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Min Layali Falasteen

New Jersey Event Raises Money for New York Palestinian Art Exhibition

Maymanah Farhat

Little Falls, NJ, January 21, 2006- The New Jersey based organization Friends of Al Jisser held a cultural benefit on Saturday to raise money for the Made in Palestine art exhibit that is scheduled to open in New York City this spring. The cultural benefit, Min Layali Falasteen, was held at the St. George Church Hall in Little Falls and included an evening of dinner and entertainment. Two hundred and sixty guests attended Min Layali Falasteen, which featured poetry by Natalie Handal, comedy by Maysoon Zayid, music by Johnny Faraj and Ensemble, and folkloric Palestinian dance by The Stars Folklore and Dabke Troupe. A traditional Arab dinner was prepared and served by volunteers, with the ingredients for the meal donated by Al Baasha Restaurant , Fattal's Bakery, It's Greek to Me, Sahara Grocery Store and Nablus Pastries.


The benefit was organized by Maha Kabbash and Ikhlas Munayyer of Friends of Al Jisser with the support of New Jersey Solidarity and Al Jisser Group of NYC. The event brought together activists, artists and community members for an evening that showcased the many aspects of Palestinian culture and heritage, all in support of the art exhibition, which has received nationwide critical acclaim. Palestinian artist and activist, Samia Halaby, (whose work is featured in Made in Palestine), reflected on the event by saying, “ The event went great.  People were enthusiastic and supportive and everyone seemed to have had a good time. We danced Dabke; while the star of the evening was a grandmother who had recently arrived from Nablus. She showed us how to really dance Dabke and also performed a traditional village yodel.”


Min Layali Falasteen was a successful fundraiser on behalf of Al Jisser, a non-profit organization that promotes Arab arts and is organizing the Manhattan showing of the Made in Palestine exhibition. Made in Palestine consists of groundbreaking work by twenty-three Palestinian artists and has been touring the country since its inception at the Station Museum in Houston, Texas in 2002. The New York opening is scheduled for early March 2006 but Al Jisser is still in need of monetary support for the exhibition. Made in Palestine is also scheduled to tour additional cities in North America. For more information or to donate money for the New York opening of the exhibition, visit: http://www.aljisser.org

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