Solidarity Library in Central Bethlehem

Message sent to me by the International Solidarity Initiative. I don’t have any personal names to connect to this group, but in response to my questions about them they told me that they are independent and not a part of another organization. They can be excused for wanting to stay personally under the radar given the difficult politics surrounding their project.

Our Project: A solidarity library in central Bethlehem

Presentation of the International Solidarity Initiative (ISI)

International Solidarity Initiative is an independent community center based in the center of the Old City of Bethlehem. It is a place where everyone meets to share and develop together there abilities in purpose of right social construction; to help Palestinian people in its march towards freedom and autonomy.

Our philosophy is based on non-violent popular resistance. We believe that educating young people must go through the construction of critical thinking and their own individualization inside the society. We participate in the creation and support of the Palestinian initiative campaigns. These campaigns and our actions are relayed by the media both locally and internationally. We are at the origin of the campaign I Am Palestine whose goal is to change the image of Palestine through various video testimonies of Palestinians on the question of their identity through its wide distribution.

Many volunteers have already joined our initiatives. To this end, we have also a guest house in the center.

Presentation of our project: a solidarity library

Our project is primarily a community project: the creation of a solidarity library, non-profit and open to all. This library gives to young Palestinians easy, secular and democratic access to books whose intellectual relevance and cultural escape fill the absence of such offer in Bethehem area.

The choice of undertake such a project in the center of the ISI is not trivial. Indeed, local and international youths meet there already, what makes this place a full participant in actual solidarity. We have a large room that can accommodate more than 5000 books on its shelves, and equipment and volunteer staff necessary for the proper management of the library.

We mainly target a part of the Palestinian youth who suffers from barriers to access to culture but also to the most disadvantaged families. This is why the free borrowing of books is a principle on which we insist.

The types of books required are mostly novels (classic, fiction…), poetry, theater, cultural books (arts, film, photography …), history and politics, dealing with social issues, art of living (cooking, nature, travel …) and educational manuals (language learning, science, academic books …).

Your contribution by a sponsorship takes on a gift of books.

In addition to this donation, you support us with the dissemination of a culture with a population that represents the future of a becoming nation. You support the Palestinian people. You support Palestine.
The in and out presence of international volunteers will give a media influence to our project’s sponsorship, supported by our very visited website and Facebook page.

If you want to ask question and support us, you can at first contact us via our email: bethlehem.isi [at] gmail.com

We hope that your initial support will soon looks like a partnership in the long term and you will become an mean asset to Palestinian mind’s plethora.

With blessed regards,
International Solidarity Initiative