In July, Jehad Abusalim of the midwest branch of AFSC in Chicago began recording a weekly podcast entitled Palestine Now & Then. The show focuses on Palestinian culture, history, and politics, discussing the lives and experiences of modern Palestinians in the context of the similarities and differences with past generations.

New Podcast "Palestine Now & Then"

In July, Jehad Abusalim of the midwest branch of AFSC in Chicago began recording a weekly podcast entitled Palestine Now & Then. The show focuses on Palestinian culture, history, and politics, discussing the lives and experiences of modern Palestinians in the context of the similarities and differences with past generations.

The first episode featured Jennifer Bing, Chicago AFSC’s Palestine Israel program director, who spoke about AFSC’s past and current work in Palestinian human rights, including with Palestinian refugees. In addition, Chicago AFSC’s summer intern Gabe Gluskin-Braun spoke about the mission of Gaza Unlocked, and the work he is doing on the Strawberry Survey this summer to learn what people know about the situation in Gaza, inform people about the conditions there, and learn from those who have personal experiences with Gaza.

In the second episode, Jehad spoke with Ahmed Hamad, a Palestinian Chicago-based dance instructor and filmmaker. Ahmed spoke about Dabke, the traditional folk dance of Palestinians, and its evolution from a local communal tradition to a regional symbol of resistance and cultural pride. Ahmed also spoke about Dabke’s personal significance to him, and how Dabke relates to his activist work.

Both episodes can be found here at AFSC’s Soundcloud account, titled “Palestine Now and Then.” Updates on the show can also be found at the podcast’s Instagram page, @palestine_nowthen.

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