IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
In a valley between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Palestinians are using native grapes to make fine wines at the site of an ancient church. And after decades of focusing on local sales, the Cremisan Winery and Monastery is offering visitors a unique experience that combines wine and history, stressing peaceful outreach amid the region's turmoil.
on October 13, 2015
Alaa Sayej knows it's a tough time to invest in “Made in Palestine” products. Formal talks to end the Israeli occupation are dormant, while the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the longstanding contours of a promised Palestinian state, are as divided as ever. International movements to boycott Israeli companies are growing, but for Palestinians on the ground, creating their own local alternatives remains an uphill battle.
on August 27, 2015
Khalid Sayej steps out the front door of the Birzeit Brewery and immediately lights a cigarette. Shaking his head, visibly flustered, he offers his hand and a shy smile. "I've been swimming in beer," he says, inspecting the damp around his ankles. Earlier this morning, a valve on one of the beer tanks had failed, releasing a thousand-litre wave of pilsner across the warehouse.
on July 9, 2015
The writing was literally on the wall of the building at 6 Salameh Street, in Jaffa. Buried under layers of paint, it waited patiently for decades to be noticed. It survived a world war and a war of independence (or a Nakba – catastrophe – depending on its owners’ perspectives); watched in silence as the British, the Arabs and the Jews passed by; and concealed a small local story, which like many others of its kind was all but forgotten.
on June 21, 2015
A bean stew, lamb, olives, bitter herbs, a fish sauce, unleavened bread, dates and aromatized wine likely were on the menu at the Last Supper, says recent research into Palestinian cuisine during Jesus's time. The food wasn't eaten during a formal seated gathering at a rectangular table, as shown in many religious art paintings, but with Jesus and his apostles reclining on floor cushions, as the Romans did at that time.
on April 2, 2015
When Linda Bevis started her second career in teaching nineteen years ago, she noticed that the textbooks for high school world history dedicated about five paragraphs to Palestine and Israel. The Seattle resident, educator, and longtime activist knew how difficult it would be for any teacher to use that material productively. “While I actually don’t think the conflict is a complicated one, it cannot be explained in five paragraphs."
on March 5, 2015
It may challenge the spirit to think of cauliflower as anything but an overrated, ungainly plant. But in the craggy land between Ramallah and Jerusalem, there is one variety of that plain vegetable that invariably attracts a crazed following at this time of year.
on February 14, 2015
Artist Jon Rubin, proprietor of Conflict Kitchen in Oakland, said on Monday night that he will use a $15,000 award he received from The Pittsburgh Foundation and Heinz Endowments to expand his restaurant’s controversial presentation of Palestinian foods, culture and perspective.
on December 9, 2014
A tiny Christian enclave in the overwhelmingly Muslim West Bank has for years crafted the only Palestinian beer and brought thousands of visitors flocking to its annual beer fest. Now, it is adding wine to its list of libations, hoping a boutique winery will be another tourist draw and contribute to keeping the small village afloat.
on November 3, 2014