Please join us online
ICUJP Friday Forum
April 26th, 7:30-9:30 am Pacific
I Am Gitmo: A Film About the World's Most Notorious Prison
Event Description:
22 years after its opening, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center stands as a stark symbol of America's descent into post-9/11 lawlessness. "I Am Gitmo," a feature film about it, opens in Los Angeles on May 3. Director Philippe Diaz and Producer Beth Portello join us to discuss this film, why they made it and the prospects for closing Guantanamo.
Join the conversation with our speaker:
Philippe Diaz is known for directing documentaries “The End of Poverty?” (Invited to over 41 film festivals including official selection at Cannes Critics’ Week), “The Empire In Africa,” (official selection at Cannes Critics’ Week, Best Documentary awards at SlamDance, African Film Festival Montreal and Hollywood Film Festival) and the narrative feature “Now & Later.”
He has produced over 25 films and was awarded the Louis Delluc, France’s top award, in 1986 for “Mauvais Sang'' which was nominated for 3 Césars. In 2004, he created Cinema Libre Studio, to provide an alternative structure for intelligent, indie films to get developed, financed, produced and distributed.
Beth Portello is a co-founder of Cinema Libre Studio and has shepherded the release of over 200 films since 2003 including films such as "Outfoxed," "Fuel," "Uncovered: the War On Iraq," and many others that have contributed to the growth of documentaries. She is the producer of "I Am Gitmo," "The End of Poverty?" and " Now & Later" and an Executive Producer of "Don't Look Away," a documentary that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Learn More/Here's how YOU can help:
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7:30 - 7:35 Log in and socialize
7:35 - 7:45 Welcome and introductions
7:45 - 7:50 Reflection (5 min. maximum)
7:50 - 9:15 Program and Q&A
9:15 - 9:20 Announcements
9:20 - 9:30 Closing circle and prayer
Start your morning with us!
Facilitator: Rececca Arvizu
Reflector: Carolfrances Likins
05.03.24 - Rabbi Cat Zavis: Beyt Tikkun
Here's how to join the online meeting:
To join by video conference, you'll need to download the Zoom app on your computer or mobile device. Click on the link to join the meeting and then enter the Meeting ID number and passcode. You'll be able to see slides and video, as well as speakers and other attendees.
If you prefer to join by phone, you'll be prompted to enter the Meeting ID number and passcode. You won't be able to see the visuals or attendees, but you can view them on the meeting video recording afterward.
If you're new to Zoom and would like to use the video option, we recommend you download the app well ahead of time.
ICUJP Friday Forum 04/26/24
Time: 07:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
(To find a dial-in number closer to you, go here.)
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Please note: Our Friday Forums and other events are open to the public. By attending, you consent to having your voice and likeness recorded, photographed, posted on ICUJP's website and social media, and included in ICUJP materials and publications for noncommercial purposes. If you don't want to be photographed or recorded, please let the facilitator know.
LOVE FOR PALESTINE ACTION PAGE
Here are links to resources and sample templates for you to contact elected officials and corporations:
Contact your congressional representatives and call for a cease fire (AFSC):
https://afsc.org/action/call-cease-fire-and-humanitarian-access-gaza-now 
Before you dial: Check to see if your Senators and Representative have already called for a ceasefire using the tracker JVP Action has built in collaboration with the Working Families Party.
https://workingfamilies.org/ceasefire-tracker/ 
Find your elected officials here:
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Demands (options):
- Permanent ceasefire
- Release of hostages
- Release of mass imprisonment of Palestininans
- Stop genocide
- Stop witholding of food, water, medicine
- Stop funding genocide and supplying bombs
- Support/facilitate a just and equitable peace
- End the Occupation
Sample script:
My name is [YOUR FIRST & LAST NAME], I'm a [CONSTITUENT / SUPPORTER] of [SENATOR/REPRESENTATIVE NAME], and I’m calling/writing about Palestine and Israel.
[YOUR KIND GREETING]
For Representatives: [REPRESENTATIVE NAME] must publicly call for a ceasefire, pressure Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and vote NO on sending more weapons for this war. A “humanitarian pause” is not good enough. They should cosponsor the ceasefire resolution, House Resolution 786, introduced by Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib.
For Senators: [SENATOR NAME] must publicly call for a ceasefire, pressure Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and vote NO on sending more weapons for this war. A “humanitarian pause” is not good enough. They should introduce a Senate Resolution calling for a ceasefire, similar to the one in the House.
I am passionate about this because…
- I have family/friends in the region and…
- I visited Palestine and witnessed firsthand how
- My faith compels me to...
While I am speaking as an individual…
- I talked to my neighbors about this and we all agree that…
- I’m a member of … and we all agree that…
- Most U.S. voters agree that the U.S. should push for a ceasefire.
- Thank you!
Activism resources
Jewish Voices for Peace
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/resource/first-steps/ 
American Friends Service Committee https://afsc.org/actionhour 
Kinder USA
https://www.kinderusa.org/about-us/ 
eSims for gaza
https://gazaesims.com/ 
Where to Donate
UNRWA - UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the near East
https://donate.unrwa.org/-landing-page/en_EN 
Doctors Without Borders - Palestine
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/palestine 
Corporate Accountability
Letters to Corporations - AFSC https://afsc.org/BoycottChevron 
AFSC - How to Divest
https://investigate.afsc.org/divest 
Scroll down to: Divestment from the Occupation Industry
https://afsc.org/companies-2023-attack-gaza 
Local Palestinian Businesses
Jerusalem Chicken
448 W. Slauson Avnue, Los Angeles 90043
tacos for palestine
Instagram: lataco
Ike’s Love and Sandwiches
https://www.ikessandwich.com/
3895 Overland Avenue, Culver City 990232
460 North Pacific Highway, El Seundo 90245
4731 Glencoe Avenue Unite B-9A, Marina Del Rey 90292
Anwar Kitchen
https://www.anwarskitchen.com/menus/#specials
217 E 8th St Los Angeles, CA 90014
ICUJP's Focus on the Israel/Palestine Conflict
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
I think it was smart that you’re wary of using the word “terrorism,” and if you talk about the cycle of violence, or “an eye for an eye,” you could be perpetuating the idea that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a balanced conflict, instead of a largely unarmed people against the fourth most powerful military in the world.
-- Rachel Corrie
A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare.
-- Mahmoud Darwish
In the words of ICUJP Convener, the late Rev. George Regas, speaking about a conflict long ago but still resonant today:
The sin at the heart of this war against Iraq is your belief that an American life is of more value than an Iraqi life. That an American child is more precious than an Iraqi baby. God loathes war.
We HAVE to call out the massacre of innocent lives, no matter the ideology behind the crime, or else the Justice and Peace work we do is meaningless.
Long before the tragic events of October 7th of last year, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace has been shining a light on the Israel/Palestine conflict, and working towards dialogue and solutions that affirm the primary calling of our organization - stating loud and clear that Religious Communities MUST Stop Blessing War and Violence.
Justice and Peace are WORK, and ICUJP has been doing that work with our partners for over 22 years, many of them focusing on conflicts in the Middle East and their ramifications for us in this country.
Click on the links below to watch the recent Friday Forums we have devoted to the Israel/Palestine crisis:
Please give generously to help us in our ongoing work to open doors with dialogue and compassion, and to make change with diligence, creativity, and open hearts and minds.
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