For Philadelphia-based novelist, Alison Glick, 61, the past six months of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has been filled with fear and loss. Like many Palestinian Americans, Glick has been monitoring the news out of Gaza with bated breath. But Glick is not Palestinian. She’s an American Jew. Her ex-husband, a Palestinian, is currently trapped in Gaza under Israeli bombardment, along with a great deal of extended family and close friends.

Al-Bustan News Service documents a day in the life of Makkah Market, a 24/7 West Philly Halal marketplace and restaurant, where taxi drivers, students, workers, neighbors and worshippers from the nearby Masjid Al-Jamia can get a meal, shop, and socialize. A Palestinian-owned shop, Makkah Market serves as a hub for Philly’s thriving SWANA community.

Philadelphians gathered at Penn Museum earlier this month to watch Foragers (64 min.), a film that tells the story of Palestinians whose centuries-old traditional practice of foraging for wild edible plants and herbs has been criminalized by Israel. Now through April 3rd, in commemoration of Palestinian Land Day (March 30th), the film is free to screen online courtesy of the Palestine Film Institute.

A Utopian Stage, the interdisciplinary exhibit and brainchild of London-based curator Vali Mahlouji is slated to conclude at a celebration Saturday, March 30th at Asian Arts Initiative’s Vine Street gallery in Chinatown. It will feature Persian poetry readings, Balinese musical performances, a “cultural atlas debate,” with Mahlouji, and more.

One month after independent U.S. presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West joined a multi-faith coalition of more than 350 faith leaders, activists, and artists walking from Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to the White House in order to call for a Ceasefire in Gaza, the Pilgrimage for Peace is at it again.

This year, Philadelphia public school teachers and students have been facing an uphill battle when it comes to teaching and learning about Palestine. From schools in southwest to northeast, censorship has been on the rise. And some Philly teachers are fighting back.