Week 37: Bethlehem Online Gathering

A replay of the gathering will be posted right here a day after the session!

On September 14 we learned how the Israeli Occupation chokes Bethlehem and Rachel’s Tomb. Our guest was Zoughbi Alzoughbi, founder and director of Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center.

More about our guest:

Zoughbi Alzoughbi is founder and director of Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center.

Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center is a grassroots civil society organization based in Bethlehem. In Arabic, “wi’am” means “cordial relationships,” and developing relationships is the essence of our mission. Wi’am helps resolve disputes within the Palestinian community at the grassroots level by implementing the traditional Arab form of mediation, known as Sulha, along with Western models of conflict transformation. They have programs that empower children, youth, women and men, addressing the psychological and physiological consequences of long-term conflict.

You can find Wi’am on their website and follow them on Facebook and YouTube.

Activism Time

Kumi Action is at:
https://kuminow.com/bethlehem/#kumiaction

For your action this week, make a printout of one of the stories on the “Wall Museum” (images at https://aeicenter.org/wallposters-2/ and on Facebook and Instagram) and share it on a physical wall of your school, business, etc. To make it stand out, include a sign proclaiming “RIP, Rachel.” Or share one of the images on your metaphorical Facebook wall. For your message, simply include “RIP, Rachel.” Explain that RIP means “Rest in Palestine.”

You can also write a review of Rachel’s Tomb on Google Maps, highlighting the Palestinian version of the history of Rachel’s Tomb and the surrounding area. We suggest you use language similar to the following:

“Rachel’s Tomb is a deeply religious location to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. It is also located in what is supposed to be Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem. However, in the early 2000s Israel annexed the tomb area to Jerusalem, built a wall around it, and prohibited Palestinians from visiting the site. Furthermore, dozens of businesses in the area had to close their doors. 

All people deserve access to the sites they consider holy. Please keep this in mind when visiting Rachel’s Tomb and help spread the full story of Rachel’s Tomb.”

And if you are able to visit Rachel’s Tomb in person include photos with your review that highlight the art of the “Wall Museum.”

Take a photo of your own “Wall Museum” and share it on social media. Include a link to this page of the Kumi Now website along with the hashtags #RIPRachel, #StoptheWall, #KumiNow, and #Kumi47. 

You can also find the Wall Museum on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wallmuseum

And AEI has great work and stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aeicenter/

From the Presentation/Chat

Coming after the session.