Palestine Debrief

In this episode, we’re joined by Rimah Jabr, a Palestinian play wright and theatre director based in Toronto who is currently pursuing her PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies at York University.  Rimah’s career arc is far from ordinary: after studying and working in accounting for several years, Rimah finally had her breakout opportunity at age 30, and found herself at Belgium’s Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema & Sound.  There, while she earned her Masters degree, she wrote and directed a number of plays.  With her late start, Rimah is making up for lost time with an ambitious vision which includes her most recent co-production, “Broken Shapes,” with visual Artist Dareen Abbas, which premiered earlier this month and runs through Dec. 4th at The Theatre Centre in Toronto!  Continue reading

In this episode, we are joined by Wafa Alzaghal, Palestinian-Canadian President & CEO of The Canadian Arabic Orchestra. Wafa grew up playing the Qanun, also known as the dulcimer, after being inspired by his father’s love for classical Arabic music. Wafa co-founded the Canadian Arabic Orchestra in 2014, and has been busy touring Canada with a repertoire of both Western and Eastern tunes. Join us for a conversation with Wafa to hear about his motivation to establish the Canadian Arabic Orchestra, and his experiences presenting to Canadian audiences.   Continue reading

In this episode, we are joined by Saba Amro and Annette Lengyel, two Calgary-based activists who have been at the forefront of pressuring Calgary to cancel a contract with Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) – a Spanish/Basque company which is unethically involved in a $2.5 billion CDN contract to expand Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR) network.  Join us as we discuss Calgary’s contract with apartheid, and how Calgary’s Palestinian solidarity groups are trying to bring it to an end.  If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio.   Continue reading

In this episode, we are joined by Dalia Elcharbini, Palestinian-Canadian contemporary artist and international exhibitor based in Toronto. While Dalia’s artistic style is distinct and unique, she frequently infuses it with symbolism and memories of Palestine.  Listen in as we discuss her art, her inspiration, her Palestinian identity and her efforts to use art to help children impacted by war. Continue reading

What and who are the main drivers of anti-Muslim hate in Canada? On this episode, Michael and Tom are joined by Jasmin Zine, author of a new report on the Canadian “Islamophobia Industry.” We talk about some of the key organizations, personalities, and discourses responsible for perpetuating anti-Muslim hate in Canada, and how the connections between them form an ecosystem of hate. As part of this discussion, we will look at the role of certain fringe-right, pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian voices in spreading Islamophobic views. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

In this episode, we are joined by Serene Husni, a video editor, mentor, writer and translator. A Diasporic Palestinian and immigrant from Jordan turned Canadian settler, she calls herself “a displaced human existing between multiple cultures, languages, and locales.” She creates most of her own work in her mother tongue, Arabic. Freely available to watch online, her latest film “Brown Bread & Apricots” (2020) talks about the importance of the pantry in her father’s exiled Palestinian family. The film won the Qayrub Award for “Best Canadian Short Film” from the Toronto Arab Film Festival in 2022. She is also co-writer and co-editor of the recent feature documentary Eulogy for The Dead Sea (2022), directed by Polina Teif. Serene holds an MFA in Documentary Media from the Toronto Metropolitan University. Continue reading

Last spring, Fernwood Publishing announced a new book, Advocating for Palestine in Canada: one of the first-ever books about Palestinian solidarity work in Canada.  Michael Bueckert, one of Debrief’s regular hosts wrote a chapter in the book looking at how Israel seeks to deflect and dismiss criticisms of its oppressive and apartheid practices.  This subject matter is also the focus of Michael’s PhD dissertation.  Join us as Michael discusses his chapter, and learn how today’s apologists for Israel take an approach eerily similar to that taken by apologists for apartheid South Africa. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

Is Canadian media biased towards Israel and against Palestinians? Where does bias come from, and how can we challenge it? On this episode, Michael and Tom are joined by Passage’s Davide Mastracci, author of a chapter on Canadian media and pro-Israel bias in the book Advocating for Palestine in Canada (Fernwood, 2022). We talk about the role of journalists, editors, corporate owners, and lobby groups in pushing media coverage to be favourable to Israel, and how these factors undermine reporting on Israel’s human rights abuses. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

In this episode, we are joined by Saeed Teebi, a writer and lawyer based in Toronto who has recently released a highly celebrated book of short stories entitled, “Her First Palestinian.”  Teebi’s book is a collection of stories about diaspora Palestinians struggling to find their place as immigrants to Canada.  It is also one of five books shortlisted for the $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Prize for Fiction this year.  The title story in the book, "Her First Palestinian," was also shortlisted for the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize.  Teebi was born to Palestinian parents in Kuwait and has lived in Canada since 1993. Continue reading

Tom and Michael discuss a recent report authored by Michael and its implications for upcoming votes on Palestinian human rights at the United Nations General Assembly. The report, based on documents obtained through an access to information request, found that Canada’s career foreign affairs officials are highly critical of Canada’s staunchly pro-Israel record, and have been pushing for a change in the government’s approach. We break down the report’s findings and what they say about Canada and its reputation on the international stage. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading