The Resource Centre

60 Years of Nakba: Remembering Palestine

The year 2008 will mark the 60th year since the Nakba, the catastrophe in which Palestine was ethnically cleansed by the Zionist movement for the creation of the Israeli state. Activities will be organized around the world to commemorate the Nakba. In Canada, several organizations have come together to organize the Nakba-60 activities. One of these is the monthly compilation and distribution of a newsletter with information about the Nakba, Palestinian refugees, and the refugees' right to return to the homes and lands from which they and their parents and grandparents were expelled.

The Palestine House Resource Centre will maintain an archive of these newsletters.

About the Resource Centre

The Resource Centre is a work in progress located on the second floor of Palestine House. It serves as:

A library for written, audio, and audio-visual materials;
A space for members and visitors to access computers for internet surfing, email, word-processing, etc.;
A quiet space for members and visitors to meet, relax, read, and work.
A place where you can find all you need if you are looking for information about Palestine, it's history, culture, people, and struggle.

We are working to fundraise for this Resource Centre, and are looking primarily for financial donations. We are also accepting donations of books, videos, and other relevant materials that can be included in the Resource Centre collection. All donors will be recognized with a plaque at the entrance of the resource centre as well as on this page of our website. Please donate to the Resource Centre.

By December 2007, the Resource Centre will house several collections of materials that would be of value to the community. These include:

A. Heritage Archive: This is an archive of Palestinian cultural history, including digitized artwork and music, artwork and literature in print, music and theatrical performances on tape, CD and DVD. This archive will be collected and administered by the Palestine House Arts Program.

B. Palestine House Archive: This is an archive of records and publications documenting the ongoing history of Palestine House and the Palestinian community in Canada, the organizations we have worked with, and the initiatives, successes, and failures of the work we have done. This archive will also include a collection of books, articles, journals and newspapers produced by members of the community.

C. Oral History archive: This archive will house the results of the Palestine House Youth Committee’s oral history project. This project aims to record the testimonies, memories, and stories of the older generation of Palestinians and non-Palestinian friends who have involved themselves with the Palestinian movement. Copies of all audio, audio-visual, and written testimonies will be digitized and stored in the Resource Centre.

D. Palestine Library: This is a collection of books and audio-visual materials relating to the past, present and future of the Palestinian people. A great deal has been written and recorded about the Palestinian people, our plight as a people who were mostly expelled from our lands, and as a people who have continued to struggle in many different ways to regain and return to our homeland. The Palestine Library will constitute the bulk of the materials available in the Resource Centre, and will be an invaluable resource for individuals and organizations looking for materials for research and advocacy relating to the Palestinian narrative in several languages, primarily English and Arabic.