August Newsletter 2024

August

Palestinian American Community Center

August Newsletter #SupportTheMission

2024

August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

If you like anything we are doing, please donate at paccusa.org/donate Every dollar helps keep us going!

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August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

PROGRAMS PACC Summer Fun Our PACC Summer Fun program has officially come to a close and it was definitely a bittersweet ending to a memorable program! Throughout the six week program, our participants were able to create long lasting connections with others in their community while also exploring their rich culture and heritage in an informative and engaging way. We hope that each child leaves with a deeper appreciation of Palestinian culture and an abundance of memorable moments. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this summer an unforgettable journey! Check out all our pictures on Facebook!

Fall 2024 Programs Launch We’re excited to announce that our Annual 2024-2025 and Fall 2024 programming are back and registration is now open! As always, we are offering a diverse range of programming for all ages, including Dabka classes, Arabic language lessons for youth and adults, cooking classes, and much more. To explore all the programming options and to register, please visit our website or call our center for more information!

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August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

Ali Institute Leadership Program We ended our 8-week program partnering with Ali Institute. On the last day, this year’s cohort presented their projects focusing on areas such as homelessness and immigrant support. We received a phone call from a parent thanking us for the Palestine education workshop we delivered to the cohort and how it inspired her daughter. Overall this year’s cohort ended the program feeling motivated to not only become leaders in their interests, but in aiding disparaging communities.

Palestine Summer Reading Challenge Our Summer Reading Challenge has officially come to a close this month! We’re thrilled to share that over 30 community members participated in this program and were able to read for 15 minutes a day for a month. Thank you to everyone who joined in and made it a success!

EVENTS Vigil For 300 Days Marking 300 days of genocide, PACC joined the national call for three days of action for Palestine by hosting a community vigil to honor our Palestinian martyrs and political prisoners. The vigil was a much needed opportunity for everyone for 80 community members to come together to share their thoughts, express their feelings, and come together for a group prayer/duaa. See pictures from the vigil here.

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August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

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Voices From Palestine For the return of our “Voices from Palestine” series, formerly known as “Sunday Series” PACC was honored to host Qadura Fares and Haitham Arrar, leading Palestine advocates for the rights and dignities of the Palestinian political prisoners.

28 attendees participated virtually. Check out the livestream!

PACC Adults Town Hall We had an incredible gathering of 22 diverse attendees at PACC, united by a shared passion for our community’s future! Together, we dove into crucial discussions about how we can hold our local leaders accountable and ensure they truly represent us. The energy was high as we kicked off an inspiring education series on civics, learning how to organize and empower ourselves to make a real impact!

PACC Middle School and High School Town Hall We held two Youth Town Halls in August, one at PACC and one at Rutgers - New Brunswick, to hear from and understand how we can best support Palestinian and Arab youth in our communities, and equip them with the skills to become future leaders. A total of 6 students attended and the main issue they faced was combating ignorance and insensitivity surrounding Palestine in their schools.

Young Adult Sunday Brunch This month, PACC hosted a Sunday brunch for our young adult community members!

It was a fun relaxing afternoon full of games, a delicious brunch spread, and networking. We had over 30 people join us for this much needed event!

August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

PACC Event with Reverend Munther PACC was honored to host Reverend Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian from Bethlehem who has been a leading voice advocating for Palestinians throughout this past year’s ongoing genocide. He joined us for a community tour of Little Palestine, met with community leaders, led a gathering for interfaith leaders, and ended his visit with a meet and greet with the larger PACC community. 80 guests joined us for the meet and greet! Watch the livestream!

Blood Drive

This month we held another blood drive and were able to collect 23 pints of blood from 21 community members. Shout-out to the Red Cross for all their hard work in organizing this!

ADVOCACY & OUTREACH Grassroots Organizing Team Our Grassroots team is working on research into municipal bonds, motivating members in Scutari’s district to ask him not to allow IHRA to go to a vote, and organizing around voter registration and our youth town halls.

Meeting with Congressman Andy Kim

Through our involvement in the NJ Muslim coalition, we were invited to a small intimate meeting with Representative Andy Kim to talk about our demands for a permanent and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and for the United States to stop sending weapons to Israel.

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August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

School Supply Drive PACC worked with the Gaza Scholarship Initiative for Displaced Students to help raise funds and supplies for incoming scholarship students in the NJ/NY area that were displaced from Gaza during the current and ongoing genocide. PACC has been able to provide supplies and support to students as they arrive and begin to settle on campus. We have also been able to connect community members and make sure the students have the support that they need. We have provided rides from airports and helped them move and settle into their new living spaces and lives. We have been overwhelmed and so proud of the community for all their generous donations and support throughout this initiative. Check out this message from our PACC Family who contributed to our drive!

MARKETING National Day of Action On August 3rd, we joined the call for the National Day of Action for Gaza and Palestinian Political Prisoners. Check out our highlight reel of our vigil in honor of Palestinian Martyrs and Political Prisoners.

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August 2024

Palestinian American Community Center

The Plight of Palestinian Farmers One of our community members Lana Mustafa traveled to Palestine this summer to speak to farmers and learn traditional farming techniques. While there, she shared the story of one Palestinian woman named Um Oday, a farmer born and raised in a refugee camp. Please read more of Um Oday’s story here.

The War Will End Poem Recitation On August 9th, 2008, renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish passed away. To honor his memory and the beautiful poetry he left behind, we shared his poem recited by our PACC Summer Fun kids. Watch it here!

A Message from Reverend Munther Watch our reel of Reverend Munther as he shares some of his insights on his experience with the ongoing occupation and the activism the world has seen over the past 10 years.

Palestine Update: Our Palestine Education Director Basma brings to our attention a few key updates from Palestine. That includes Israel’s plans to move forward with a new illegal settlement in Battir, a unesco heritage site. Watch the full video here.

TRT WORLD OP-ED

Media is an important part of advocating for our rights. It helps connect people to our cause. We published an important Opinion piece on the impact of 300 days of Genocide and on our community here in NJ. You can read the article here.

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August

Palestinian American Community Center

paccusa

2024