Screening of "Where Olive Trees Weep" - followed by a discussion with Ashira Darwish and Dr. Gabor Mate

 "If the olive trees knew the hands that planted them, their oil would become tears." - Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish

You are invited to join us for the screening of the powerful documentary "Where Olive Trees Weep" about the suffering of Palestinians under 75 years of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Their universally human stories speak of intergenerational pain, trauma and resilience. Sharing stories of suffering and resilience through documentary is a powerful means of change in the persuit of justice and we hope that they touch your heart, stir compassion and understanding, and give rise to a pursuit for justice. For without justice, peace remains an empty slogan.

"Where Olive Trees Weep offers a searing window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice. We follow, among others, Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, grassroots activist Ahed Tamimi, and Israeli journalist Amira Hass. We witness Dr. Gabor Maté offering trauma-healing work for a group of women who have been tortured in Israeli prisons. Ancient landscapes bear deep scars, having witnessed the brutal reality of ancestral land confiscation, expulsions, imprisonment, home demolitions, water deprivation, and denial of basic human rights. Yet, through the veil of oppression, we catch a glimpse of resilience-deep roots that have carried the Palestinian people through decades of darkness and shattered lives. This emotional journey bares the humanity of the oppressed while grappling with the question: what makes the oppressor so ruthlessly blind to its own cruelty?" (IMDB)

The documentary will be followed with a panel discussion with two wonderfull souls who appear in the documentary:

Ashira Darwish

Ashira Darwish is the remarkable Palestinian woman featured in the documentary, “Where Olive Trees Weep.” She worked for 15 years as a TV & Radio journalist and researcher in Palestine for the BBC, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. Severely injured and later tortured in the fight against the Israeli occupation, Ashira healed herself and went on to do acclaimed healing work through Catharsis Holistic Healing, a healing project she founded in Palestine. The trauma therapy project pioneers a type of sufi active meditation which draws roots from ancestral and Indigenous knowledge. Her goal is to continue to provide critically-important psychological and physical support to those suffering continuous trauma, including by involving doctors and therapists from around the world.

Dr. Gabor Maté

Dr. Maté, a Holocaust survivor, Order of Canada recipient, and creator of the "Compassionate Inquiry" psychotherapeutic approach, is a Hungarian-Canadian physician and author known for his work on trauma, stress and childhood development. Once indentified as a Zionist, he later revised his stance, and has since openly criticized Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands, including the oppression, expulsion and massacres of Palestinians. He visited Occupied Palestine, and witnessed the cruelty of Israeli occupation on several occasions. He believes that acknowledging historical context is crucial to understand the current conflict to move forward.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to "Catharsis Holistic Healing" to free offer trauma therapy to Palestinians.