MIDDLE EAST CHILDREN’S ALLIANCE • spring 2023

Delivering Warmth and Solidarity:

MECA’s Annual Winter Relief Campaign
On December 27, 2022 Dr. Mona El-Farra,
MECA’s Director of Gaza Projects wrote from Gaza:
Thunderstorms, strong wind, and heavy rain in different parts of the
small enclave. Thousands of people are living in fragile, tin-roofed
homes that started to leak in the early hours of the morning. Mat-
tresses, blankets, and clothes are heavily soaked with water. The ba-
sic infrastructure is not good enough to cope with such an emergen-
cy—with no basic water drainage, no electricity or sewage pumping.
A similar crisis exists in Lebanon where millions of long-time Pales-
tinian refugees struggle along thousands of newer refugees from the
war in Syria. In these conditions MECA partner organizations, staff,
and volunteers hurried to help.

From December 2022 through January 2023 MECA

provided winter relief to more than four thousand
children and families in Palestine and Lebanon.

Planting Trees and The impact was devastating and continues into the new
Nurturing Roots in Palestine year. The olive harvest, which begins in October, is usually
a time for social gatherings, unity, and reconnecting with
nature and land. It has now turned into the most violent
This year, MECA is working with partners in Palestine
season of the year, targeting Palestinians, as well as their
to plant 3,500 olive trees and 500 grape vines in dozens
lands and trees.
of villages throughout the West Bank during Palestin-
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture,
ian planting season from January through March 2023.
approximately 7,000 olive trees were uprooted, poisoned,
We are grateful to the 161 individuals and groups who
burnt, had chemicals sprayed on them, or were cut down.
already made contributions on Giving Tuesday and since
In addition, there were 200 physical attacks on the farm-
then to plant trees in Palestine. To support this project
ers themselves. The highest number of olive trees to have
please go to: www.mecaforpeace.org/trees
been uprooted was in Nablus with 1,600 trees destroyed.
This update provided by MECA Palestine Projects &
The violent act of uprooting trees is a mirror of the vi-
Social Media Coordinator Waed Abbas in East Jerusalem.
olent act of uprooting people from their homes— whether
Waed interviewed people at our Palestinian partner orga-
by home demolitions, detentions of family members, or
nization Stop the Wall Campaign. Israeli military and set-
tler violence reached new and terrifying levels in 2022. Planting Trees, Continued on page 3
 Seventy-five Years is a
Long, Long, Long Time
is 16 years old. In Gaza there is
a generation nearing adulthood
By Executive Director Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch that has spent their entire child-
hood in this open-air prison.
Sometimes they forget this re-
This May 15, Palestinians mark 75 years since the begin- ality for a moment on the play-
ning of what has become a continuous Nakba or catastrophe ground, playing music, or reading a book, but otherwise their
for the Palestinian people. When I was young, during the only window outside this prison is the internet. Despite what
First Intifada in 1988, we never thought we would reach this they are going through, this generation is proud and deter-
time. Either we would be back in our homes and villages, or mined.
we would be dead. North of Palestine, our colleague Suha is working with
Seventy-five years is a long, long, long time. I am 58 years Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon at MECA’s part-
old; I don’t want my time to run out while I am still a refugee, ner organization Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Orga-
waiting to access my right to return. That is the sad part. My nization. “For Palestinians in the refugee camps,” she says,
mom’s generation—the catastrophe survivor generation— “from 1948 until the 1960s, they were in the survival phase.
they passed away but we still consider them refugees in their Then people were able to be more creative—about maintain-
graves. My mom wanted to be buried in her village in the ing our culture, about building the resistance. But the cur-
land beside her parents and grandparents. rent reality in the camps in Lebanon keeps pushing us back
What helps me continue to be hopeful is the continuous to the survival phase, to the struggle for food and water.”
Palestinian struggle for our rights. Especially when I see I know what Suha means. When I was a child in Dheisheh
what the new generation can do rooted in sumoud (stead- Refugee Camp, the focus for my parents and the rest of the ca-
fastness), despite what they are going through in their daily tastrophe generation was to survive and help their children
lives under Israeli occupation. It seems they can see the end survive. As young refugees, we thought there were discrete
of Israeli settler colonialism. stages to the struggle: survival, then creativity, then planning
I often talk with my friend Jawad from Silwan. To be hon- and struggle. But the reality now, after 75 years, is that Pales-
est, we smoke and have coffee while we talk on the phone. tinians are often living all the phases at the same time.
Sometimes it’s late at night his time and early morning for
me, and sometimes the reverse. Please join us for the Bay Area Nakba
“I am living and witnessing an incredible moment of his- Commemoration (See back page) 
tory,” he told me recently. “No one can ignore it unless they
are ignorant. The Israeli colonial system is moving very In every town, every village, every refugee camp, the
fast and becoming more brutal day after day. They are kill- young people are fighting back. The new generation isn’t in-
ing and maiming more Palestinians every day; it no longer terested in official statements from national or international
matters if they are children, or women, or old people. Their organizations. They want an end to the Israeli occupation; they
bulldozers are more rapidly destroying Palestinian houses, want to live in freedom. This is what keeps us as Palestinian
gardens, playgrounds, schools. They are rushing to expand refugees, often far from our homes, hopeful and able to con-
settlements into every part of the West Bank. When you see tinue our work.
settlers or soldiers walking down the street, they are always As refugees, our eyes are always on the right to return.
rushing.“ A few months ago, a friend from the U.S. was on her way to
“They have been like this since before 1948,” I said. Palestine and asked me if wanted anything. I said, “Go visit
“No, this is different. They are running from something af- my village. Go visit Zakariya.” When I was still in Palestine,
ter them. They are frantic to achieve their old plan to get rid I needed a special permit from Israel to visit the destroyed
of all the Palestinians because they are worried. They know Palestinian villages of my family and friends. I went whenever
that they have a problem with history; time is not on their I could to feel the history, to see what was left.
side. Every day we witness atrocities: a child being killed; a Jawad has “Jerusalem residency”, so he can travel in a
house being destroyed. These are painful moments, but the way that Palestinians in the rest of the West Bank or Gaza
people are hopeful because we can see freedom getting cannot. He and my friend from the U.S. planned a visit to Za-
closer.” kariya, taking along some young Palestinian artists. At 1 am
The same is true in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli siege San Francisco time, they facetimed me. It was mid-morning
2 MECA NEWS
in Palestine. “We are at the entrance to the village,” they said. Planting Trees, Continued from page 1
I felt excited and nervous. The last time I saw my village was
in 2008 before I left Palestine to study in the U.S. How had
things changed in the years since? Only three of the original
buildings still exist: the mosque, the school, and one house
where settlers now live. I told the group about the history of
the village and guided them as they walked through it. Set-
tlers gathered to stare at the cameras and pointed at some of
the women who were wearing hijab.
Then the group wanted to see my family’s land outside the
village. They hurried across the major street, and we were
able to identify where our land used to be. My father’s family
was among the poor in the village, so it wasn’t much land, but
we had olive, pomegranate, apricot, and fig trees, and a veg-
etable plot. As the camera panned over the land, it became
very emotional for all of us. By then the settlers were more
threatening, and it was time to leave. For me this was a beau-
tiful way to recharge my batteries, my spirit, my hope that we
will return.
As we approach May 15, millions of refugees—from Pales-
tine and many other countries—are living in terrible condi-
tions. Many have died of thirst in the desert or sunk beneath
the ocean as they escape oppression, poverty, and war. The
world has no choice but to build our solidarity movements,
stronger and more steadfast. And to continue the struggle for
justice and liberation for everyone.
No doubt, we Palestinian refugees will access our right of
return someday soon. It’s a fact, it’s not a dream. We know it,
we feel it, we breathe it.

One of the few means available for Palestinians

to make confiscation of their land more difficult
is to ensure any possible stretch of land is
cultivated and planted.
—Stop the Wall Campaign

the cold-blooded killings by Israeli soldiers or settlers.

The roots of our olive trees are the roots of the people
and their land. MECA’s “Plant a Tree” initiative conducted
with our partners the Stop the Wall Coalition and Pales-
tinian Farmers Union is beyond vital.
A representative from the Palestinian Farmer’s Union
explained the importance of different groups coming to-
gether to plant trees, saying “The participation of farm-
ers, youth groups, friends from various organizations
and others increases belief in the justice of our cause and
Several years ago, I visited my mother’s village Jarash with makes us feel that we are not working alone against the
a friend. We are surrounded by the remains of the houses Israeli Occupation.”
that were destroyed by the Israeli forces so that the residents
would not be able to return home.
MECA NEWS 3
 MECA Says Goodbye
to Penny Rosenwasser after 32 Years

Penny Rosenwasser, Middle East Children’s Alliance Events Penny at 2022 Tribute to MECA
Coordinator extraordinaire—and so much more—is leaving founding Board President Gus
her staff position after 32 years of amazing accomplishments. Newport
We will miss her a great deal, but we know that while she will
no longer be on staff, she will always be a part of MECA and
will continue her activism for justice in Palestine.
Penny began work at MECA in 1990, just two years after
Barbara Lubin and Howard Levine started the organization,
when events were the main source of funds. Penny produced
more than 250 outstanding and popular events, for audiences
ranging from 30 to 3,600 people, including renowned figures
like Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, and Howard Zinn, poets
Naomi Shihab Nye, June Jordan, and Alice Walker; perform-
ing artists Ani DiFranco, Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, Holly
Near, Mos Def, and Melanie DeMore. Writers and scholars “Talks for MECA have always been a high point
like Ali Abunimah, Naomi Klein, Ilan Pappe, Gore Vidal, of the year for me, and it’s hard to imagine
Edward Said, and Dave Zirin. Penny’s work brought Palestin- MECA without Penny -- though I am sure it
ian performers and speakers directly to Bay Area communities
will carry on in her spirit. Working with her
and beyond. She produced the Oakland performance of Sho-
ruq’s Youth Debka Troupe’s first US tour, and events with Dr. has truly been a pleasure. I wish her the best
Mona El-Farra, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Diana Buttu, Maya in whatever paths she follows, and surely illu-
Abu Al-Hayyat, Haneen Zoabi, among many, many others. minates, in the years to come.”
Penny’s work and commitment went far beyond event pro- –Noam Chomsky
duction. She led four MECA women’s delegations to Palestine;
wrote her first book Voices from a Promised Land: Palestinian
& Israeli Peace Activists Speak Their Hearts and did a nation-
wide book tour, benefitting MECA. Together with MECA found-
er Barbara Lubin, Penny organized rallies, marches, and vigils
to protest Israeli occupation of Palestine, assaults on Lebanon,
and sanctions and war on Iraq. They were arrested more than
once sitting in at the Israeli Consulate and organized a major
demonstration that stopped Benjamin Netanyahu from speak-
ing in Berkeley.

Valeria Chomsky and

Noam Chomsky, with
Penny getting ready for
a 2009 MECA event.

Penny interviewing a young Palestinian on one of the four

MECA women’s delegations she led in the 1990s.
4 MECA NEWS
Penny writes:
“I’ve been so honored to serve MECA’s critical mission since
1990, and I’m grateful for the ways I’ve grown, both person-
ally and professionally, by contributing to MECA’s profound
accomplishments. I leave with warm appreciation and thanks
to all MECA staff for the hard work and care they give to MECA
and the children and families we serve, every day. Immense
thanks to all our supporters and volunteers, as well. Very spe-
cial thanks to Barbara Lubin and Howard Levine, who had the
passion to create MECA in 1988. Barbara taught me about Pal-
estine, about going for a big vision, and about generosity and
love.”

Backstage after Penny produced the “Voices of a

People’s History of the United States” (l-r: Aya de
Leon, Nora El-Samahy, Mos Def, Melanie DeMore,
Howard Zinn, Penny Rosenwasser, Anthony Ar-
nove, Barbara Lubin.)

Silwan Protest. Penny with Jemila, from MECA’s

women’s peace delegation at a protest in
Silwan, circa 1994.

MECA NEWS 5
 Halaby Family Creates
Scholarship Fund for
Palestinian Women

Since 2005, the Middle East Children’s Alliance has made

it possible for more than a thousand Palestinian students
to complete their undergraduate studies at Palestinian
universities. This academic year, 150 Palestinians received
MECA scholarships thanks to the generous support of in-
dividuals, families, and community groups. Please get in
touch if you are interested in providing scholarships.

Dr. and Mrs. Raouf J. Halaby are pleased to announce the

establishment of the Katrina and Beatrice Halaby Scholarship
for Palestinian Women. Born in Palestine, Katrina and Beatrice
moved in 1959 from Jerusalem, Palestine, to Beirut, Lebanon.
In 1977 they moved to Redwood City, CA.
A graduate of the Beirut, Lebanon-based British Syrian Col-
lege for Women, Katrina Halaby dedicated her life to teaching
in pre-Nakba Palestine, first, at her alma mater, the Friends
Girls High School, Ramallah, Palestine, then, in post 1948 Na- Katrina Halaby
kba, at the Palestinian village schools of Beit Safafa and Abu
Gosh in Occupied Palestine. And for over fifteen years Katrina This scholarship is a fulfilment of Raouf and Rachel’s pledge
Halaby taught at the UNRWA Palestinian schools in the Burj to honor Beatrice’s request to continue supporting MECA’s ed-
El Barajneh, Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, whereupon she ucational mission. The scholarship is set up to provide higher
became the first female principal in the UNRWA school sys- education opportunities for Palestinian women (of all ages)
tem. In 1947, Katrina Halaby was widowed at age 37. Among from the Occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip.
her many accomplishments, she raised and helped educate
her five children, all of whom are college graduates; teaching
generations of Palestinian children in Palestine and Lebanon;
and adhering to the notion that education is the best passport
Palestinians could possess, both under occupation and in di-
aspora.
After dropping out of college for several years to help edu-
cate her younger brothers, in 1973 Beatrice Rima Halaby was
awarded a degree in Business Education from the Beirut Col-
lege for Women. In 1986 and at the age of 49, Beatrice was
awarded a Master’s degree in Human Resources and Organi-
zational Skills from the University of San Francisco.
This mother-daughter team were strong advocates for Hu-
man Rights and Women’s Rights, especially the rights of the
dispossessed Palestinians. They were also strong supporters
of the many organizations that support the destitute victims
of hatred and wars across the world. Until the last week of
her life (November 29, 2021), Beatrice Halaby admonished
her brother to support MECA, The Four Homes of Mercy, and
Doctors without Borders “because they help the destitute, the
sick, and the refugees as we were.”

Beatrice (Betty) Halaby

6 MECA NEWS
 Rural Women Providing
Educational and Emotional Support

Shatha Abu Obaida

Katrina and Beatrice Halaby Scholarship Recipient
Pharmacy Major, Al-Azhar university, Gaza In November 2022 Israel demolished the newly built school in
the village of Masafer Yatta, which had 22 students, ages six to
Shatha Abu Obaida’s family is originally from Beer Al- eleven. The next nearest school is four kilometers away and is
Saba’a, the large region renamed Beer Sheva after it was cap- also at risk of demolition.
tured by Israeli forces in 1948 and the original Muslim and
Christian residents were expelled to Gaza. Shatha now lives “We found that making sure we continue with
in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, Gaza. Growing up, she en- our program—whether in the classrooms of the
dured the death of her mother and a terrible gas accident in schools, or at our offices, or at our homes—we
her home. cannot stop showing up for these children, not
only to support their education, but also to make
Shatha says: sure they know we are in this together and we
“When I entered college and started studying the basic are here for them.”
subjects such as cell biology and organic chemistry, I realized –Fatma Nawaja, board chair of RWA
that pharmacy is more than wonderful, rich in useful and
In 2015, eleven women from four scattered villages in the
varied information, as it combines the science of chemistry
South Hebron Hills held a meeting, determined to develop
and the science of medicine.
the resources to achieve social, economic, and educational
After graduating, I aspire to enroll in a master’s degree
advancement for themselves, their children, and their com-
and then work as a pharmacist, maybe eventually opening
munities.
my own pharmacy. I’m also interested in learning drug man-
Today, the Rural Women’s Association (RWA) organizes
ufacturing processes and monitoring the therapeutic and
a range of activities—from summer camps to women’s in-
medical specifications of medications.
come-generation projects to afterschool tutoring—in one
I look to the future with confidence in the direction of my
of the most impoverished and besieged areas of Palestine’s
dreams. I will work to complete my studies with excellent
West Bank. The Association carries out it’s crucial work in the
grades.”
midst of settler violence, demolitions of homes and schools,
land confiscation, incarceration, and the lack of many basic
services.
The dire conditions of Israeli Occupation in the South He-
bron Hills, which include Masafer Yatta, have had a detrimen-
tal impact on children’s educational and psychological well-
being. In response the Rural Women’s Association developed
a project called Supportive Learning, which with support
from MECA is working with children from first through sixth
grades in each of six villages. Teachers spend several hours
per week to provide academic tutoring, develop children’s
study skills, build the students confidence, and give them op-
portunities to express their creativity.
You can make an online contribution to support the Rural
Women’s Association at www.mecafopeace.org/RWA
MECA NEWS 7
MIDDLE EAST NON PROFIT
ORG.
CHILDREN’S ALLIANCE US POSTAGE
1101 8th Street spring 2023 PAID
OAKLAND, CA
Berkeley, CA 94710 permit#8265

Join MECA to commemorate the 75th anniversary of

the Nakba (Palestinian catastrophe). Please be sure
to check www.mecaforpeace/events for details about
a MECA event to recognize the massive expulsion of
Palestinians from Palestine that began 75 years ago
and continues every day. Special guest, date, time, and
location coming soon.

THE NAKBA More details soon at www.MECAforPeace.org.

Mark your calendars and dust off your bicycles for

MECA’s Second Annual

RIDE FOR PALESTINE, July 16, 2023.

Register now at www.RideforPalestine.com
to start telling friends and raising funds to support
July 16, 2023 MECA’s projects for children in Palestine.