Update 4: Mass, Books, and Dabkeh

Digital Storytellers Delegation to Palestine Update

NOTE ABOUT MY PALESTINE UPDATES: Because of the nature of this trip, I’m not making specific details super public. I am not at spy-level security and folks can find info if they want it, I am just not interested in connecting with random folks who may choose to defend what is happening in Palestine at the hands of the Israeli Government and with the support of the United States and my tax dollars.

Update 4 Contains reflections on…

  • Mass in Jerusalem
  • Educational Bookshop
  • Amnesty International
  • Dabkeh Dance Lessons

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Saint Savior Church – Catholic Service

I have been to Catholic Mass twice in 2024, both times in Palestine. And like last time, I did not understand a word and sat conflicted amidst the white Jesus eyes all around. But also, like last time, the time was filled with joy and faith; kids were being kids, and folks were simply being. With the tensions of the day, these things are acts of resistance. We met one lady who greeted us with such warmth, only to find out that only a few weeks ago, she was beaten by police as she was coming to church. Her crime, being a Palestinian leader . . . or possibly for just being Palestinian.

Google Translate was hard at work

Bookstore Joy

As many of you know, I am a sucker for local bookstores and coffee shops. We were introduced to the Educational Bookshop by one of our guides this week, so I spent a few hours there today. I got to talk with the owner about American politics, student protests, and the current state of Palestine and the Israeli occupation.

Take a look at the Reel I just posted, follow @educationalbookshop on IG, and then head on over to educationalbookshop.com and buy some books.

Amnesty International and the Suffering of Genocide and War

In the afternoon, we met with a staff person from Amnesty International to talk about her interviews with Gaza survivors, the ways that Palestinians are perceived in the world, and how injustice the world over a repeated pattern of dehumanization. I can’t even capture how powerful this time was.

Dabkeh at Douban with Hanna Tams

Hanna Tams is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher in East Jerusalem. He’s been pursuing dance as a career since around 2002. Hanna is the cofounder of Douban dance group.

We danced.
We heard stories of imprisoned relatives.
We danced.
We heard stories of death.
We danced.
We heard stories of resistance.
We danced a dance of resistance.

If you are not familiar with Dabkeh, you can google it because I could not keep up with all of the historical and regional nuances. The bottom line is that it is a dance of resistance, one so powerful that dance troupes and their performances are regularly shut down by the Israeli government.

After a heavy conversation about suffering in the world, it was beautiful to move our bodies, knowing that we were learning another tool for resistance and life.

Dabkeh Dance Class Group Photo

[Transcript]

Hey all, I realized that I may actually look more tired than I actually am. I'm feeling actually quite refreshed. We had a great dinner with just sitting around the table talking about life and politics and our experience so far. This has been a great delegation. I'm grateful for these people who are now family. Today was an off day so we got to hang out on our own a little bit. I did two things that I think were really kind of powerful. One is I hung out at this great bookstore. I'm going to create a reel about it, of course, but just bought some great titles, invested in a Palestinian business and talked with the owner a lot about all the things that they're doing, around Palestine and education and anti Zionism, really good stuff.

That's one. And the second thing is we got back together this evening and learned how to Dabkeh, which is a dance that many of you know, and so we did it. It is a dance of resistance. And, it was a lovely way to think about an art form, but also about the meaning and how it's shifting and changing depending on the context.

So for your watching pleasure, the rest of my update is me dancing. Peace.

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