BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Detroit X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Detroit BEGIN:VEVENT UID:36085@arabamerica.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260329T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260329T160000 DTSTAMP:20260324T033932Z URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/maryam-a-woman-of-bethlehem/ SUMMARY:Maryam\, A Woman of Bethlehem DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\n\n\nFilm Screening and Q&\;A with Victoria R ue\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin writer and director Victoria Rue for a powerful after noon of film\, storytelling\, and conversation. The program features two f ilms exploring the lives\, faith\, and resilience of Palestinian women thr ough the figure of Mary/Maryam\, revered in both Christian and Muslim trad itions.\n\nThe 75-minute film Maryam: A Woman of Bethlehem presents a Pale stinian play performed by two actresses who portray 22 characters—from a ges 12 to 87—sharing real stories gathered from interviews in Bethlehem. The program also includes the 20-minute documentary Mary Under Occupation \, which follows the creation of the play in the West Bank.\n\nVictoria Ru e will introduce the films and lead a Q&\;A following the screening.\n\ nProceeds from this event will support these organizations:\n\n The Middl e East Children's Alliance-- MECA (A local organization in Berkeley that w orks directly with Gaza to provide water\, food and medicine). For more in formation visit: https://www.mecaforpeace.org/\n Unity of Walnut Creek -- A vibrant\, loving and inclusive community offering a positive path for s piritual living. Through relevant\, practical and inspired teachings\, we call forth the Divinity within us all to heal and spiritually grow.\n\n\n\ n\n\n\nAbout the two films:\n\nMaryam\, A Woman of Bethlehem is a 75 minut e film of a Palestinian play\, acted by two Palestinian actresses and brou ght to the U.S. in 2022. It speaks to us more now than ever before. Every word of the play is from interviews with Palestinians.\n\nThe actresses\, performing in Arabic and English\, enact twenty-two characters\, from 12 —87 years of age\, Muslims and Christians living in Bethlehem\, all of w hom are answering the question “who is Mary/Maryam in 21st century Bethl ehem?”\n\nAnd who is Mary/Maryam? She is the iconic mother of Jesus/Issa in the Christian Bible and the Qur’an. Through the stories of these twe nty-two characters\, you will come to know both Mary/Maryam and the Palest inian people.\n\nMary Under Occupation\n\nThis important 20 minute documen tary film\, directed by Jules Hart\, follows the creation of a play in Bet hlehem\, West Bank\, Palestine. Under Occupation for over 75 years\, who a re Palestinian women? Two young Palestinian actresses\, Dalia Shakhtour an d Rufaida Farraj\, tell the story of performing 22 characters who live in Occupied Bethlehem. Palestinians are primarily Christians and Muslims. The se two traditions share an iconic figure\, Mary/Maryam\, mother of Jesus/I ssa. Mary is a Palestinian woman\, a Palestinian mother\, a Palestinian re sistance fighter. She is a window through which we meet today's Palestinia n women. Dalia and Rufaida also rehearse the play "Maryam\, A Woman of Bet hlehem" for performances in San Jose\, CA. in March 2022.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbo ut Victoria Rue:\n\nVICTORIA RUE\, M.Div. Ph.D. is a Fulbright scholar\, e merita university lecturer\, a theatre writer/director\, and a Roman Catho lic woman priest. She has written and directed plays for over 50 years on both coasts. Please see her website: www.Victoriarue.com In 2018/19 Dr. Ru e was a Fulbright Scholar at Dar al Kalima University\, Bethlehem\, Palest ine. There she interviewed Christians and Muslims on the subject of Mary/M aryam. Having shaped the interviews into a play\, “Maryam\, A Woman of B ethlehem\,” Dr. Rue directed it’s premier in Bethlehem. It subsequentl y toured Palestine through the US State Dept. In 2022 the play and its act resses were brought to the US where they performed at the Hammer Theatre i n San Jose\, CA. A documentary\, “Mary Under Occupation” was created b y Jules Hart that follows the creation of the play. Dr. Rue is also a Roma n Catholic woman priest\, ordained in 2005. There are some 250 women pries ts worldwide. All have been excommunicated. Victoria’s spouse of thirty- five years is Dr. Kathryn Poethig. They met while studying at Union Theolo gical Seminary in NYC and presently live in Walnut Creek\, CA.\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2 026/03/Maryam.webp LOCATION:Unity of Walnut Creek\, 1871 Geary Road\, Walnut Creek\, CA\, 9459 7\, United States GEO:37.926067;-122.072826 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=1871 Geary Road\, Walnut Cr eek\, CA\, 94597\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Unity of Walnu t Creek:geo:37.926067,-122.072826 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR