Dear Rachel's Words friends and supporters:
Exciting things have been happening since the production of Rachel's Words at Riverside Church in NYC on March 22nd. The latest is that the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie had its Irish debut. Theater groups and activists have been independently organizing creative readings of Rachel's emails, the media continues to cover them, and the idea is spreading. We encourage people to pursue this on their own and we can assist by providing materials from our event at Riverside Church. We will be putting together a package that will make it easy for anyone, on college campuses or in their local theaters or even living rooms, to create their own Rachel's Words event. Please visit the website to keep abreast of news related to Rachel’s Words and contact us if we can help you plan an event in your area. Please also keep us informed about your events so we can post them on our site.
This email contains a list of upcoming productions related to Rachel’s Words. It also includes a brief update on the current situation in the West Bank and Gaza and how you can help. And finally, it contains an appeal for donations, as we still have not covered all the costs of the March 22nd event in NYC.
UPCOMING RACHEL'S WORDS EVENTS
KINGSTON, NY:
E-MAILS FROM ISRAEL/PALESTINE
A staged reading of Rachel Corrie's e-mails from Rafah in 2003
and Paula Silbey's writings from her trip to Israel/Palestine in 2006,
followed by an audience response and discussion
Saturday, June 16, 8:00 pm
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills
320 Sawkill Road
Kingston, New York
BIRMINGHAM, AL:
U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
will be presenting segments of RACHEL'S WORDS
at the Presbyterian Conference (USA) General Assembly
Sunday June 18th, 4 -5:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
2100 Fourth Ave, North
Birmingham, Al
CHICAGO, IL:
Chicagoland Premier of
THE VOICE OF RACHEL CORRIE
An original staged performance of reading of her words
Sunday, June 18, 2:00 pm
Evanston Public Library
Orrington & Church Street, Evanston
Chicago, Illinois
PROVINCETOWN, MA:
A Conn Artist Performance Event: The Provincetown Fringe Festival
THE WORDS OF RACHEL CORRIE
Directed by Deborah Peabody
Every Tuesday at 7:00 pm, June 20 through August 29
The Provincetown Inn
1 Commercial Street
Provincetown, Massachustts
SANTA FE, NM:
Teatro Paraguas presents
MESSAGES OF RACHEL CORRIE
a staged reading of Rachel Corrie's e-mails from Rafah and other writings
Saturday, July 22, 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 23, 2:00 pm
El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe
1615 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, New Mexico
GALWAY, IRELAND
MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE
For more detailed information about these and other upcoming events, check our website at
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN WEST BANK AND GAZA
In January, the Palestinian people elected Hamas in a democratic election to control the Palestinian Congress. The Israeli and international response to the elections has been described as collective punishment, which is illegal under the Geneva conventions. The United States, Canada and many European countries have cut off humanitarian aid to the Occupied Territories. Additionally, the United States has put a prohibition on anyone transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority, which is already crippled by Israel's blockade. As a result, food and medicine shortages are acute and a humanitarian disaster throughout the occupied territories is looming, especially in Gaza. For a more complete explanation of what is happening and why please read this article from Al Ahram Weekly.
How you can help:
Rachel's Words is working on developing and contacting different initiatives that can reliably provide food, medicine and assistance to people as conditions deteriorate. The Middle East Children's Alliance has already set up an appeal and has the infrastructure in place to deliver the goods.
Please read the articles other below for more information about this growing crisis.
UN Races Against Time to Feed Palestinians
Nearly 2 million hungry in West Bank, Gaza
World Food Program aims to help 600,000
By Olivia Ward
TheToronto Star
Saturday June 3, 2006.
Don't Punish the Palestinians
By Jimmy Carter
Washington Post
Monday, February 20, 2006
Gaza is like Dakar
By Akiva Elda
Ha'aretz
Sunday, June 4, 2006
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT RACHEL’S WORDS
Rachel’s Words still needs additional funds to cover the cost of the Riverside Church production. Please make any donation possible by visiting the DONATE page on the website. You can also visit the STORE for various packages and incentives, including scripts of "My Name is Rachel Corrie".
Thank you all for your enthusiastic response and continued efforts. There have been times when we've had difficulty managing the volume, so we also appreciate your patience and understanding.
Kathleeen Chalfant, Sally Eberhardt, Jen Marlowe,
Ann Petter, Brian Pickett, Dave Reed, Suzy Salamy, Tom Wallace