About four or five middle-aged women of Palestinian background showed up at my door here one early evening. They all came from either Mississauga, Oakville or Burlington and I had never met them before.
My visitors had heard through the grape vine (i.e. online via by the anti-Zionist Independent Jewish Voices) that politically sympathetic Jews were meeting at a local book club at my address to discuss the popular and authoritative historical work by Palestinian American author, Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017.
It so happened that these Palestinian-Canadian women were also discussing the same book by Khalidi in their own separate book club made up of people of Palestinian and Jordanian backgrounds. Of course, they were welcome to join our IJV Hamilton chapter discussion which was sparsely attended.
Since then, this group of Palestinian Canadian woman have become regulars in a separate and more active book club discussion that Independent Jewish Voices conducts online across the country on zoom every few months. It is a gathering which I help organize that includes Jews, non-Jews, and now Palestinians.
One of the Palestinian Canadian women who came to my house is Layla. “I’m Palestinian born in Kuwait and lived in Lebanon as a child until the civil war and then returned with my family to Kuwait. I only lived in Jordan in my adult life but always visited during the summer holidays.”
Layla and her friends continue to be active in the two separate book clubs. Their first book club started in 2018.
“In the Jordanian-Palestinian book club, I’ve found a deep sense of belonging and camaraderie. We bond over our shared histories, stories, and challenges stemming from our homeland in Palestine. As a lifelong avid reader, discussing books with fellow enthusiasts has always been a cherished activity for me. This club not only indulges my passion for literature but also opens our discussions to a rich tapestry of opinions and insights about the books we explore, which often leads to thought-provoking conversations and deeper understanding,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Layla appreciates that not all Jews are hostile to Palestinians or are hard-line Zionists. But she says she had never personally engaged with Jews who support the Palestinian rights struggle and are critical of Zionism. It was a bit of an eye opener for her to meet us.
“Meeting individuals [at IJV] who are not only pro-Palestine but actively seek to educate themselves through literature by Palestinian authors has been incredibly refreshing. Their commitment to understanding our plight fosters an atmosphere of empathy and solidarity that I found so heartwarming,” Layla stated.
Layla and the other Palestinian women joined the IJV book club before the Hamas attack of October 7th, 2023 which was followed by a relentless Israel military onslaught resulting in genocide and starvation in Gaza and displacement and ethnic cleansing in West Bank.
She and the other Palestinian-Canadian women in the book club have continued with the IJV book club as a way to maintain their sanity in face of the ongoing horror in the Middle East.
“The discussions following our readings are often infused with heartfelt sentiments and nuanced ideas that restored my faith in humanity during these difficult times,” Layla explained.
“It’s invigorating to feel validated and understood,sharing experiences and thoughts about our struggles. My Palestinian and Jordanian friends who join these discussions echo this sentiment,” Layla continued.
The women make it a priority to read every book chosen for discussion by the IJV book club and then participate in the discussion.“With each meeting, I leave feeling more hopeful and grateful for the connections forged and the understanding fostered. This journey through literature is not just about reading; it’s about creating bridges of understanding, compassion, and support that transcends boundaries and enriches our collective identity,” she added.
My impression is that the presence Palestinian Canadian woman in the IJV book club has enriched the IJV book club and broadened the perspective for the rest of us.
We discuss a range of novels, memoirs and collections of essays by diasporic Jews, Israelis and Palestinians. Attracting the greatest interest in terms of personal attendance on zoom was Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by the German-American Jewish philosopher, Hannah Arendt. That was a few years ago.
More recently Pankaj Mishra’s book length essay, The World After Gaza, garnered considerable interest as the Indian writer tackles how an intolerant Hindu nationalist right in power in his country is influenced by Zionism.
Of course, it is the Palestinian writers who most engage us in the national IJV book club because of what is happening now in Palestine.
Here are some sample titles that I particularly like. With the exception of The Parisian, all have been discussed in the IJV book club. They are either translated or originally written in English and are easily available.
 | Her First Palestinian and Other Stories by Saeed Teebi, is a collection of compelling short stories of Palestinians in the diaspora by the Palestinian Canadian lawyer and writer. |
 | The Parisian, is a novel by British Palestinian writer Isabella Hammad. It depicts a young Arabman trying to find his personal footing amidst nationalist fervour in British ruled Palestine following the first World War and prior to the 1948 establishment of the state of Israel and the Nakba. (We discussed at IJV another novel by Hammad, Enter Ghost which underwhelmed us. Here, I am suggesting her far superior novel, The Parisien, which we have not discussed. |
 | Palestinian Walks: Forays Into a Vanishing Landscape, is a non-fiction memoir by the Ramallah based lawyer and writer, Raja Shehadeh. Published in 2007 this text is one of a series of insightful books of political and personal exploration by the author who is also the founder of the Al Haq human rights organization. |
 | Against the Loveless World is a novel by the fiery Palestinian American writer and public figure, Susan Abulhawa. Here, we read about a Palestinian woman who is stuck in an Israeli solitary confinement prison after going through abandonment, sexual exploitation and becoming a refugee. |
 | Stranger In My Own Land: Palestine, Israel and One Family’s Story of Home by Ramallah based author Fida Jiryis recounts the true-life story of personal and family exile in Lebanon and Cyprus, followed by a return home to Israel with the 1993 Oslo Accords that were designed to settle the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians — but instead helped to reinforce and deepen the occupation and restrictions of their human rights. Jiryis is the daughter of high-profile Palestinian author and activist Sabri Jiryis who for a period of time lived in exile in Beirut advising Yasser Arafet and Palestine Liberation Organization prior to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon which put an end to its presence in the country. |
Finally, there are two ways to fully appreciate the humanity of an oppressed people like the Palestinians whose voices are rarely heard in our mass media. It is accomplished, first, by reading some of their best authors and then secondly actually meet a few of them in person living in exile here in Canada.
Layla is a pseudonym for one of the Palestinian women who came to my house. Because of potential online harassment I am keeping her name confidential