Testimonials – Museum of the Palestinian People

Nizar Farsakh

Chair of the Board, MPP

As a proud Palestinian exasperated by the incessant vile portrayal of our heritage in the US, I found myself wanting to know more about this museum.
I began to imagine visitors looking at portraits of Dabke’s, olive harvests, paintings, and of delicate hand threading embroidered dresses.
In another section, there would be wedding Mawa-weels (chants)
and a panel describing what the different chants meant and the history of that colorful tradition.
My heartbeat started racing; I was thinking of how some of these visitors would go in knowing a little or nothing about Palestine, and then come out in love with the place, eager to visit and meet Palestinians. From Mahmoud Darwish’s universally-acclaimed masterpieces to the Intifada’s ingenious contributions to the art of nonviolence, I could see this house of Palestine reclaim our rightful place amongst the nations.

I am talking about a people who not only contributed to the religious heritage of over 4 billion people on this planet, but also gave shining examples of tolerance, compassion, and coexistence in the face of great suffering. We can have the word Palestinian truly become synonymous with compassion, resilience, and a can-do attitude.

Read the full article on Arab America

W.R. Gregory

UltiSat Inc Partner

What caught me immediately about the project was the Museum’s unrelentingly positive tone; it seeks to tell the story of Palestine and her people not through the ordinary methods of tales of atrocity, hardship, and despair but instead through beautiful stories of passionate people, brilliant artists, and hardworking citizens who want and desire and deserve the same exact things we all do as humans, from Baltimore to Budapest, Ramallah to Riyadh…Right away, I felt the Museum was essential here in Washington. Washington is too often the center of dialogue for the Middle East, yet nowhere here can one find a collection of Palestinian history and art like that which will be housed at the Museum. This Museum will correct that. The Museum of the Palestinian People is a museum for everyone, not just Palestinians, and could not be timelier.

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Nina Cullers

Museum Visitor

I am very impressed with this endeavor. My family sought refuge from West jerusalem in Bethlehem after the Nakba. We found the Bethlehemites to be wonderful , warm and hospitable people. My young years are full of stories of friendships, fun and a wholesome simple life. The community was safe, nurturing, supportive and provided encouragement for the youth to aspire for success . The tranquility of life was disrupted and destroyed by the occupation in 1967, Then the wall added restriction and caused many to leave their safe and secure town. Yet the spirit of those imprisoned behind the wall continued to be creative and find ways to survive. This museum shows the spirit of those who refused to abandon their culture and heritage. They struggled and persevered and resisted, persisting to find hope and joy in their traditional way of life.

Ryan Farhab

Local Tour Guide

Beautiful and cozy place. Probably the smallest museum I’ve been to size-wise, but it more than makes up for it with quality and quantity of content. Very powerful exhibits and very ingeniously curated. Hat’s off to everyone involved for this masterpiece of a Hidden Gem!

Crystal Myers

Student at Nazareth College
after visiting our “Bethlehem Behind the Wall” exhibit

I like that this exhibit gives an insider view; the tile “Beyond the wall” is very appropriate. Its not until you can understand people and perspectives that you can begin to work solutions and I think this exhibit seems to do that. Everyday life is reality ( and the walls as well) seeing the wall as a man heard sheep, as people exercise, running by, show its prominence and yet despite it, life continues on. Images as well can convey emotions to which work are inadequate and leave the interpretation to the viewer in an unpretentious way. I think this is a great first step in getting people to begin to thinking about and exploring an issue that is all too often neglected (and feared to be explored) but indefinitely needs to be.

Crystal Myers

Rochester Community

after visiting our “Bethlehem Behind the Wall” exhibit

This was a very moving exhibit. So much beauty and rich culture, encase by walls of oppression. The beautiful people of Palestinian descent do not let these wall maintain their spirit. These images will stay with me forever, I will do my best to share this moving experience with others throughout my life and hope they will share what I experienced with others. This is the first step toward ending oppression and injustices.

Rochester Community Member