This not-to-be-missed, 200 minute documentary looks at an Arab perspective on Middle Eastern historical events. The two-part documentary series “Al Nakba” was produced by Al Jazeera’s Arabic Channel and tells the story of the Palestinian Catastrophe (Al Nakba) starting from the 18th century to today. The role of the British Mandate and the ethnic cleansing operations climax between 1947-1049, till the on-going Nakba that is taking places nowadays.

This event is free to the public.

Directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer

Follow renowned sculptor Andy Goldsworthy as he creates work of art from elements of nature, and discovers the energy and fragility of the natural world. San Francisco Film Festival: Best Documentary

$5 Suggested Donation

REMEMBERING THE NAKBA:

Stories of the 1947/48 Palestinian Catastrophe

Why do some people have the power to remember, while others are asked to forget? That question is especially poignant at this time of year, as we move from Holocaust Remembrance day in early spring to the anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948. In the months surrounding that date, Jewish forces expelled, or intimidated into flight, an estimated 750,000 Palestinians. A living, breathing, society that had existed in Palestine for centuries was smashed and fragmented, and a new society built on its ruins.

Few Palestinian families lack a personal narrative of loss from that period — an uncle killed, or a branch of the family that fled north while the others fled east, never to be reunited, or homes, offices, orchards and other property seized. Ever since, Palestinians worldwide have commemorated May 15 as Nakba (Catastrophe) Day.

CNY Working for a Just Peace in Palestine & Israel wishes to both commemorate and educate the public about the realities and abuses to the indigenous Palestinian people during the time that is usually referred to as the “Israeli War of Independence”. While the world looked on and cheered the small, “defenseless” birth of Israel, innocent families were massively being displaced from their homeland, sometimes with only the belongings they could carry. Others less fortunate lost their lives in documented cases of massacres and executions by Jewish troops. We feel their suffering must not go unnoticed.

Our event will feature local Palestinians who will speak from their personal experiences. We will also share poetry, photos and a short excerpt from a documentary related to the Nakba in order to provide context to those not very familiar with this time in history. As with all of our events, we invite questions and discussion.

Free to the Public

Th3 Thursday Special Event!

Nancy Keefe Rhodes is the curator of A Tender Record, the current ArtRage exhibit of restored photographs by Marjory Wilkins. She will offer a presentation/gallery talk, “On the Restoration of Vernacular Photography as History and Art”, on this exhibit and the issue of photo restoration in general. Nancy has written a book on the Wilkins’ photographic project, due to be published in 2010.

In her words, “This project has challenged assumptions about both the beauty of vernacular photography and its practitioners’ aesthetic accomplishment – above and beyond its historical importance in specific communities. It also suggests that the ways in which’old picture’ have often been treated may sometimes diminish our capacity to fully appreciate them as photographs.”

Join us for an informative evening at ArtRage. FREE to the public

Nancy Keefe Rhodes is an arts journalist who covers film, photo, and visual arts. She covers the arts for the Syracuse City Eagle weekly, which has also carried her film column “Make it Snappy” since 2006. Nancy has also interviewed a wide range of photographers and was a recipient in 2008 of an annual Light Work grant for her on-going project examining photo restoration of the early black-and-white of Marjory Wilkins. A graduate of the first class of the Goldring Arts Journalism Masters Program at the Newhouse School, Nancy lives in Syracuse.

Onondaga Historical Association Executive Director Gregg Tripoli will be there to represent the South Side Initiative.

Last fall, Syracuse University’s South Side Initiative and the local Black History Preservation team sponsored a bus tour of old Syracuse: the 15th Ward and other historical sites. Some 30 senior members of the community, who have lived in Syracuse for at least 40 years, participated. The tour and the participants’ stories and recollections of Syracuse’s past were filmed for a documentary, “Syracuse’s 15th Ward and Beyond.” The documentary was created by local filmmaker and SU alumna Courtney Rile.

Among the former sites the tour participants visited were the Ebony Market, Croton Elementary, Old Dunbar, The Glass Bottom and Open Door lounges, Ben’s Kitchen, the Father Brady Center for Black Catholics and Washington Irving Elementary School.

“The Black History Preservation Project is a direct response to the South Side community’s interest in more fully representing Syracuse’s rich history,” says Linda Littlejohn, associate vice president for SU’s South Side Initiative. “We are privileged to develop a virtual community museum that celebrates the history and heritage of black people in the Syracuse region with community residents, the City of Syracuse’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Onondaga County Public Library, the University’s Black Syracuse project, SU’S E.S. Bird Library and the Onondaga Historical Association. We also acknowledge the Dunbar Association for the use of their space.

This event is free to the public.