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SCREENING OF AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY, ROAD MAP TO APARTHEID EXPLORES SOUTH AFRICAN AND ISRAELI APARTHEID

THUR FEB 7, 2013 AT THE LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER

[Los Angeles—January 30, 2013] The Levantine Cultural Center and The Friends Of Film Year-Round Festival  present a one-night only screening of the multi award-winning documentary, Roadmap to Apartheid, on Thursday, Feb 7^th at 7:30pm at the LCC, 5998 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles 90035. The screening is cosponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles.

By Estee Chandler

When I sat down with The Gatekeepers director Dror Moreh, he seemed excited, perhaps even optimistic about the upcoming Academy Awards, however he is openly pessimistic about the future of Israel. There is no doubt that his fears for the future of his country are what led him to take on the project of getting the six living former heads of Shin Bet-Israel's domestic security service-to be interviewed for a documentary film.

Israel and Palestine, controversial foes, two peoples locked in an inescapable relationship. But can Israel be "the only democracy in the Middle East" when rights for Arabs in Israel and the occupied territories are unequal? The Friends Of Film Year-Round Festival and the Levantine Cultural Center present a one-night only screening of Roadmap to Apartheid, cosponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles, on Thursday, Feb 7th, 2013 at the LCC at 7:30pm. Admission is $10/$7 members and students with ID.

By Susan Abulhawa 

My review of The General's Son, by Miko Peled, cannot be separated from what I've come to know about the author. After all, this book is about Peled's own life, and his journey to a new understanding of the conflict that has defined so many of our lives. It is a narrative of the author's transformation from an ardent Zionist, born into a revered military Israeli family, to a human rights activist and advocate of a single binational state.

Readers interested in exploring the Middle East, cultural identity, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, satire, Arab social life and the mind of Sayed Kashua will benefit from picking up his latest novel, Second Person Singular (copies discounted by 10% or 20% for members, available at the Levantine bookstore, call 323.413.2001). Acclaimed novelist Sayed Kashua, the creator of the groundbreaking Israeli sitcom, "Arab Labor," has been widely praised for his literary eye and deadpan wit. His new novel is considered internationally to be his most accomplished and entertaining work yet.

Friday, Jan. 18, 7 pm, the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, in partnership with the Levantine Cultural Center, presents renowned Lebanese broadcaster and writer Karen Boustany, who will talk about political and cultural life in Beirut, the crisis in neighboring Syria, and the future of the Middle East. Ms Boustany comes at a time when Lebanon once again finds itself in the midst of a crisis that is not of its own making—this time the brutal struggle for power in Syria that for many years orchestrated similar power struggles inside Lebanon itself. This program will be primarily in English, with some French and Arabic.

[Monday December 10, 2012] On Wednesday December 19th, The Levantine Cultural Center presents honored media critic and film scholar Dr. Jack G. Shaheen in an intimate discussion and forum on misleading stereotypes based on Hollywood's negative portrayal of Arabs. Shaheen will be discussing his life-long commitment to illuminate social justice, with insights into the highs and lows of his 40-year quest, including his mission to reveal and terminate these damaging Arab and Muslim stigmas.

Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles presents a special Director's Screening of Terje Carlsson's Welcome to Hebron, following up on presentations earlier this year of Carlsson's other award-winning documentary, Israel vs. Israel. This event is the last JVP program of 2012. All are invited, no one turned away for lack of funds. Watch a Jewish Voice for Peace video. 

Welcome to Hebron shows how the occupation affects everyday life in Palestine. Leila Sarsour is a student at the Al-Qurtuba-school, a Palestinian high school for girls. The school is surrounded by Israeli military installations and settlements. Leila does not fit the widespread western stereotype of Arab women which characterizes them as weak and victimized. She is strong, intelligent and outspoken. Leila yearns for a daily life free from oppression and violence.