Inside Gaza: Ribhi Salem on Radio Program, To the Point , Today

American International School in Gaza, all photos courtesy of Ribhi Salem

Just got an email from Dr. Taatgen. Andrea Brody, the producer, made contact. Yes! Dr. Taatgen gave her the cell phone number for Ribhi Salem, the current director of American International School in Gaza. Please try to tune in today at noon. The whole hour will be on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.


AISG blown to smithereens

I do not know what the plans are for the future of AISG students, but I am guessing they may try to do what they did when Dr. Taatgen was director. In 2005, the Israeli Defense Forces engaged relentlessly in low flying missions over the school, blowing out windows and ear drums, and wreaking havoc on the well being of staff and students. In response, because the international community ignored this psychological warfare, they began teaching the students at the apartment complex where the international teachers lived. A "home school" of sorts.


AISG after bombing

Lastly, I just heard on NPR that the Israeli government has expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis and will help in anyway they can. This reminds me of an interview with the Syrian ambassador in Washington D.C. on CNN shortly after the invasion of Lebanon in 2006. The journalist said, "but Israel has said they are a friend of Lebanon."


AISG after bombing

Ambassador Moustapha responded in a very excited, high pitched voice that I thought was going to break the juice glass I was holding by saying, "this is like a rapist telling a woman after he rapes her that he wants to be her friend."



AISG after bombing


God I loved that and was so glad he was not censored. I sent Ambassador Moustapha an email telling him I saw and loved his interview. He wrote me back and thanked me. Told me that he was glad to know American citizens were paying attention.

If you miss To the Point today, you can listen to it on line. I have the direct link for To the Point on my links "news outlets trying to make the world a better place." Or just go to www.kcrw.com and click on link for news. You will find it there.
AISG playground

To the Point on KCRW

KCRW Billboard, photo posted by exuberance on Flickr

I almost got Dr. Taatgen an interview on the KCRW program To the Point today.

Long story short, I sent an email to Warren Olney yesterday, his producer contacted me this morning, and I quickly began trying to chase down a telephone number for Dr. Taatgen.

Lesson learned, I should have asked for Dr. Taatgen's number yesterday when I told him I emailed Warren.

Think you all know how much I love Warren. This was a real thrill. I wanted to say to Andrea Brody, the producer, "hey, give me a job."

Anyway, I told Andrea to use him for future shows. Maybe manana.

Dr. Taatgen will be a great source and has many contacts inside the Gaza Strip which will allow the civilian voice to be heard. Something that has been sorely lacking since the Israeli government has yet to let journalists inside Gaza.

You can read about Dr. Taatgen in my Jan 2, 2008 post End the Siege of Gaza or in today's post American School in Gaza Blown to Smitehreens.

Lastly, those not familiar with the most excellent radio show, To the Point, this show is hosted by the award-winning Warren Olney. The show is syndicated through PRI.

For overseas readers, you can listen to him live or archived shows at www.kcrw.com. Just click on news link...or go to my link on left under "news outlets making the world a better place." That link will take you directly to his show.

Hope Man and Peace Man on NPR Today

Life in Gaza and Sderot, photo uploaded on Flickr by Bert Kommerij

I heard Hope man on NPR today. Wow. So exciting and encouraging. I have mentioned this blog in a previous post and have it listed on my blog roll.

In case you missed it, this blog is written by two men. Hope man writes from Sderot, a border town on the Israeli side, and Peace man writes from inside Gaza. You really have to check out this blog. They describe their experiences from opposite sides of the conflict. Heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.

Peace man has not posted in several days since this invasion began. The NPR journalist asked Hope man if he had any word on Peace man. Hope man said he had received a text that day. A very short text stating that he was okay. I sighed in relief... and I bet so did all their blog followers.

This blog was written about in the French newspaper Le Monde. Check out the comments left for these two men after every post. This is what I am talking about. Dialogue, not bombs. Here is the blog address and also a link to the NPR report.

Life in Gaza and Sderot Blog:
http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com

NPR report:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99053041

I found the photo above on Flickr. It is a poster for a series of 2 minute film episodes on Life in Gaza and Sderot. This is not in anyway tied to the blog, however, if you would like some visuals, check it out.

Film episodes for Life in Gaza and Sdeort:
http://gaza-sderot.arte.tv/

One last thing, I have been told I am not linking, but merely putting in URL addresses. Sorry. I can't seem to find out how to link. Please take the time to copy and paste it into your browser until I become more blog savvy. Thank you in advance for your patience.

American School in Gaza Blown to Smithereens

Gaza man carries wounded child, photo posted by Pan-African News Wire on Flickr

The American International School in Gaza was blown to smithereens. The Israelis said it was because Hamas weapons were hidden in the school. A ridiculous claim according to staff. I emailed Dr. Taatgen to see if this news was indeed true. And he confirmed. I will post his email below. So sad.

If you remember from my post of Jan. 2, 2009, End the Siege on Gaza, Dr. Taatgen was the director of the school, had been kidnapped for a day, kept the school open after the IDF relentlessly engaged in low flying misssions over Gaza, causing windows to be blown out, and wreaking havoc on ear drums and the genaeral well-being of staff and students. He kept the school open by having the kids come to the apartment buildings where the teachers lived. A sort of "home school" for lack of a better word.

Just watched BBC News and Newshour on PBS. The BBC journalist interviewed a western doctor. This doctor said he was only one of two doctors and was wondering where the international doctors were and when they were coming.

This doctor said the reports we were getting were untrue. He said 45% of the deaths were women and children. This doctor said he had only seen two Hamass fighters killed. Anyway, I hope the siege ends soon.

One last thing, on Newshour they did a very balanced report with experts on both sides. The expert on Hamas said that leaders of Hamas went to Egypt six months ago asking that the economic hardships and the blockade of supplies entering Gaza that the Israelis were imposing be lifted. Their requests were denied. The press is/was not reporting on how desperate the situation was becoming for the Palestinians.

For those interested, if you scroll down below this post, you will find my original post with Dr. Taatgen's excellent synopsis. And please visit the link Educators for Ending the Siege on Gaza on left under links making the world a better place. Or copy this link into your browser: http://www.endthesiege.org

One more thing, about Dr. Taatgen, a colleague I worked with in Bogota, Colombia told me I would have loved working with him. For those who have not read my post from the other day, I was considering teaching in Gaza. This colleague, who happened to be Palestinian, said Dr. Taatgen was a fascinating man who studied anthropology. I am sorry I missed this opportunity. Here is the email Dr. Taatgen sent after I asked if it was his old school that was blown to smithereens.

Mary,

Yes, this is, or rather was, my old school.

The Israeli justification is that it concealed Hamas weapons.

If this is what they believe, nobody, not even the 200 students of the school and their teachers, are safe.

Everyone in Gaza becomes a target or if they are lucky, collateral damage in a murderous plot, while the world is watching- “helplessly.”

Where have we seen this before? Which occasion elicited similar bitter commentary?

How long will it take before the holocaust of one people has become the fateful destiny of another?

Hendrik

Addendum: I forgot to mention that the school was bombed over the weekend. No students were on campus. However, a security guard was killed. Very sad.

Addendum Two: Just heard on NPR that the IDF bombed the UN school killing 40 kids and others who were seeking refuge. Criminal.

End the Siege of Gaza

Protests against Israeli attacks on Gaza, photo posted by activestills on Flickr

I thinks some of you may remember that while I was teaching in S. Korea in 2005, I made contact, through a friend, with Hendrik Taatgen, the director of a school in Gaza. I was thinking of heading to the ME next.

Anyway, long story short Dr. Taatgen told me there were no positions open. Moreover, he wasn't sure how much longer the school would remain open since the IDF were engaged in low flying missions over Gaza which were causing school windows to be blown out. The sonic booms were wreaking havoc on ear drums and the general well-being of students and staff.

After this recent siege on Gaza, I sent an email to Dr. Taatgen to see how he was doing. To see if the students and staff were surviving. He wrote me back informing me that he left with his wife at the end of that academic school year.

Dr. Taatgen also sent a link to a paper he wrote with his wife and other colleagues in order to attract world wide attention to the plight of the Palestinians along with a succinct history of the Israeli view point.

The story is chilling yet inspiring at the same time. I did not know that Dr. Taatgen had been kidnapped. Nor did I no know the school had been closed down. Students were being "home schooled" in the apartment building where the teachers lived to finish out the school year. Amazing courage and strength from all involved.

I am pasting a synopsis of the paper below. I have the link listed on the left of my blog entries under organizations working to make the world a better place.

Please take a moment to visit the link and sign the petition, Educators for Ending the Siege of Gaza. You do not have to be an educator to sign the petition. Just someone interested in peace and social justice for all.

And if you have time, I strongly encourage you to read this well-written paper which explains the situation in a way that anyone can understand with no prior knowledge of the conflict.

I encourage my educator friends, Stephanie in particular, who is the director of a progressive school, to forward this information on to your staff. You might be able to use it in a lesson plan. Thank you in advance.

One last thing, if interested, check out the blog listed in my blog roll on left, Life Goes on in Gaza and Sderot. it is written by Peace man in Gaza and Hope man in Sderot, a border town in Israel. It is their perspective from both sides of this conflict.


Synopsis of "Siege and Obstruction to the Right of an Education"

Edward Said repeatedly commented that there can be no lasting peace in the Middle East if Israelis and Palestinians do not recognize each others' history and the pain and suffering that are so much a part of it. Said's observations articulate a daunting challenge in the form of a project we believe is within the reach of international school teachers. International education can contribute to peace in the Middle East through the international scope of its curriculum in the humanities, a broad range of subjects, and the efforts of teachers educated in the traditions of humanism and multiculturalism. We were among the last westerners to teach at the American International School in Gaza, who were forced to halt their efforts in June 2005 as a result of the unending siege compounded by unchecked internecine violence.

The intensification of the suffering of the Gazan people in the past years has been striking, at times unimaginable. The mainstream media persist in refusing to make the point that Gaza's losses are nobody's gain. Who wins if an entire population is being deprived of food, medication, and electrical power? Who benefits if a student receives a scholarship to study abroad, but is not permitted to leave? A country that is occupied cannot properly educate its children, but education in a country that is under siege will only produce hatred.

With a growing number of people we demand that Israel lift the siege of Gaza and end the occupation of the Palestine. Innocent children should not be made to suffer from lack of food, medical help, and economic opportunity; they should not have to give up on their aspirations for the future because they happen to live in or near the target zone of Israeli missiles.

We ask that colleagues, all over the world, join us in delivering the message to the governments of Israel and the United States to lift the siege and end the occupation. We ask that by this measure, Israel give ordinary Palestinians a chance to live a decent life and create a future for themselves and their children. This is the moral and humane thing to do. If Israel takes this step, there's a good chance that its people will live in peace because responsible Palestinian leaders can, and will, effectively make the case against extremists that violence does not work. A peaceful future lies in our capacity to recognize and identify with the human being in one another.

To sign the petition, we ask that you type in your first name, last name, educational affiliation, and your email address. After you have submitted this information you will receive an email asking to confirm your signature. Please click on the link provided in the email response to ensure that your signature is counted.


Again, Dr. Taatgen's website is listed on left. You can sign the petition if you click on the link.

Gaza Attacked by IDF, No Journalists Allowed

A video from Gaza. It tells the truth through images.

I find it difficult to believe that the Israeli government is not allowing journalists in to the Gaza Strip. What??? Is this Burma? North Korea? Are they afraid the world will look down on these brutal massacres and possibly demand a stop to the indiscriminate killings?

Afraid we might see the killing fields of Gaza at the bloody hands of the IDF and speak out condemning them? Only this time when we condemn the attacks we won't be labeled anti-Semites, merely citizens of the world who see injustice and unfair treatment of the Palestinians. Maybe viewed as human rights activists, which I am, rather than an anti-Semite, which I am not.

I am saddened by the reports of the massacres. It is my understanding the bombing has killed students sitting for midterm exams at school. Students possibly nervous about failing their exams, but never in their wildest dreams did they think bombs would be dropped on their heads.

It is my understanding the Israeli government is reporting that they are bombing the tunnels Hamas has made claiming these tunnels are how Hamas is bringing in weapons.

NPR reported yesterday that the tunnels are also used to bring in refrigerators and much needed supplies into Gaza since the border crossings are closed most of the time by the Israelis. Thank you NPR.

And again, I encourage all of you to see the new anti-war film by Israeli filmmaker, Ari Folman, Waltz With Bashir. It is animated, but does include real footage from the massacres in the Sabra And Shatila camps where 700-3500 Palestinians were killed. See my review of the film (Dec. 27th, 2008) if interested.
Here is a video which tells a story of a forgotten people.