Beyond Survival


A webinar series on food sovereignty challenges in Palestine and elsewhere that's led by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt, authors of The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey.


VIDEOS
AUDIO FILES
TRANSCRIPTS
GUEST BIOS
RESOURCES

About this Resource Center

This Resource Center presents the video records and all the other  multi-media products of a webinar-based project that Just World Educational launched in late November 2020.

Resources that we and our partners have produced on this topic are:

    • "From Bethlehem to Gaza: Palestinian Culinary Resilience & Liberation" a discussion and cooking demonstration JWE presented in collaboration with the Middle East Children's Alliance on August 16th, 2021.In this exclusive seasonal cooking demonstration, Vivien Sansour (Founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library) and Laila El-Haddad discussed resilience against both the physical and culinary partitions of the occupation – as well as its attempts to destroy diversity of food.
    • "The Gaza Kitchen: Food, Culture, Resistance and Life in Gaza" a cooking class and discussion JWB presented jointly with Extinction Rebellion Wordsmiths on July 14th, 2021. In this vegan cookalong, co-authors Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt explore the rich history that shaped Gaza's flavors and the richly intense, underrepresented wonder that is Gaza's cuisine.
    • "The Gaza Kitchen: Palestinian Culinary Resilience" hosted by Just World Books on June 15th, 2021 to mark the launch of the third edition of their pioneering documentary cookbook. This session highlighted lessons on survival, dignity and resistance from the kitchens of the Gaza Strip as co-authors Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt reflected on the ten-year Gaza Kitchen journey.
    • “Eating the Other: Food Sovereignty in Palestine and the US” a webinar that JWE presented on November 28, 2020, jointly with Grassroots International. This dialogue session featured a panel moderated by Grassroots International Executive Director Chung-Wha Hong , in which Maggie Schmitt and Laila El-Haddad were joined by U.S.-based food justice/ food sovereignty activists Brit Reed and Jonathan Wilson. Scroll on down to see the video of this session, the participants' bios, and other materials.
      • "Living and Eating in Gaza" a webinar that JWE presented on December 12,  in collaboration with the Museum of the Palestinian People. This session centered around the release of three short videos that JWE had commissioned from Gaza-based Ain Media, in which two Palestinian farmers and the manager of a tahina factory discussed their lives, their hopes, and the challenges they faced. In this session, moderated by Nora Barrows-Friedman of Electronic Intifada, E-Haddad and Schmitt discussed the issues raised bhy the videos from Gaza alongside Palestinian-American farming activist Mohammed Abujayyab. Bios, videos, and all other materials are below.

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      All materials are published here under a Creative Commons license, which means you are free to re-use any of them for non-commercial purposes, provided you give due attribution to Just World Educational and the individual speakers. If you want to use any of these materials for commercial purposes, please contact Rights@justworldeducational.org to ask about terms.

      Videos from the Beyond Survival series


      From Bethlehem to Gaza: Palestinian Culinary Resilience & Liberation!

      From Bethlehem to Gaza: Palestinian Culinary Resilience & Liberation!

      Released August 16, 2021

      Join Middle East Children’s Alliance & Just World Educational virtually for a summer meal prepared by Laila El-Haddad, with virtual assistance from her dear friend Vivien Sansour. In this exclusive seasonal cooking demonstration, they will discuss resilience against both the physical and culinary partitions of the occupation – as well as its attempts to destroy diversity of food. In this moment of new imagining for Palestine, how can we create a plate that threads us together? (See a write-up of the event here.)


      The Gaza Kitchen: Food, Culture, Resistance and Life in Gaza

      The Gaza Kitchen: Food, Culture, Resistance and Life in Gaza

      Released July 14, 2021

      Hosted by Extinction Rebellion Wordsmiths and Just World Books, Laila and Maggie prepared a seasonal vegan meal while sharing about the conditions of daily life in Gaza. In this cookalong, the co-authors explore the rich history that shaped Gaza's flavors and the richly intense, underrepresented wonder that is Gaza's cuisine.


      The Gaza Kitchen, Third Edition: Palestinian Culinary Resilience

      Lessons on survival, dignity, & resistance from the kitchens of the Gaza Strip

      Released June 16, 2021

      Join Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt in conversation and a short virtual food demonstration for the launch of the third edition of their pioneering documentary cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey.


      Appreciation for The Gaza Kitchen by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt
      Eating the Other: Toward Food sovereignty in Palestine & the U.S.

      Eating the Other: Toward Food Sovereignty in Palestine and the U.S.
      Released November 28, 2020

      Chef Brit Reed, Jonathan Wilson, Laila El-Haddad, and Maggie Schmitt in conversation with Chung-Wha Hong. (See a write-up of the event here.)

      Audio Files


      Listen to audio files of each session of the Beyond Survival Series below:


      Participants in The Beyond Survival Series


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      Vivien Sansour


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      Chef Brit Reed


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      Jonathan Wilson


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      Mohammed Abujayyab


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      Laila El-Haddad


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      Maggie Schmitt


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      Chung-Wha Hong


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      Nora Barrows-Friedman


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      Helena Cobban


      Overall Resources



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