Voicesfrom the south ewsletter -May 2015 E-N Founded in 1985, the The Karibu Foundation is Karibu Foundation is an an independent founda- independent foundation Acknowledging the Nakba and tion that supports voices that supports voices from from the Global South the Global South that that provide alternatives Struggling for Justice: provide alternatives to to the dominant para- the dominant paradigms Jewish South Africans travel to Lubya digms of power, distribu- of power, distribution, tion, and development. In June 2013, the documentary film “The Village Under the Forest” had its and development. world premiere in Cape Town, South Africa. The film, by Jewish South Africans Mark J. Kaplan and Heidi Grunebaum, presents an example of Visit our website to how a Jewish diaspora has been implicated in the erasure of the memory http://www.karibu.no sign-up for “Voices from of the mass depopulation of . [email protected] the South,” our monthly Nearly two years later to the date, in May 2015, a group of Jewish South Afri- e-newsletter. cans (many of whom had been anti-apartheid activists) traveled to The Karibu Foundation and , in particular to the destroyed Palestinian village of Lubya in the Kirkens Hus http://www.karibu.no . The aim of their trip was to visit this village under the forest that the Rådhusgt 1-3 documentary described, to stand in solidarity with the village’s Palestinian [email protected] descendants who are still displaced, and to take responsibility for the actions 0151 Oslo being done in their name. Norway This month’s “Voice from the South” features a reflection from Heidi Grune- The Karibu Foundation baum on the South Africans’ visit to Lubya. Their visit was covered by several Kirkens Hus international media outlets, including CNN International (the link is below). Rådhusgt 1-3 0151 Oslo By Heidi Grunebaum persists for many. Israel passed laws to University of the Western Cape prevent the return of the refugees whilst Norway the Jewish National Fund planted swathes On the 1st of May 2015 a group of thir- of pine forests across the depopulated teen South Africans of mainly Jewish land in the name of all Jewish people. background participated in a ceremony at the ruins of the Palestinian village, Lubya The JNF forest on the ruins of Lubya is in the Galilee, together with about 150 called the “South Africa Forest”, a name Palestinians and Jewish Israelis. Under that invokes our citizenship and South the trees at “South Africa Forest,” the cer- Africa’s legacy of mass forced removals. It emony offered us the opportunity to ex- is one of hundreds of forests which press a symbolic gesture of solidarity on in the diaspora have helped to cultivate, behalf of 200 other Jewish South Africans. 86 of which are on the ruins of Nakba vil- lages. Learn more about the What is the connection between Jewish “Village Under the Forest” South Africans and Palestinians from Lu- Our trip to the region was organised and documentary film at: bya? Lubya, along with some 500 other hosted by Naif Hajjo from Lubya, a mem- Palestinian towns and villages, was de- ber of ADRID (Association for the Rights www.villageunderforest.com populated and destroyed in the 1948 War of the Internally Displaced) together with Photo: Sandit, sus. Agnate for Palestine – the Nakba, catastrophe. , an Israeli organisation commit- nam si blaciis eos rem lac- ted to raising awareness of the Nakba. cusant fugitia dolo quatem Some Palestinians were displaced inside Our activities before the ceremony in- harum et excea dis et dolumet the new state’s boundaries but the major- cluded cleaning Lubya’s burial ground. fugiaSubscribe doluptam veratibusto ity made into refugees, a condition that The cleansing of its desecrated graves “VOICESalianimod FROM untur THE aliquis SOUTH” vo- at www.karibu.no Page 1 Photo credits: Sarah Levy, Electronic Intifada

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spatial and bureaucratically bureaucratically and spatial segregation. engineered the cur face with to Face we scale catastrophe, of rent witnessed the reverberations the of disaster the human of to continue that 1948 Nakba the region. across be felt ur is it diaspora, theJewish In - necessary the Na that gently and on lives effects its and kba its that known; made are land political and ethical,moral ongoing an as consequences “the that engaged; are process cracking the system of sounds widely be more within” from member, delegation as heard, wrote. der Merwe van Stiaan a developing to commit We with term relationship longer with engaging and ADRID the di- from activists Jewish - Is and Palestinian for aspora indivisible. are freedom raeli - theindivisibil supporting In struggle, this freedom of ity to people Jewish the time for has partners in it as be present ■ urgent. abidingly become the at works Grunebaum Heidi - Re Humanities for Centre - West the of University search, Sheern be can at Cape. reached [email protected]

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about the South African visit to Lubya, Lubya, to African the South visit Learn about more in covering involvement the JNF’s the history of and CNN International’s from the village, of the remains 15, 2015): (May the visit of video coverage http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/05/15/ pkg-lee-israel-trees-of-regret.cnn - prem freedom Palestinian for of theised actual return on displaced. and refugees in- moral for The possibilities a into translate to dignation the actual supporting politics we as became clearer return the of the timing examined dur place took It ceremony. ing the continuing Nakba, in Nakba, the continuing ing deepening state of the midst oppression and repression - Is of the boundaries inside Bank and in the West and rael Gaza. the for structural The context became Lubya at action joint we before the days over visible meet to to travelled descendants and hosts our Lubya. from the West and Jerusalem In - Palestin with met Bank we activ- Israeli Jewish and ian experiencing the daily ists, - the apart of “tangibility sheer the delegation’s as Wall” heid observed, member youngest the of everyday impact and - settler colo of form Israel’s lives Palestinian nialismon in differ lives Israeli on (and current its through ways) ent military-industrial, of forms infrastructural, economic,

commitment to the struggle to commitment ian loss, and an unconditional unconditional an and loss, ian - Palestin of extent and rability - the irrepa of recognition kba, - the Na of acknowledgement The pledge affirms signatories’ affirms signatories’ pledge The Lubya. Lubya. ricans to representatives from from representatives to ricans - Af South Jewish other dred - hun two signed by pledges marking, we handed over our our over handed we marking, After the walk of place- of walkthe After themselves. themselves. and place which are the ruins which are place and to the materiality of history of the materiality to our group and Jewish Israelis Israelis Jewish and group our their scattered descendants, descendants, their scattered nected people from Lubya, Lubya, nectedfrom people - con that stood had one is ings - which the build at the places act of marking and naming naming and marking act of and English were erected. The The erected. were English and signposts in , Hebrew Hebrew in Arabic, signposts sites. At each station yellow yellow each station At sites. lic buildings and communal communal and lic buildings - pub been had Lubya’s what to different stops at ruins of at ruins stops different to pilgrimage through the forest the forest through pilgrimage parts. The first was a walking parts. first The The ceremony comprised two two comprised ceremony The Usdin. Usdin. delegation member, Shereen Shereen member, delegation meaningful, a point made by by made a point meaningful, to the dead was profoundly the dead profoundly to was as an act of showing care care showing act of an as

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