with dates at the Skirball, UCLA and the Beverly Hills Library Auditorium. Her visit is sponsored by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics and the American Friends Service Committee, with support from several other local organizations.

“Art Of Coexistence” Presents Israeli and Palestinian Narratives, Oct. 15, 7 pm, Beverly Hills

Date/Time: 
Oct 15 2008 7:00pm
Price: 
Free, charitable contributions welcome
Where: 
Beverly Hills Library Auditorium
444 N. Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills CA 90210
Free parking after 6 pm
The Lemon Tree, The Olive Grove: celebrate the time of the Palestinian olive harvest with real storiesThe Lemon Tree, The Olive Grove: celebrate the time of the Palestinian olive harvest with real storiesA coalition of Los Angeles arts and peace organizations will present “The Art of Coexistence: The Lemon Tree & The Olive Grove” on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. This public program is free to the public and features Deborah Rohan, author of The Olive Grove: A Palestinian Story (Saqi 2008), and Sandy Tolan, author of The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East (Bloomsbury 2006) at the Beverly Hills Library Auditorium. Coincidentally, October is the month of olive harvesting for Palestinian farmers.

The Olive Grove and The Lemon Tree are books that show the human face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the genuine possibility of coexistence.