We are grateful to the following co-sponsors for bringing this event to our community: the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois, the Southern Illinois Young Democratic Socialists of America and the SIU Honors Program.

Illinois Green Party

Where Olive Trees Weep

Maral Quttieneh

Zaya Benazzo

Maurizio Benazzo

Ashira Darwish

Finley MacNeil

Caroline Campbell

Nickoloz Kachibaia

Yasen Stoev

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?

Documentary

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Morris Library, Guyon Auditorium