Producer Pick: The Great March
To commemorate five years of Unsettled, we’re closing out 2022 by diving into our archive. Each member of the team has picked a favorite past episode to republish. For this episode, producer Ilana Levinson shares The Great March, a report originally released in 2019, on a mass demonstration in the Gaza Strip attended by thousands. The Great March of Return was originally planned to last six weeks, but continued for many months. How did it all begin, and who are the protestors who risked their lives to participate?
To commemorate five years of Unsettled, we’re closing out 2022 by diving into our archive. Each member of the team has picked a favorite past episode to republish. For this episode, producer Ilana Levinson shares The Great March, a report originally released in 2019, on a mass demonstration in the Gaza Strip attended by thousands. The Great March of Return was originally planned to last six weeks, but continued for many months. How did it all begin, and who are the protestors who risked their lives to participate?
This episode was produced by Ilana Levinson with help from Asaf Calderon and Sophie Edelhart. Our theme music is by Nat Rosenzweig.
Help shape the future of Unsettled by filling out this listener survey! It should take only 5-10 minutes to complete.
Producer Pick: Dan Fishback & Motaz Malhees
To commemorate five years of Unsettled, we’re closing out 2022 by diving into our archive. Each member of the team has picked a favorite past episode to republish. First up, producer Max Freedman shares his interview with two theater artists: playwright/musician Dan Fishback, and actor Motaz Malhees. Dan and Motaz joined us in 2017 to discuss two productions that were literally cancelled because of their content: Dan’s play Rubble Rubble and The Siege by the Freedom Theatre of Jenin.
To commemorate five years of Unsettled, we’re closing out 2022 by diving into our archive. Each member of the team has picked a favorite past episode to republish. First up, producer Max Freedman shares his interview with two theater artists: playwright/musician Dan Fishback, and actor Motaz Malhees. Dan and Motaz joined us in 2017 to discuss two productions that were literally cancelled because of their content: Dan’s play Rubble Rubble and The Siege by the Freedom Theatre of Jenin.
This episode was produced by Ilana Levinson. Our theme music is by Nat Rosenzweig.
Help shape the future of Unsettled by filling out this listener survey! It should take only 5-10 minutes to complete.
Check out the music video for “Hope Hurts” written and performed by Dan Fishback, and watch the trailer for “200 Meters” starring Motaz Malhees.
Be Back Soon
In 1967, a young Palestinian scholar is invited to London to lecture on his mastery of a William Wordsworth poem. But after he arrives, war breaks out back home and he's forced to decide between staying in London or going back home to his family where uncertainty and suffering are guaranteed. These are events that begin The Vagrant Trilogy, a show currently playing at The Public Theatre. The audience is taken down two different paths: one where Adham chooses to stay in London, and one that leads him to a refugee camp in Lebanon. The three-act play has been in the making for over a decade now. Unsettled spoke to actor Hadi Tabbal and playwright Mona Mansour about the making of The Vagrant Trilogy.
Unsettled is taking a break from releasing new content, but we’ll be back on your feed in the fall! In the meantime, be sure to catch up on our recent episodes. This spring, we released a four-part series, ‘The Birthday Party,’ about a growing movement of Palestinians and Jews working together to oppose the occupation in the South Hebron Hills; a piece about the Jewish National Fund’s role in uprooting Palestinian communities; a feature on the educational bookshop in East Jerusalem; a two-part conversation between producer Asaf Calderon and his parents about what they see for Israel’s future; and more.
Did you know Unsettled has been around for five years? If you’re in the New York City area, you’re cordially invited to Unsettled’s five year anniversary party this August. Details to come on Instagram @ unsettled_pod.
Mona Mansour & Hadi Tabbal: The Vagrant Trilogy
In 1967, a young Palestinian scholar is invited to London to lecture on his mastery of a William Wordsworth poem. But after he arrives, war breaks out back home and he's forced to decide between staying in London or going back home to his family where uncertainty and suffering are guaranteed. These are events that begin The Vagrant Trilogy, a show currently playing at The Public Theatre. The audience is taken down two different paths: one where Adham chooses to stay in London, and one that leads him to a refugee camp in Lebanon. The three-act play has been in the making for over a decade now. Unsettled spoke to actor Hadi Tabbal and playwright Mona Mansour about the making of The Vagrant Trilogy.
In 1967, a young Palestinian scholar is invited to London to lecture on his mastery of a William Wordsworth poem. But after he arrives, war breaks out back home and he's forced to decide between staying in London or going back home to his family where uncertainty and suffering are guaranteed. These are events that begin The Vagrant Trilogy, a show currently playing at The Public Theatre. The audience is taken down two different paths: one where Adham chooses to stay in London, and one that leads him to a refugee camp in Lebanon. The three-act play has been in the making for over a decade now. Unsettled spoke to actor Hadi Tabbal and playwright Mona Mansour about the making of The Vagrant Trilogy.
MONA MANSOUR is the author of The Vagrant Trilogy which made its New York City debut in April 2022 at the Public Theater. Her other works include Unseen and We Swim ,We Talk ,We Go To War.
HADI TABBAL is an actor currently playing Adham forThe Vagrant Trilogy at The Public Theatre. Tabbal was previously an artistic associate for The Sundance Theater Institute and a Fulbright grant recipient from Beirut, Lebanon.
"Playgrounds for the military"
Last week, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued an opinion that could lead to one of the largest population transfers in recent history. After a decades-long legal battle, the court gave the Israeli military a green light to evacuate the residents of eight villages in Masafer Yatta — Palestinians who have lived for generations on land the state now claims as a “military firing zone.”
A few weeks ago, we published an interview with activist Ali Awad about the campaign to save Masafer Yatta. Unsettled producer Max Freedman spoke to Ali again to get his reaction to the court’s new ruling.
Last week, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued an opinion that could lead to one of the largest population transfers in recent history. After a decades-long legal battle, the court gave the Israeli military a green light to evacuate the residents of eight villages in Masafer Yatta — Palestinians who have lived for generations on land the state now claims as a “military firing zone.”
A few weeks ago, we published an interview with activist Ali Awad about the campaign to save Masafer Yatta. Unsettled producer Max Freedman spoke to Ali again to get his reaction to the court’s new ruling.
This episode was produced by Ilana Levinson. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Photo by Emily Glick.
The Birthday Party, Pt. 4: The Spring
Ein al-Beida is a fresh water spring that used to be the main source of water for several Palestinian villages — until Israeli settlers moved in and claimed the spring as their own. On a cold Friday morning, two hundred Palestinians and Jews march together to the spring to take it back. Then the army shows up.
Unsettled producer Max Freedman reports from the center of the action: what goes according to plan, what doesn’t, and what happens next.
Ein al-Beida is a fresh water spring that used to be the main source of water for several Palestinian villages — until Israeli settlers moved in and claimed the spring as their own. On a cold Friday morning, two hundred Palestinians and Jews march together to the spring to take it back. Then the army shows up.
Unsettled producer Max Freedman reports from the center of the action: what goes according to plan, what doesn’t, and what happens next.
"The Birthday Party" was reported by Max Freedman, and produced by Max Freedman, Emily Bell, and Ilana Levinson, with help from Asaf Calderon. Music from Blue Dot Sessions.
The Birthday Party, Pt. 3: Lilly
Lilly is a young activist from North London who has been to the West Bank many times before — just never with other Jews. In this episode of “The Birthday Party,” Lilly talks about the teenage rebellion that first brought her to Palestine, and why she now believes she can have the greatest impact within her Jewish community.
Unsettled producer Max Freedman follows Lilly and other activists with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence as they get to know the people and the landscape of the South Hebron Hills, and prepare to stand alongside Palestinians as they directly challenge the Israeli occupation forces.
Lilly is a young activist from North London who has been to the West Bank many times before — just never with other Jews. In this episode of “The Birthday Party,” Lilly talks about the teenage rebellion that first brought her to Palestine, and why she now believes she can have the greatest impact within her Jewish community back home.
Unsettled producer Max Freedman follows Lilly and other activists with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence as they get to know the people and the landscape of the South Hebron Hills, and prepare to stand with Palestinians as they directly challenge the Israeli occupation forces.
“The Birthday Party” was reported by Max Freedman, and produced by Max Freedman, Emily Bell, and Ilana Levinson, with help from Asaf Calderon. Music from Blue Dot Sessions.
The Birthday Party, Pt. 2: Bob
Bob first visited Israel in 1969, when he was on leave from his U.S. military service in Vietnam. He was raised in a Zionist home; he has relatives who proudly live in former Palestinian houses; he once volunteered on an IDF base. But now, at 71 years old, Bob is entering the West Bank for the first time.
He’s one of 44 diaspora Jews who have come to the South Hebron Hills with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence to practice co-resistance with Palestinians. In the second episode of “The Birthday Party,” producer Max Freedman spends time with Bob as he confronts the reality of occupation — and his own identity.
Bob first visited Israel in 1969, when he was on leave from his U.S. military service in Vietnam. He was raised in a Zionist home; he has relatives who proudly live in former Palestinian houses; he once volunteered on an IDF base. But now, at 71 years old, Bob is entering the West Bank for the first time.
He’s one of 44 diaspora Jews who have come to the South Hebron Hills with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence to practice co-resistance with Palestinians. In the second episode of “The Birthday Party,” producer Max Freedman spends time with Bob as he confronts the reality of occupation — and his own identity.
“The Birthday Party” was reported by Max Freedman, and produced by Max Freedman, Emily Bell, and Ilana Levinson, with help from Asaf Calderon. Music from Blue Dot Sessions.
The Birthday Party, Pt. 1: Tariq
In this special miniseries from Unsettled, producer Max Freedman spends nine days in the South Hebron Hills with Palestinians and Jews working together to oppose and obstruct the occupation. This trip, organized by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, culminates in a dramatic direct action known by a code name: “the birthday party.”
In the first episode, Max gets to know Tariq, a Palestinian teacher from the village of Umm al-Khair. Umm al-Khair is surrounded on three sides by an Israeli settlement, and the residents live under constant threat of violence and demolition. Tariq explains how his family came to live in this area, how he became an activist, and why he believes in co-resistance with Jewish allies.
In this special miniseries from Unsettled, producer Max Freedman spends nine days in the South Hebron Hills with Palestinians and Jews working together to oppose and obstruct the occupation. This trip, organized by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, culminates in a dramatic direct action known by a code name: “the birthday party.”
In the first episode, Max gets to know Tariq, a Palestinian teacher from the village of Umm al-Khair. Umm al-Khair is surrounded on three sides by an Israeli settlement, and the residents live under constant threat of violence and demolition. Tariq explains how his family came to live in this area, how he became an activist, and why he believes in co-resistance with Jewish allies.
“The Birthday Party” is reported by Max Freedman, and produced by Max Freedman, Emily Bell, and Ilana Levinson, with help from Asaf Calderon. Music from Blue Dot Sessions.
The Campaign to Save Masafer Yatta
On March 15, Israel’s High Court of Justice heard a case that could lead to one of the largest forced population transfers in recent history. For more than 20 years, Israel has been trying to expel the residents of 12 Palestinian villages in a part of the West Bank called Masafer Yatta. The state claims they need the land for a military firing zone. If the court agrees, 1,300 Palestinians might be removed from their homes.
In this episode, producer Max Freedman speaks to Ali Awad and Maya Rosen about this decades-long legal battle and what’s at stake. Ali and Maya are both organizers of the Save Masafer Yatta campaign, which aims to stop this eviction by turning Masafer Yatta into a household name.
On March 15, Israel’s High Court of Justice heard a case that could lead to one of the largest forced population transfers in recent history. For more than 20 years, Israel has been trying to expel the residents of 12 Palestinian villages in a part of the West Bank called Masafer Yatta. The state claims they need the land for a military firing zone. If the court agrees, 1,300 Palestinians might be removed from their homes.
In this episode, producer Max Freedman speaks to Ali Awad and Maya Rosen about this decades-long legal battle and what’s at stake. Ali and Maya are both organizers of the Save Masafer Yatta campaign, which aims to stop this eviction by turning Masafer Yatta into a household name.
Unsettled is produced by Emily Bell, Asaf Calderon, Max Freedman, and Ilana Levinson. Music by Nat Rosenzweig and Blue Dot Sessions. Photo credit: Yahel Gazit.
To exact ‘revenge,’ Israeli settlers wreaked havoc in my village (Ali Awad, +972 Magazine, 4/4/22)
Explainer: The threat of mass expulsion in Masafer Yatta (+972 Magazine, 3/14/22)
Maya Rosen & Daniel Roth: KKL-JNF (Unsettled, 3/23/22)
Ali Awad
Maya Rosen
Maya Rosen & Daniel Roth: KKL-JNF
Before there was a state of Israel, there was the Jewish National Fund. The JNF, or Keren Kayamet L’Yisrael in Hebrew, was founded in 1901 to buy land in Palestine for Jewish settlement. Today, most American Jews know the JNF for its tin tzedakah boxes and tree planting campaigns. But KKL-JNF owns 13% of the land in Israel — which it allocates exclusively to Jews — and has been involved in evicting Palestinians in the Negev, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank.
Before there was a state of Israel, there was the Jewish National Fund. The JNF, or Keren Kayamet L’Yisrael in Hebrew, was founded in 1901 to buy land in Palestine for Jewish settlement. Today, most American Jews know the JNF for its tin tzedakah boxes and tree planting campaigns. But KKL-JNF owns 13% of the land in Israel — which it allocates exclusively to Jews — and has been involved in evicting Palestinians in the Negev, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank.
This episode was produced by Ilana Levinson. Music by Nat Rosenzweig and Blue Dot Sessions.
Maya Rosen is a graduate student in history at the Hebrew University. She lives in Jerusalem and is active in anti-occupation work.
A. Daniel Roth is an educator, activist and writer working to build a powerful movement for equality and self-determination for all peoples in the place they call home.
Milena Ansari: Palestinian Prisoners’ Rights
When Hisham Abu-Hawash ended his 141-day hunger strike last month, he had been imprisoned by Israel for more than a year without charges or a trial. He was just one of about 500 Palestinians held in “administrative detention.”
In this episode, we speak to Milena Ansari, International Advocacy Officer at Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. Milena explains Israel’s military court system and how Palestinians are fighting to end administrative detention.
When Hisham Abu-Hawash ended his 141-day hunger strike last month, he had been imprisoned by Israel for more than a year without charges or a trial. He was just one of about 500 Palestinians held in “administrative detention.”
In this episode, we speak to Milena Ansari, International Advocacy Officer at Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. Milena explains Israel’s military court system and how Palestinians are fighting to end administrative detention.
Unsettled is produced by Emily Bell, Asaf Calderon, Max Freedman, and Ilana Levinson. This episode was reported and produced by Ilana Levinson. Original music by Nat Rosenzweig. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions.
Mahmoud Muna: Educational Bookshop
Mahmoud Muna is part of the family that runs the Educational Bookshop: the only English language bookstore in East Jerusalem. The current iteration of the Bookshop was opened in the 1980s by Mahmoud’s father, Ahmed. Today, the shop has multiple locations and thousands of titles on its shelves.
When Unsettled producer Max Freedman visited Jerusalem at the start of 2020, he stopped by the Educational Bookshop and sat down with Mahmoud. In this episode of Unsettled, they talk about the history of the bookshop and what it means — to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and people around the world.
““Any book on Palestine-Israel that you think has ever [been] written, there’s a good chance that we have it.” ”
Mahmoud Muna is part of the family that runs the Educational Bookshop: the only English language bookstore in East Jerusalem. The current iteration of the Bookshop was opened in the 1980s by Mahmoud’s father, Ahmed. Today, the shop has multiple locations and thousands of titles on its shelves.
When Unsettled producer Max Freedman visited Jerusalem at the start of 2020, he stopped by the Educational Bookshop and sat down with Mahmoud. In this episode of Unsettled, they talk about the history of the bookshop and what it means — to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and people around the world.
Unsettled is produced by Emily Bell, Asaf Calderon, Max Freedman, and Ilana Levinson. This episode was reported by Max Freedman and produced by Emily Bell. Original music by Nat Rosenzweig. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions.
MAHMOUD’S PICKS: NON-FICTION
Jerusalem in History by Kamil Asali
I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti
Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother’s Kitchen by Joudi Kalla
In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story by Ghada Karmi
The Palestinian Table by Reem Kassis
Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life by Sari Nusseibeh
The Two-State Delusion: Israel and Palestine—A Tale of Two Narratives by Padraig O’Malley
The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown by Afif Safieh
Palestinian Walks by Raja Shehadeh
The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World by Avi Shlaim
Hollow Land: Israel’s Architecture of Occupation by Eyal Weizman
MAHMOUD’S PICKS: FICTION
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
Out of It by Selma Dabbagh
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
The Children of the Ghetto: My Name is Adam by Elias Khoury
The Calderons are unsettled
Unsettled producer Asaf Calderon grew up in Israel in a household of “smolanim”: leftists. His parents raised him to think critically and to fight against injustice, even if it means going against what most people consider normal. But today, even while their values remain the same, there is a deep ideological rift between them when it comes to Zionism. In this episode, Asaf sits down with his parents, Nissim and Rivka Calderon, to learn about their political development and discuss whether Zionism is compatible with left politics and Palestinian rights.
Unsettled producer Asaf Calderon grew up in Israel in a household of “smolanim”: leftists. His parents raised him to think critically and to fight against injustice, even if it means going against what most people consider normal. But today, even while their values remain the same, there is a deep ideological rift between them when it comes to Zionism. In this episode, Asaf sits down with his parents, Nissim and Rivka Calderon, to learn about their political development and discuss whether Zionism is compatible with left politics and Palestinian rights.
These episodes of Unsettled was produced by Asaf Calderon and edited by Ilana Levinson. Unsettled theme music is by Nat Rosenzweig with additional music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.
Earworms for the Movement
This summer, New York City’s Astor Place hosted a bat mitzvah ceremony unlike any other: the Anti-Zionist Bat Mitzvah, an all-day musical extravaganza created by Morgan Bassichis and Ira Khonen Temple. The event started with tutoring sessions on Palestinian popular resistance and the weaponization of the Torah, and ended with a celebratory dance to “Hava Nagila” remixed as an anti-police anthem.
In this episode of Unsettled, producer Ilana Levinson talks to Morgan and Ira about their collaboration, and the importance of joy in collective liberation.
This summer, New York City’s Astor Place hosted a bat mitzvah ceremony unlike any other: the Anti-Zionist Bat Mitzvah, an all-day musical extravaganza created by Morgan Bassichis and Ira Khonen Temple. The event started with tutoring sessions on Palestinian popular resistance and the weaponization of the Torah, and ended with a celebratory dance to “Hava Nagila” remixed as an anti-police anthem.
In this episode of Unsettled, producer Ilana Levinson talks to Morgan and Ira about their collaboration, and the importance of joy in collective liberation.
The Anti-Zionist Bat Mitzvah was first performed on July 4, 2021 on Rashid Johnson’s Red Stage in Astor Place. The performance was commissioned by Creative Time and curated by Diya Vij. Performers: Morgan Bassichis, Ira Khonen Temple, Emma Alabaster, April Centrone, Zoë Aqua, and Pam Fleming. Tutors: Shirly Bahar, Brooke Lober, Izzy Mustafa, Tamar Ghabin, Dean Spade, Rabbi Miriam Grossman, and Ita Segev.
This episode was produced by Ilana Levinson and edited by Emily Bell. Original music by Nat Rosensweig.
Special thanks to Aleksei Wagner and Creative Time for performance recordings.
Morgan Bassichis is a comedic performer who has been called “a tall child or, well, a big bird” by The Nation and “fiercely hilarious” by The New Yorker. Morgan’s book of to-do lists, The Odd Years, was published by Wendy’s Subway in 2020. Past shows include Don’t Rain On My Bat Mitzvah (co-created with Ira Khonen Temple, Creative Time, 2021), Nibbling the Hand that Feeds Me (Whitney Museum, NYC, 2019), Klezmer for Beginners (co-created with Ethan Philbrick, Abrons Arts Center, NYC, 2019), Damned If You Duet (The Kitchen, NYC, 2018), More Protest Songs! (Danspace Project, NYC, 2018), and The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions: The Musical (co-created with TM Davy, DonChristian Jones, Michi Ilona Osato, and Una Aya Osato, New Museum, NYC, 2017). Morgan has released two albums: March is for Marches with Ethan Philbrick (2019) and More Protest Songs! Live From St. Mark’s Church (2018).
Ira Khonen Temple is a bandleader, songwriter, and embedded cultural organizer. Recent credits include accordionist for Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, and music director of Indecent at the Weston Playhouse, Great Small Works’ Muntergang and Other Cheerful Downfalls, and the Aftselakhis Spectacle Committe Purimshpil. Ira was a founder of the radical-traditional Yiddish music group Tsibele.
Morgan Bassichis (Photo: Jared Buckhiester)
Ira Khonen Temple (Photo: Zachary Schulman)