Saturday concert in Northampton to aid Palestinian school
NORTHAMPTON — On Saturday, there will be a free, public concert from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence at 220 Main St. to raise money needed for the Sumud School in north Gaza.
The Sumud School was founded by Enaam Sakallah, an English teacher who was displaced from Gaza City in October 2023 by Israel's attack on Hamas and Gaza, according to the concert organizers.
After more than a year of suffering and struggle, and teaching her own and other children in a tent, Sakallah found a damaged building in north Gaza, cleaned it, and moved the school into it. Sumud School — 'sumud' means steadfastness in Arabic — now has a student body of 350 and 15 teachers.
Concert organizers Demilitarize Western Massachusetts, Jewish Voice for Peace Western Massachusetts and Valley Families for Palestine are working with Northampton's Ruth Moushabeck to raise funds for the school's critical needs. Moushabeck created Friends of Sumud School and a GoFundMe to aid in the effort.
'The school is incredible,' Moushabeck said in a statement. 'It's run in a normal way. They do science, they do art. The children attend in shifts, because the space is small. They have exams and standards, in fact, the school was certified by a school inspector with the Palestine Education Authority. ... The children know that the Father's Day concert is being organized on their behalf and they are very excited about it.'
The benefit concert will feature Connecticut River Valley singers, poets and bands. Because of likely rain showers, the concert will be held indoors in the Great Hall of the Unitarian Society.
Read the original article on MassLive.
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