Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/19/2023
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Categories
What are the tools of Israeli lawfare used against Palestinians?
How can one be an effective prophet for justice in the Holy Land?
In Israel, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, the law is whatever Israel deems to be in the best interest of Jewish Israelis, which is often to the detriment of Palestinians. In this, Israel violates the civil and human rights of a Palestinians as a matter of standard policy.
The Law and the Prophets explains the mechanisms of control, some violent and some nonviolent, that have been perfected through decades of civil and military rule of Palestinians. The documentary also introduces us to a few of the brave and determined individuals—prophets—who struggle to expose the abuses, reveal how the system operates, and point the way toward a more just society.
Watch the film for free at your convenience, then join the Q&A discussion on March 19th.
- Joshua Vis: Filmmaker, writer, activist, and tour organizer
- Muhanad Al Qaisy: General Coordinator, Olive Tree Campaign; Project Officer, Joint Advocacy Initiative
- Chase Carter: Communications Director, Center for Jewish Nonviolence; community organizer
- Mercy Aiken (moderator): Author; Relationship Manager, Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East
Watch the trailer here.
Joshua Vis a is a speaker, writer, activist, and filmmaker, The Law and the Prophets being his first film. Josh works as a thought leader on Israel/Palestine for the Reformed Church in America. He leads immersion tours of Israel and Palestine with the aim of teaching participants about the history, archaeology, and interpretative history of the Bible, along with the realities of the Israeli occupation. Josh recently started Still Processing, “an experiment in community.” He holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible from Duke University and an M.A. from the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Muhanad Al Qaisy is a Palestinian refugee living in Deheishah Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, his grandfather having fled Beit Jebrin in 1948. Muhanad leads the Joint Advocacy Initiative’s Olive Tree Campaign, which helps Palestinian farmers maintain their lands by planting 45,000 olive trees every year. He is a tour guide and, with American friends, established a project helping children from the refugee camps improve their skills in the English language, arts, and sports. He volunteered as a social worker in the YMCA’s Psychological Support Unit. Muhanad is a graduate student in development and emergency practice at Oxford Brookes University.
Chase Carter is a community organizer, based in San Francisco, focusing on strengthening Jewish support for the Palestinian freedom movement. He is the Development and Communications Director for the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, an organization that brings Jews from around the world to Israel-Palestine so they can join Palestinian-led civil resistance to occupation, apartheid, and displacement. Previously, Chase worked for Jews United for Justice, helped found the New Synagogue Project, and was a Steering Committee member of the DC Metro Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization with which he is still active at the national level.
Mercy Aiken (moderator) is Relationship Manager at Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East (NEME), engaging Evangelical leaders, scholars, and pastors in learning about challenges that Christians and others face in the Holy Land. Having lived at Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine Israel, she now leads pilgrimage tours, and is a member of the international advisory council for Christ at the Checkpoint. She co-wrote with Bishara Awad the book, Yet in the Dark Streets Shining: A Palestinian Story of Hope and Resilience in Bethlehem. Mercy holds a B.A. in English from Northern Arizona University and iS working on an M.A. in Theology/Culture/Peacemaking from Saint Stephen’s University, New Brunswick, Canada.
SUPPORTER Organizations: Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) • Episcopal Peace Fellowship—Palestine Israel Network • Churches for Middle East Peace • Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace • Quaker Palestine Israel Network • Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East • Indiana Center for Middle East Peace • Disciples Palestine-Israel Network • Virginia Coalition for Human Rights • Mennonite Palestine Israel Network • Friends of Sabeel North America • Center for Jewish Nonviolence • Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions–USA • Northern New Jersey Jewish Voice for Peace • Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service • Kairos Puget Sound Coalition
