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Sally Azzam, Liwan Cultural Center, Nazareth<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not faced with the Occupation, but you live the Occupation,\u201d says Sally Azzam, one of three partners responsible for Liwan Culture Cafe in Nazareth. \u201cIt\u2019s a mental occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liwan is a small business and community gathering place that celebrates Palestinian culture, and seeks to spur sustainable, participatory neighborhood economic development through conscious consumerism in Nazareth\u2019s old city. Listening to Sally share her experience growing up as a Palestinian Christian in Nazareth, I felt I finally had some language or framework through which to interpret the tensions I\u2019ve been feeling since crossing the Green Line. As a child, Sally always felt that something was missing from the story she was being told about Israel\u2019s history, and her own identity. Because of their collective trauma and desire to keep Sally safe, her family remained quiet about their experiences, and it wasn\u2019t until her University experience that she developed full appreciation for Palestinians\u2019 displacement, the Occupation, and her own position as a Palestinian Christian woman within Israeli society.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unknown is very hard,\u201d she told us. \u201cNot telling is a kind of lie.\u201d Now, she helps prevent this experience of mental occupation for others, by fostering hope, and pride in identity through Liwan\u2019s programs. She is also working to improve the conditions within Nazareth\u2019s old city, where the Israeli government\u2019s protracted, ten-year redevelopment project in preparation for a visit from the Pope led to the closure of many longtime businesses, and the creation of a semi-ghost town at risk for violence and crime, as well as gentrification by Jewish Israelis with speculative agendas from outside the community. Liwan is helping build a new, Palestinian arts and culture-focused conscious tourism district that helps build power and pride for local residents. We left our visit feeling well-fed\u2014 in both our guts (the food was DELICIOUS) and souls.<\/p>\n
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Vegetarian lunch of Mujadarah, Palestinian salad, hummus, and yogurt<\/p><\/div>\n
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Sally Azzam with our group<\/p><\/div>\n
~ Tim Jones-Yelvington<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
26 October 2017 Since arriving in Ibillin, and leaving behind our new friends in the West Bank, I\u2019ve felt a sadness that is difficult to explain. But also easy to forget during our mornings, which have been spent in the … Continue reading