Abdullah Alrebh has a Phd in Sociciology from Michigan State University and an MA in Arabic literature from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. He's a professor of Sociology at Grand Valley State University.

I visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in December 2021 because my husband is from there and we took our toddler there for the first time. I was really quite struck by some glaring differences in the cultures but there's one I want to talk about specifically today; the fact that homelessness does not exist there.

The reason I interviewed Abdullah is that the way the problem is discussed in America is about what to do with homeless people, how to get them off drugs and off the street. There's never a discussion about what has failed in our society, our culture, our family structure, and our laws that has led us to this point.

I met Jonas Caballero in 2006 in the West Bank when we were both human rights workers in Hebron. We became inseparable and a mutual friend even referred to him and my shadow and vice versa.

In 2007 he was abruptly arrested by Israeli border police and deported from Palestine.

Eventually, he got a Fullbright scholarship to finish his Master's degree at Cambridge.

Then I didn't hear from him at all for about 8 years.

I heard bits and pieces. I heard he was in a coma and almost died, that he was into drugs, and that he was put into prison for selling drugs.

Then, out of the blue, I got a call from him in March of 2020. He had just been released after serving 2 and a half years out of a 3-year prison sentence. This interview is my attempt to find out what happened and how he got sober and how he got into a career in law. I hope his story inspires you.

Join CFJ-CO as we interview Katie Miranda about her experiences in the West Bank, her activism and past/current work, and her motivation for getting involved in supporting Palestine.

Center for Freedom and Justice - Colorado: https://www.facebook.com/CFJColorado

https://www.cfjcolorado.org/CwToLlDOb8VSifKFaU

Palbox: http://www.palbox.org

Katie Miranda: http://www.katiemiranda.com

Estela Rodriguez-Jebril is a licensed clinical therapist and sex coach. In this interview, Estela shares how she had filed for divorce from her husband 4 times and it was only after she learned how to practice gratitude was she was able to get herself out of a victimhood mentality and realize that her marriage was one of the most valuable things in her life.

Katie interviews food writers and Instagram stars Mai Kakish and Nadia Tommalieh about Palestinian cuisine

Mai's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almondandfig/

Nadia's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadiatommal...

This is the link for our #trulyPalestinian e-book: https://bit.ly/2UseJrf

Nadia's February classes at the Pantry: https://thepantryseattle.com/events/w...

Nadia's “The Works Seattle” April Mezze class https://theworksseattle.com/collectio...

Follow the hashtag #Aprilisforarabfood on Instagram and stay tuned for more info to be released on @almondandfig

Jenna Saadeh is a Palestinian American embroidery artist and activist based in the Pacific Northwest. In this interview she tells us about her most recent trip to Palestine and how to remain calm when being questioned at the border.

Here are some links to organizations we talked about:

https://www.grassrootsalquds.net/

https://noorweg.wordpress.com/

https://eyewitnesspalestine.org/

https://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/

Wujood tourist guidebook: https://www.grassrootsalquds.net/campaigns-projects/wujood-grassroots-guide-jerusalem-0

Steve Sosebee is the founder and CEO of PCRF: Palestine Children's Relief Fund, a non-profit focuses on bringing sick and injured children to the US who cannot receive adequate treatment locally. PCRF has expanded to include a children's cancer center in Gaza and a pediatric cardiology center in Ramallah. In our interview Steve tell us about his life's mission. In his own words:

"As human beings, we're all driven by a sense of wanting to have purpose in our lives. You can see that when you see people who have everything; people who have all of the wealth, all of the material comforts of life who are very unhappy because they don't have a purpose. And then you meet people who are schoolteachers, physicians or mothers raising kids and they have a purpose in their life and they're very happy and satisfied. And I think that's the important thing to remember in life; it's not what you have materially, it's what you have that drives you every day. I'm fortunate I've found that in my life."

Jennifer Loewenstein is a lecturer in contemporary Middle Eastern History at Penn State University. She is also an activist for Palestinian Human Rights, a freelance journalist and writer.

During the summers of 1999, 2000, & 2001 Jennifer lived and worked in the Bourj al-Barajneh Refugee camp in South Beirut, Lebanon. In 2002 Jennifer moved to the Gaza Strip during the peak years of the Second Palestinian Intifada & interned at the Mezan Center for Human Rights based in Gaza City and Rafah. Jennifer was among a handful of foreign journalists who were able to visit the besieged and destroyed Jenin refugee camp in early April 2002—the day the Israeli army withdrew.

In December, 2002, Jennifer founded the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project—a highly successful international & local activist group. In 2005-2006 Jennifer was a Fellow at the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford University and after returning home Jennifer became the Associate Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin (2007-2014). In July, 2010 she was the recipient of the Rachel Corrie Award at the annual ADC convention. Today Jennifer lives in Boalsburg, PA and has begun research on a new project on regional Palestinian politics.

You can support this podcast by subscribing to Katie's patreon, at http://patreon.com/katiemiranda or by visiting Katie's online jewelry and art store at http://www.katiemiranda.com . Palbox is a nonprofit subscription box supporting Palestinian farmers, artisans and the international solidarity movement. you can subscribe at http://www.palbox.org .

Charlotte Kates is the international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and the coordinator of the International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild. She is also a member of the Organizing Collective of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

You can support this podcast by subscribing to Katie's patreon, at http://patreon.com/katiemiranda or by visiting Katie's online jewelry and art store at http://www.katiemiranda.com . Palbox is a nonprofit subscription box supporting Palestinian farmers, artisans and the international solidarity movement. you can subscribe at http://www.palbox.org .

Charlotte Kates is the international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and the coordinator of the International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild. She is also a member of the Organizing Collective of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

You can support this podcast by subscribing to Katie's patreon, at http://patreon.com/katiemiranda or by visiting Katie's online jewelry and art store at http://www.katiemiranda.com . Palbox is a nonprofit subscription box supporting Palestinian farmers, artisans and the international solidarity movement. you can subscribe at http://www.palbox.org .