"The First 54 Years." Israel's Endless Occupation. Film and Panel Discussion
Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/18/2023
3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Categories
Cost:
0.00 USD
Contact Person:
Steven Sellers Lapham
Email:
vfhlonlinefilmsalon@gmail.com
Website:
http://www.voicesfromtheholyland.org
Phone:
2404187628
Organization:
Voices from the Holy Land
Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon presents “THE FIRST 54 YEARS: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation.” Discussion Sunday, June 18, 2023 3 pm ET • 12 noon PT • 10 pm Jerusalem. Register to join the discussion & receive free access to the film: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-June2023. Watch the Trailer: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-Trailer54Years. After registering, view the film for free at your convenience, then join the discussion:
ABSTRACT
What are the circumstances, logic, and day-to-day processes that allow the normalization of the Israeli military occupation? Almost 3 million Palestinians live under military occupation on land captured by Israel in the ’67 war, plus another 2 million in Gaza. What does “military occupation” mean for people living under it? Witness first-hand testimonies from former IDF soldiers and historical film clips that show the devastating results not only on the occupied Palestinians, but also on young Israeli men and women conscripted to enforce it. In “The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation,” Director Avi Mograbi hosts the viewers in his living room and provides insights to how a colonialist occupation works–the logic behind its brutal practices and the different modes of thought needed to sustain it despite international condemnation.
PANELISTS
Avi Mograbi, an Israeli filmmaker and video artist, was born in 1956 in Tel Aviv, where he lives and works to this day. Avi is known for his unwavering commitment to social, cultural, and political justice in the Middle East, as well as his experimentalism and innovative contribution to cinematic language. His documentary films have been screened at festivals worldwide, including: Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Rome, New York, FID Marseille, Vision du Reel, and San Francisco, among others. Since 1999, he has taught documentary and experimental film at Tel Aviv University and the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem.
Ori Givati is the Advocacy Director of Breaking the Silence, an Israeli Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), where he’s responsible for advocacy in the Knesset and media and international relations. Ori served in the Armored Corps of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from 2010-13 as a tank commander. In 2017 he decided to break his silence, testifying about his personal experience as a soldier in the occupied Palestine. He has since collected testimonies from more than 100 former IDF soldiers. Ori has a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from the Open University.
Jamal Najjab is a Palestinian American photojournalist and human rights advocate. He has worked as a political campaign organizer in the Arab-American community, as a journalist in Jerusalem, and on the staff of several humanitarian Palestinian aid organizations. He has appeared on numerous news programs, such as CNN, Al Jazeera-English and Al Jazeera-Arabic, and has published numerous articles in the mainstream and alternative press. Najjab holds a BA in Journalism from Texas A&M University–Commerce. Many of his extended family members reside in Jibya, a very small village north of Ramallah, Palestine (population 136).
James Zogby (moderator) is co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI) and Director of Zogby Research Services, conducting surveys across the Middle East. For three decades, he’s had leadership roles in the Democratic National Committee and advised four presidential candidates. In 2013, President Obama appointed him to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (serving 2013-17). His weekly column is published in 12 countries. Books include Arab Voices; 20 Years After Oslo; and The Tumultuous Decade: Arab, Turkish, and Iranian Public Opinion–2019-2019. Jim holds a doctorate from Temple University’s Department of Religion and has received several honorary doctorate degrees.
CO-SPONSORS
The June 2023 VFHL Online Film Salon is co-sponsored by Nonviolence International and Veterans For Peace