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5/03 - Obstacles to Peace: Stories about Palestine w/DINNER
Friday, May 03, 2024, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM CT
Friday, May 03, 2024, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM CT
SPRING 2024 Events
MEAL AND MEETING SPACE PROVIDED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Palestinian and Jewish Iowans share their personal stories and experiences of identity, oppression, solidarity, and hope from inside Palestine and in the US. The speaker panel includes Palestinians, who grew up in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and from the diaspora.
Yaser AbuDagga is a Palestinian American originally from Gaza. Yaser moved to the US in 1991. Yaser Received a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa. Yaser moved to Iowa in 1997 and has been living in Coralville since. Yaser is a co-founder of Iowans for Palestine and HOPE Relief Foundation.
Deema Totah is a Palestinian-American Assistant Professor of Engineering. She was born and raised in Ramallah, Palestine. She received a B.S. from MIT and a PhD from The University of Michigan in Mechanical Engineering, before moving to Iowa City in 2021. She does research with assistive devices for mobility and is a member of the international organization Scientists for Palestine.
Mona Odeh is a Palestinian-German-American. She was born and raised in Mainz, Germany and her parents come from Huwarra, Palestine (a small-town near the city of Nablus). While living in Germany, her family took summer trips to visit the family in Huwarra, Palestine, every two years. She moved to Ohio when she was a teenager in 1997. She went to the University of Cincinnati and received her B.S. in Biological Science. After that she went to OSU for the MCDB (Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology) PhD program and received her Masters. She moved to Iowa City over a year and a half ago, with her little family from Columbus, OH.
Dani Love Misyuk is a Jewish-Ukrainian-American born in Brooklyn, New York. They are a community organizer who has done work ranging from the New York City mayor’s office program to End Gender and Domestic Based Violence, LGBTQ+ rights, Pro-Palestinian/Antizionist Jewish advocacy, and facilitating Youth Action Healthy Relationship workshops. They study anthropology, with specific interest in social justice movements throughout different cultures and time periods.
Samantha Brotman (she/her) is a Jewish American from the Pacific Northwest. Raised by and in Jewish institutions like the Jewish Community Center, Jewish summer camps, B'Nai Brith Youth Organization, her synagogue, and Hillel, Sam grew up learning that Zionism was synonymous with her Jewish identity. She began unlearning Zionism as a young adult, spurred in part by visiting Israel/Palestine on a Birthright trip, and eventually became an anti-Zionist activist. As an adult, she earned an MA in Middle East Studies and Arabic, became a staff member at Jewish Voice for Peace (where she worked for 8 years), and recently became a founding member of JVP Eastern Iowa. She has lived in Iowa City for a year and a half.
Program Partners: Iowans for Palestine (IFP), Jewish Voice for Peace - Eastern Iowa (JVP EI), Middle East and North African Student Association at Iowa (MENASA)
Yaser AbuDagga is a Palestinian American originally from Gaza. Yaser moved to the US in 1991. Yaser Received a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa. Yaser moved to Iowa in 1997 and has been living in Coralville since. Yaser is a co-founder of Iowans for Palestine and HOPE Relief Foundation.
Deema Totah is a Palestinian-American Assistant Professor of Engineering. She was born and raised in Ramallah, Palestine. She received a B.S. from MIT and a PhD from The University of Michigan in Mechanical Engineering, before moving to Iowa City in 2021. She does research with assistive devices for mobility and is a member of the international organization Scientists for Palestine.
Mona Odeh is a Palestinian-German-American. She was born and raised in Mainz, Germany and her parents come from Huwarra, Palestine (a small-town near the city of Nablus). While living in Germany, her family took summer trips to visit the family in Huwarra, Palestine, every two years. She moved to Ohio when she was a teenager in 1997. She went to the University of Cincinnati and received her B.S. in Biological Science. After that she went to OSU for the MCDB (Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology) PhD program and received her Masters. She moved to Iowa City over a year and a half ago, with her little family from Columbus, OH.
Dani Love Misyuk is a Jewish-Ukrainian-American born in Brooklyn, New York. They are a community organizer who has done work ranging from the New York City mayor’s office program to End Gender and Domestic Based Violence, LGBTQ+ rights, Pro-Palestinian/Antizionist Jewish advocacy, and facilitating Youth Action Healthy Relationship workshops. They study anthropology, with specific interest in social justice movements throughout different cultures and time periods.
Samantha Brotman (she/her) is a Jewish American from the Pacific Northwest. Raised by and in Jewish institutions like the Jewish Community Center, Jewish summer camps, B'Nai Brith Youth Organization, her synagogue, and Hillel, Sam grew up learning that Zionism was synonymous with her Jewish identity. She began unlearning Zionism as a young adult, spurred in part by visiting Israel/Palestine on a Birthright trip, and eventually became an anti-Zionist activist. As an adult, she earned an MA in Middle East Studies and Arabic, became a staff member at Jewish Voice for Peace (where she worked for 8 years), and recently became a founding member of JVP Eastern Iowa. She has lived in Iowa City for a year and a half.
Program Partners: Iowans for Palestine (IFP), Jewish Voice for Peace - Eastern Iowa (JVP EI), Middle East and North African Student Association at Iowa (MENASA)
Obstacles to Peace: Stories about Palestine
May 03, 2024, 06:00PM - 7:30AM
IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
ALSO STREAMING ONLINE: CLICK HERE
DOORS OPEN AT 5:30PM - JOIN US FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION AND A MEAL!
PLEASE RSVP BY April 29th - SO WE KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD TO ORDER
May 03, 2024, 06:00PM - 7:30AM
IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
ALSO STREAMING ONLINE: CLICK HERE
DOORS OPEN AT 5:30PM - JOIN US FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION AND A MEAL!
PLEASE RSVP BY April 29th - SO WE KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD TO ORDER