The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation: Voices from the Holy Land Film Salon

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Watch the Trailer: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-Trailer54Years

Avi Mograbi, an Israeli filmmaker and video artist, was born in 1956 in Tel Aviv, where he lives and works to this day. Avi is known for his unwavering commitment to social, cultural, and political justice in the Middle East, as well as his experimentalism and innovative contribution to cinematic language.  His documentary films have been screened at festivals worldwide, including: Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Rome, New York, FID Marseille, Vision du Reel, and San Francisco, among others.  Since 1999, he has taught documentary and experimental film at Tel Aviv University and the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem.

Joel Carmel was born and raised in London, U.K.. At the age of 18, Joel immigrated to Israel. He served in the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories unit (COGAT) based
initially on the Gaza border and later, as an officer, in the Jenin area of the West Bank in COGAT’s subunit, the Civil Administration. After receiving his political science and Middle Eastern studies degree from the Hebrew University, Joel joined Breaking the Silence in 2019 and today works as the organization’s Advocacy Coordinator.

Jamal Najjab is a Palestinian American photojournalist and human rights advocate. He has worked as a political campaign organizer in the Arab-American community, as a journalist in Jerusalem, and on the staff of several humanitarian Palestinian aid organizations. He has appeared on numerous news programs, such as CNN, Al Jazeera-English and Al Jazeera-Arabic, and has published numerous articles in the mainstream and alternative press. Najjab holds a BA in Journalism from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Many of his extended family members reside in Jibya, a very small village north of Ramallah, Palestine (population 136).

James Zogby (moderator) is co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI) and Director of Zogby Research Services, conducting surveys across the Middle East. For three decades, he’s had leadership roles in the Democratic National Committee and advised four presidential candidates.  In 2013, President Obama appointed him to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (serving 2013-17). His weekly column is published in 12 countries. Books include Arab Voices; 20 Years After Oslo; and The Tumultuous Decade: Arab, Turkish, and Iranian Public Opinion-2019-2019. Jim holds a doctorate from Temple University’s Department of Religion and has received several honorary doctorate degrees.

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 + Northern New Jersey Jewish Voice for Peace + Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service + Kairos Puget Sound Coalition +