• Fr. Jacek Orzechowski (one of FOTONNA’s Advisory Council members) is at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, MD, and he does the annual fundraiser Polar Bear Plunge at the National Harbor. This year it took place on January 27, and Fr. Jacek chose Tent of Nations as the recipient of funds raised through his efforts.  The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) sponsored the event, and half of the funds raised by Fr. Jacek goes to TON and half to CCAN.  There is a humorous video of the event that Fr. Jacek put together, and you can join in the laughter by going to:  https://animoto.com/play/uu0FnaPLJUtqBXPlYy1wnQ.  We are also adding it to our website under Media – Videos – Tent of Nations.  The people who participated were all good sports and are into environmental issues and just general silliness for the sake of doing good things for others.  We truly appreciate Fr. Jacek’s support as well as that of all his sponsors!!

• Another video, this one capturing Daoud telling about the years of struggle to prove ownership of the land during the 100-year Commemoration in May 2016, can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mk0PWtNFmM&feature=youtu.be

We are also adding this one to our website.  It captures the spirit of the people as they continue to celebrate their heritage and their resistance to the occupation through non-violent means.  This one, in particular, tells the story of the Nassar family’s persistence through, over and around obstacles.  Not only do they “refuse to be enemies” – they also refuse to give up and go away!

• The upcoming Interfaith Peace-Builders Tour (www.ifpb.org) is accepting applications to join the July 21-August 3 Tour.  Join the July 21-August 3 Tour.  An Olive Harvest Delegation is also planned for  October 27-November 9, 2018. Remember:  If you think you can volunteer on the Tent of Nations farm for at least two weeks following the IFPB Tour, there is scholarship money available through Friends of Tent of Nations North America (FOTONNA).  You need to have a real financial need to qualify, and the scholarship covers half of your IFPB airfare and all of your volunteer expenses incurred on the land.  If interested in finding out more about this volunteer opportunity, email Kay Plitt at:  kay@fotonna.org

• The Museum of the Palestinian People (mpp-dc.org) has a traveling exhibit titled Bethlehem Behind the Wall. It is very current and relevant to what is coming to fruition today as the wall keeps creeping closer and closer to completion.  Bshara Nassar is looking for additional sponsors around the country to help support the museum both financially and in working with him to showcase the tour in other parts of the country.  The next exhibit will be at:

Manhattan College, NY – February 19-27, 2018

4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Bronx, NY  10471

February 19 – Opening Reception – 5:30-7 PM – Kelly 5A

February 20 – Faculty Panel – 5:30 PM – Kelly 5B

February 26 – Artist Talk with Elias Halabi – 5:30 PM – Kelly Commons 4A

February 27 – Across the Divide film screening – 5:00 PM – Kelly 5B

• Voices from the Holy Land is sponsoring another incredible series of documentaries focusing on Palestinian issues. The series runs from March 4 through April 22.  This year, they are showing 10 different films at five different churches in DC, MD and VA on multiple dates.  Please check out their website for full details at:  voicesfromtheholyland.org.  With this new itinerary, they hope to draw in more people to expose them to a different way of thinking about the Israel/Palestine reality.

Here are just four of the documentaries they are showing:

Jews Step Forward

If you are interested in re-producing this kind of program (even in a shorter version), you can visit their Contact Us page, and they will get back in touch with you.  There is an information kit you can receive that takes you through the process step by step, and you can make use of their video lending library so you don’t have to order those yourself.

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We hope that 2018 will be a break-through year for peace everywhere.  Why not dream big????!!!  It is entirely up to us, every individual, to take on the responsibility of making this dream come true.  Remember:  You are not alone with this wish for common sense and compassion to prevail and overcome the fear and the hatred that comes out of that fear.  We need to raise our voices, let them be heard in every corner and nook and cranny there is, and refuse to let the other voices drown us out.  One voice can ring out; many voices can create a cacophony.  Let’s “cacophonize” together!!!!

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 FOTONNA Steering Committee