Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 3:00pm
In collaboration with Friends of Wadi Foquin and the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, First Congregational Church of Alameda will host a conversation with Adam Manasra, a 26-year-old Palestinian from the village of Wadi Foquin growing up under the military occupation of Israel. Located in the Bethlehem District of the West Bank, his home village of Wadi Foquin has suffered the incremental loss of land and life due to the illegal settlement of Betar Illit. An engineer by training, Adam has organized young adult voices in the village educating audiences about the challenges facing the village. He came to the U.S. in August 2023 on a speaking tour organized by Friends of Wadi Foquin to raise funds for a Guest House that he designed and was to implement upon return. With the ongoing violence in Gaza, he has been unable to return home. Wadi Foquin is currently on lock down with work stoppages, school closures, intimidation of farmers, and recent demolition of homes and a factory. After cancelling his flight home, and putting the Guest House project on hold, Adam has been speaking to groups about his life under occupation & the urgency of justice for all of Palestine including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem at this critical juncture in history.
Friends of Wadi Foquin is a partnership initiated in 2009 between United Methodists and the Palestinian Muslim village of Wadi Foquin. They support community development projects in the village, organize annual Holy Land pilgrimages with visits to Wadi Foquin and other Palestinian communities, and engage in advocacy. Responding to their advocacy, twelve members of Congress wrote a letter to the state department in July 2023 addressing the issues of land confiscation and property demolitions threatening the future of the village.
Related book discussion series in January-February: Angela Davis, Freedom is a Constant Struggle
The church is located at 1912 Central Avenue (at Chestnut Street) and is wheelchair accessible.
Accessibility Information:
On the Chestnut Street side of our building there is a ramp that allows people in a wheelchair or with other mobility issues to enter the basement level of our building and access a lift to enter the sanctuary. We have hearing aids for the hearing impaired and large print programs for the visually impaired.
