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Our Winter 2024 program session has been off to a great start! We were able to launch 3 new programs for our community to enjoy– PACC Computer Class sponsored by Islamic Relief, a Palestine Storytime & Craft program, and a brand new Advanced Arabic class!
We are also now offering new Private Adult Dabka and Cooking classes for anyone interested in learning Dabka or Cooking at our center with their own private group! You bring the people and we will provide the instructor and space.
Our popular “Freedom is the Future” course is back up and running. This online course centers on Palestinian advocacy, education, and more for adults 18+. This year, we have 50 registrants with a variety of Palestinians and non-Palestinians alike!
For more information regarding our Community Programs or to register, visit our website.
For a lovely evening with 55 of our community members, we recreated Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” with a twist of Palestinian inspiration inspired by our own local artist Said Elatab. The event led by our talented artist Reem Ibrahem, was a huge success that helped bring the community together, and allowed the audience to feel a bit closer to Palestine, all in the comfort of PACC. Watch snippets from the event here.
PACC partnered with The Muslim Network to bring several Muslim journalists to discuss their experiences in the media world and how marginalized groups like ours should consume their media and get more involved in the media industry. There was lots of engagement and our 45 attendees were able to walk away with resources and knowledge of best practices when it comes to media consumption.
This month we wanted our women to destress and focus on their health, so we had a yoga session with instructor Dominga Urrejola. 11 women were in attendance!
This month we took to the streets of Washington to march alongside 400,000 people for Gaza. PACC sent 2 buses full of our community members to take part. Check out highlights from the March on our social media here.
Our weekly Palestine support groups, which happen every Monday night at PACC, have been an outlet for our community over the last few weeks. Community members have been able to come together and share their struggles and grief while creating a space of healing and wellness. If you are interested in attending these support groups, feel free to register on our website.
Moderated by Abed Awad, PACC members listened in on an engaging discussion with ADC Executive Director Abed Ayoub on what our community has been facing in the U.S. in the last few months. There has been a staggering rise in hate crimes in the U.S., specifically towards Palestinians but also anti-Arab and Islamophobic hate as well. Speakers discussed how this will play out and how our community should respond in both the short and long term. We had 25 people attending and engaging in this meaningful conversation. Watch the full livestream!
Our Palestine Education Director Basma Bsharat has continued teaching our HOPE class at Noble Leadership Academy since the start of the trimester. Students have been engaging in lively discussions and projects by taking a deep dive into Palestinian history and advocacy.
PACC hosted our second community workshop dedicated to the intergenerational art of Palestinian Tatreez. Our Tatreez instructor, Wafa Ayyad, taught our diverse audience of 39 people how to stitch Tatreez patterns while explaining their regional significance! PACC plans on hosting these workshops monthly so that the community can continue learning about this beautiful form of Palestinian culture, art, and resistance. You can book your Tatreez workshop here.
Wafa Ayyad, our Tatreez instructor, also hosted three workshops outside of PACC during the month of January. As attention towards the Palestinian cause increases, so does interest in the rich culture and history of Palestine! Our Tatreez workshops have been an engaging, enriching way for guests to learn about Palestine and participate in the culture while learning about the history involved.
This month we had our first Advocacy and Civic Engagement meeting of the year where we engaged in advocacybased exercises followed by a Palestine 101 presentation by SJP Montclair President Barry Mahmoud. Our ACE team was very engaged and excited to partake in many PACC projects!
In partnership with Voice For Humanity Project, we launched a billboard campaign to raise funds for billboards across NJ with important messaging about Palestine. So far we have been able to raise close to $18,000 which is a huge accomplishment! Help us reach our goal of $25,000 by donating today!
Falastin Magazine Volume 7 Issue 3 is now live! The work in this issue was submitted by members of our community of all ages. We are grateful to the PACC board for always supporting our vision for Falastin and we thank every sponsor who contributes to the success of this project! Read Falastin here!
We witnessed atrocious crimes against Palestinians by Israel and we will never let the world forget. On Instagram, we shared haunting images shared by brave journalists in Gaza that will remain ingrained in our memories. Read the post here.
Our community stories are important to PACC, so we wanted to highlight them in our #SpeakUpForPalestine series. This month we shared Bushra’s story who lived through Operation Cast Lead, the first major Israeli assault on Gaza. Read more about Bushra’s story here.
On Palestinian Martyr’s Day, we received the news of the targeted killings of Mustafa Thrya and Hamza Dahdouh, Wael Dahdouh’s son. As we continue to be haunted by the daunting number of Palestinian lives violently taken by Israel, we urge you to take the time to honor and hold them close. They are not numbers, and we reject any notion of normalizing the deaths of Palestinian bodies. Today and everyday, we honor and grieve for the martyrs while affirming the right of every Palestinian to live freely. Swipe through our post here.
This year, New Jersey recognized January as Muslim Heritage Month! With the recognition of Muslim heritage, we work to reject media biases and celebrate the rich history and contributions of our Muslim Community. Check out our post here.
January 14th Marked 100 days of the genocide taking place on civilians in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government. Within 100 days Gaza witnessed complete death and destruction at a catastrophic level. We will continue to speak up, to advocate, and to take action.
The people of Gaza are not giving up. We can’t either. See our graphic here.
We released a statement detailing the ICJ ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. Read the full statement here.
PACC released a statement expressing our outrage of UNRWA’s suspension by many countries including our own, following the accusations by Israel that immediately followed the ICJ ruling.
January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Holocaust will forever be known as a failure on the part of mankind. When thinking back to the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, the immediate question is “how was this allowed?” So we must beg the question- when we said never again, shouldn’t that mean never again...for anyone?
Shouldn’t the same be applied to the Palestinian people?
Our very own board member Raed Odeh disrupts Congressman Bill Pascrell demanding that he call for a ceasefire! The video received close to 30,00 views on Instagram!
At PACC, we believe language is important especially when discussing matters related to Palestine. We made a post detailing the importance of calling what’s happening in Palestine an occupation rather than a conflict. Check it out here.
PACC released a statement about the horrific event where Israeli undercover agents disguised as medical workers and civilians invaded a hospital in Jenin and killed three Palestinians. We discussed this and the larger context of rising violence in the West Bank.
