Witnessing Palestine, Reportback from Jonas Moffat and the Tel Rumeida Circus

WITNESSING PALESTINE
Reportback from Jonas Moffat of the Tel Rumeida Circus for Detained Palestinians and the International Solidarity Movement.

If you missed the Witnessing Palestine speaking tour with the Tel Rumeida Circus for Detained Palestinians, you have one last chance. Come and experience a first-hand account of life under Occupation in Palestine with slides and video.

Thurs Feb 8th, 2007
7pm

University of California- Berkeley
110 Barrows Hall


or call Jonas for more info:
415 503 7630

See flyer at: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/378955708_0db4a28a04.jpg?v=0

Map of UC Berkeley- 110 Barrows Hall
http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/images/DE45.gif"

Jonas' Palestine Blod: http://joeskillet.livejournal.com
Tel Rumeida Circus for Detained Palestinians: http://trcdp.livejournal.com
International Solidarity Movement: http://www.palsolidarity.org

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JONAS MOFFAT has been active in Palestine solidarity work since 2001. He
is a native of Pittsburgh, PA, where he worked closely with the Pittsburgh
Palestine solidarity committee. After his first trip to Palestine in 2003,
he moved to San Francisco to work with the International Solidarity
Movement. He returned to Palestine for the summer of 2006, living mostly
in the neighborhood of Tel Rumeida, where Palestinians literally live side
by side with some of the most violent, extremist Israeli settlers. Jonas
will be returning to Palestine in March to work with the Tel Rumeida
Circus for Detained Palestinians (TRCDP).

Jonas co-founded the Tel Rumeida Circus for Detained Palestinians with his
partner-in-crime, Katie Miranda. TRCDP was founded in response to the
abuse and harassment witnessed by settlers and soldiers towards
Palestinians. TRCDP performed a circus routine at checkpoints in Tel
Rumeida where Palestinians were routinely detained for hours by soldiers
and border police. The purpose of the performances were to entertain the
detained men and to add some humor to the situation which had the effect
of putting the soldiers in a better mood and causing them to be less
abusive towards the Palestinians, and at times, letting the detained
Palestinians go.

The streets of Tel Rumeida are often empty, without children, too afraid
to come out and play because of violent settlers and soldiers. Through
TRCDP, we were able to get the kids to come back out and play, and we
would teach them juggling and poi spinning. Then, one a week, TRCDP would
perform our nightly fire show with our Circus Soundtrack with an audience
of Tel Rumeida residents, children and families.

Jonas will present a slide and video show.