Glen Arbor Sun to document Run Across Palestine
This coming February, Glen Arbor Sun founding editor Jacob Wheeler and Traverse City filmmaker Aaron Dennis (whose father Jerry was featured in our latest edition) will follow a team of American and Palestinian athletes as they run the West Bank, from Hebron to Jenin (129 miles over five days) to raise awareness about the struggles facing olive farmers in Palestine. The “Run Across Palestine”, a project of On The Ground aims to reestablish sustainable olive growing practices in a place where the economy, culture and identity are rooted in the ancient tree. 45 percent of the agricultural land in the West Bank is used for growing olives, employing 100,000 Palestinians. The money raised by the run will go to fund the replanting of olive trees uprooted in recent years, and to fund scholarships for the children of the farmers.
Wheeler and Dennis will produce a seven-part documentary web series entitled “The People and the Olive”, telling stories of hope and perseverance in the West Bank. These videos will be posted with accompanying blog reports and will appear on On the Ground’s website, as well as on GlenArborSun.com, on TheUpTake.org and in the progressive Jewish magazine Tikkun. After the completion of the run, these videos will be compiled and expanded into a short documentary. This film will be available on DVD and will premier in Traverse City, Michigan.
To fund their trip, Wheeler and Dennis are appealing for financial support via an online Kickstarter campaign. They aim to raise $5,000 by Jan. 24. The actual Run Across Palestine begins Feb. 4 in Hebron and ends Feb. 8 in Jenin.
“The olive tree plays a very important role as a symbol of our perseverance,” said Run Across Palestine coordinator Vivien Sansour. “Planting an olive tree is a huge message of hope. When you plant an olive tree, you’re planting a vision for the future.”
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Sylvan Inn, nestled in the tall pines at the edge of Glen Arbor.