Stories from Jerusalem / Al Quds

Diana Al Shaer has a Palestinian father and a Russian mother. Her grandfather was the first Palestinian ambassador in Russia and her father followed him in his footsteps. Diana grew up in Russia and by the age of 25 she started to become more and more connected to her Palestinian identity.

She is an international Grand Prix dressage rider and sports diplomat and she was asked by the Palestine Equestrian Federation to come out for Palestine in last summer's Olympic Games. Unfortunately her horse was injured and she could not participate, even though they had qualified originally. But she is keen to try again in 3 years and her horse is still young enough to be ready by that time!

Besides horse riding she is also the initiator of Pali-Rus Media, an initiative that wants to be a cultural media bridge between Russia and Palestine. Recently she produced a video with a beautiful synergy between Russian ballet and Palestinian dabka dance.

Diana also produces a podcast that is called Dialogue. Last week she published an episode in which she interviewed me, Kristel, about Stories from Palestine podcast. You can find her podcast episodes on her YouTube channel and she is working on getting all episodes uploaded on podcast players.  Here are some links to connect with Diana on social media:

https://youtube.com/c/PaliRusMedia

Instagram Diana Al Shaher

Instagram PaliRusMedia

Click here to watch and hear the episode about Stories from Palestine podcast on Dialogue


If you want to connect to Stories from Palestine Podcast on Social Media, subscribe to the mailinglist or support the podcast with a donation use this link:
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

On 6 September 2021 six Palestinian political prisoners freed themselves from the high security Gilboa prison in Israel. Two weeks later they were all found and brought back to prison. One of the six men, Zakaria al Zubeidi, was one of the founders of the Freedom Theater in Jenin.

In this podcast episode I speak with Mustafa Staiti, who is from the Jenin refugee camp, but currently lives in Holland, about the Freedom Theater and how the theater had an important impact on his life.

The theater activities in Jenin refugee camp started in the 90s with the work of a Jewish Israeli woman who was married to a Palestinian, her name was Arna Meir Khamis. She also established the Women in Black to protect Palestinian prisoners and Palestinians crossing checkpoints. Arna used to live with Mustafa and his family and was like a second mother to him. She died of cancer. Her son Juliano made the film Arna's children about the children in the refugee camp. One of the boys that features in this film is Zakaria al Zubeidi.

Later he became an important leader of the resistance in the refugee camp. He put down the weapons and together with a Swedish Jew, Jonathan Stanczak and Juliano Meir Khamis, they established the Freedom Theater in which theater was not only fun but also therapeutic.

To read more about the Freedom Theater you can go to their website:

https://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/

You can also watch the full movie Arna's children on YouTube

Or check out the YouTube channel of the Freedom Theater

If you want to support Stories from Palestine podcast with a donation, if you want to register for the e-mail list or follow the podcast on social media then click on this link:

https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

After spending all summer in the Netherlands, I have returned to our home in Palestine. It was a wonderful summer full of family, friends, biking, walking, fun activities for the kids, swimming, cinema and theater. But also it was full of goodbyes and nostalgia, because I had to give up the house I was still renting in the Netherlands in my hometown Utrecht. This summer I finally officially emigrated to Palestine and I unregistered from the Municipality of Utrecht.

Many people have asked me how I feel about this, why I decided to take this step and why I am in Palestine. Some of the parents of the children of my daughter's class have told me they would jump to move out of Palestine and live in the Netherlands. They could not understand WHY I decided to come and live in Palestine.

So for this first episode of a new season of Stories from Palestine podcast, I have recorded my thoughts and my personal experiences, while I was sitting under our massive 80 years old olive tree, contemplating about my life.

It is the first episode I recorded without a script.

If you want to support the podcast, connect on social media and share the Facebook and Instagram posts, sign up for the YouTube and for the mailinglist. And it is very much appreciated if you buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! All the links can be found here:
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

Stories from Palestine podcast was first launched on 15th of August 2020 as a direct result of the Covid19 pandemic. As I was studying the tour guide program at the Bethlehem Bible College and I had no opportunity to share the stories I learned with tourists, the idea to start a podcast was born.

I had no experience and spend weeks watching tutorials to learn everything I needed to know about preparing an episode, recording, editing, hosting a podcast, making a website, creating a Youtube channel, making audiograms for social media and using remote recording programs to record interviews.

And now, one year later, the podcast has over 18.500 downloads since published and it had listeners from 110 different countries.

This episode is to celebrate one year of Stories from Palestine podcast. You can hear a bit more about how it started and developed, a bit more about me, the podcast host and you can hear twelve different listeners to the podcast who recorded their reviews and stories to share in the celebration.

If you want to do a special anniversary donation for the podcast to celebrate one year and to help to sustain the podcast then please go to https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

Thanks to Zaid Hilal for recording a special tune for this special episode. Zaid has also composed the usual tune and shifters for the podcast. He is a local musician from Beit Sahour and you should really check out his music on Youtube, Spotify or Soundcloud.

Connect to Stories from Palestine on social media, follow the YouTube channel and sign up for the weekly e-mail. You can find all the links in the linktree:
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

They call them the Hanging gardens of Haifa. Since 2001 you can visit the Bahai gardens and see the shrine of the 'Bab' on Mount Carmel. The gardens are created with great care and were designed by an Iranian architect called Fariborz Sahba. There are 19 terraces, one in the middle with the shrine, 9 terraces going up hill and 9 terraces going downhill, another 18. Both numbers have significant meanings within the Bahai religion.

Who are the Bahai? What do they belief and who is their spiritual leader?

This podcast episode only gives you a short introduction. The essence of the Bahai religion is UNITY. The oneness of God and of all religions, the oneness of humankind and the equality of men and women. They belief that God sent different messengers in different times to different places: Abraham, followed by Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad and then followed by the Bab and Baha'u'Allah. The last one came to announce a new world order.

There are about 7 million Baha'i's in the world and it is a fast growing religion.

If you want to know more about the Baha'i faith you can visit their website https://www.bahai.org/

If you want to make a contribution to the podcast and celebrate the first anniversary of the podcast that will be on the 15th of August 2021 then you can go to
https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

To connect on social media or to subscribe to the Youtube channel or the newsletter go to
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

When tourists visit Bethlehem, especially in an organized tour, they usually visit the Church of the Nativity and when they are lucky also the Shepherds fields in Beit Sahour, but hardly does the guide take the tourist to visit the Milk Grotto Church. And that's a pity. Because this hidden gem is just a five minutes walk through the Milk Grotto street where you can also some of the oldest buildings in town as well as workshops with Palestinian olive wood crafters at work. 

As with most churches in Palestine, this church is also built over a cave where an important Bible story took place according to the local Christian tradition. This is supposedly the cave where Joseph and Mary were staying when Joseph had a dream in which God told him to flee to Egypt, because King Herod was planning to kill all the children under the age of two. 

It is in this cave that Mary nursed baby Jesus and a drop of her milk fell on the ground and miraculously turned the whole cave into a white limestone, much whiter than can be found in the surroundings. 

A church was built on this location already in Byzantine time and rebuilt in Crusader time. The present day church is from the 19th Century.  Until today women come to visit this church to pray for fertility. The church receives many letters, postcards and photos annually from women who have become pregnant and gave birth after a visit to the Milk Grotto.

Next time you visit Palestine, don't miss out on the Milk Grotto church!

To see photos of the Milk Grotto on the website, instagram or facebook, connect on social media through this link. You can also find the platform Ko-fi for donations towards the podcast through this link: https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

The first time that Naji al Ali drew Handala, the little refugee boy with shabby clothes and no shoes, he depicted him with his face towards the audience. But after his disappointment in the Americans and Arab leaders in the early seventies, he turned his back towards the viewers in protest against the 'American way' and the negative tides in the region.

Handala is a ten year old boy and Naji al Ali said he would always remain ten years old, until he would be able to return to his homeland Palestine. Ten years old, just like Naji al Ali was when he and his family were forcibly displaced out of their hometown As Shajara. He grew up in the refugee camp of Ein al Helwa in Lebanon.

As a cartoonist he was critical towards the powers that be, the establishment, not only the Israelis and Americans but also the Arab leaders. He spoke out against injustice and showed solidarity with other struggles.

This is just a short podcast episode to introduce you to the work of Naji al Ali and to the very symbolic figure of Handala, that you will see depicted all over Palestine and among people who are supporting the Palestinian cause for justice and the right of return of the refugees.

If you want to read more and see some of Naji al Ali's work then you can use the following links:

Information and cartoons

http://www.handala.org
http://www.askdryahya.com/Naji-alaliHanzala.pdf

Videos

Palestinian cartoonist Naji al Ali and his character Handala
Naji al Ali an artist with vision

Follow Stories from Palestine on social media and sign up for the weekly email reminder. If you want to support the podcast please share it with others and donate on Ko-fi.  All the links can be found on : https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

If you heard episode 2 of season 1 then you know I am obsessed with the history of caves in Palestine. The caves in the mountains were formed by a natural process due to the effect of rain on the limestone that created natural caves. But in this episode you can learn about another type of caves that can be found in the area to the west of Hebron, west of the green line, where over 3.500 man-made caves were found that date back to more than 2000 years ago.

The caves were made in the soft chalk layer under a very hard layer called nari. In this hard surface rock they made an opening and through a shaft they would dig down into the softer chalk, forming a bell-shaped cave.  The caves had very many different purposes, for example storage of water, grains, olive presses, ritual baths, columbaria (for pigeons) and burial caves.

Today you can visit some of these caves in the National Park. Other interesting relics are the Roman amphitheater, the Crusader tower and the remains of a Crusader church.

There were two ancient cities here, Maresha and Bet Guvrin. The archaeological site is now UNESCO world heritage.

Around the Crusader tower a Palestinian town developed that was called Beit Jibrin. The inhabitants were forcibly displaced by the Zionist militias in 1948. Most of the refugees ended up in Fawwar camp and in Beit Jibrin refugee camp. The latter one in Bethlehem is also known as Azza refugee camp, named after the biggest family clan.

For the blog entry with photos you can go to:
 https://storiesfrompalestine.info/2021/07/17/tel-maresha/

To connect on social media, sign up for the email list or make a donation on Ko-fi (and find some unique content that is not available anywhere else)
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

While I spend the summer in Holland, I while record weekly short episodes with information about a specific topic related to Palestine, its history and cultural heritage.

Summer short number one is about the history of the Palestinian flag and the meaning of its colors. For this episode I used a lot of information of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. Check out that website at https://www.passia.org

You can also read the information in the blog on my website : https://storiesfrompalestine.info/2021/07/08/the-palestinian-flag/

To connect on social media, to sign up for the newsletter or make a donation use this link:
https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine

I made this episode upon request of the Friends of Hope flowers School foundation in the Netherlands. They support the school financially and they raise awareness about the very difficult circumstances under which the school has to operate. The school is located in area C under full Israel military control and a big Israeli settlement is moving closer and closer towards the area where the school is situated.

Most of the children in the school are from refugee camps and from families that are surviving below the poverty level. The school accepts and works with children with autism, trauma and disabilities.

I spoke with the director of the school and with the occupational therapist and social worker.

This episode gives you a very concrete idea of the challenges that Palestinian have to face and the resilience and conviction to give the children a good education.

If you want to support the Hope flowers School then please go to
https://www.vriendenvanhopeflowers.nl

The website of the school is: https://hopeflowers.org

To connect to Stories from Palestine podcast on social media, to register for the mailinglist or to make a donation on the Ko-fi page, which is very much appreciated and helpful, you can click on this link: https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine

Send us Fan Mail

Find me on Instagram @StoriesfromJerusalem

Support the podcast with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine