Build A Better Future Book Club #17: The Flying Camel (Selected Essays) edited by Loolwa Khazzoom

Build A Better Future Book Club from Girl Gang Manchester

Stimulus, discussion, co-learning, and action to create a more equitable world for all.

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The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage, edited by Loolwa Khazzoom 

"A provocative collection that attempts to untangle complicated webs of anti-Semitism, racism, and misogyny, The Flying Camel presents a challenging introduction to complex struggles around issues of identity and community." - Angela Y. Davis 

• "Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, the seventeen women of The Flying Camel boldly emerge from the wreckage of their ancient civilizations and invite readers on an intimate journey of self-discovery, creativity, and defiance. Drawing from personal and ancestral memories, amidst the pursuit of soul-filled dreams and longings, anthology contributors navigate geopolitical upheaval and cultural homelessness, crisscrossing four continents and stepping back and forth through the spiritual portals of time. Nothing is quite as it seems, we learn, with identity constructs, loyalties, and politics dependent on so many variables that, ultimately, the borders perhaps dissolve into the greater expansiveness of who we are.
  
  Alternately raw and fierce, vulnerable and tender, these gripping stories are deeply personal and uniformly honest, providing a secret passageway deep below the narrow scripts and slogans of today’s identity politics, and leading straight into the chamber of the heart. Reflecting a diversity of experience and perspective, and drawing from a collective wealth of knowledge, the stories naturally weave through topics including exile, body image, sexuality, class division, religious practice, domestic violence, the Middle East conflict, and other pertinent issues, in ways that are both insightful and refreshing."
  
  ESSAYS WE'LL BE FOCUSING ON ARE:
• Souvenir from Libya by Gina Bublil Waldman (pp 21 - 38, 17 pages) 
• Benign Ignorance or Persistent Resistance by Rachel Wahba (pp 47-66, 19 pages) 
• Reflections of an Arab Jew by Ella Shohat (pp 115- 122, 7 pages) 
• Illusions in Assimilation by Henriette Dahan Kalev (pp 157 - 172, 15 pages) 
• Secrets by Mojgan Moghadam-Rahbar (pp 190 - 208, 18 pages)

Facilitated by Amy Lever 

Amy Lever (she/her) is a Mancunian Jewish actor/ writer and facilitator of Egyptian, Lebanese and Eastern European heritage. She is passionate about creating work that centres under-represented stories and human connection. Her debut play “Life Before the Line” won the Cambridge University Edinburgh Fringe Award 2022 where it received five star reviews at The Edinburgh Fringe, and is currently shaping up for a professional tour. She has since had work commissioned with HOME, Contact, The Manchester Jewish Museum and The Manchester International Festival. Her work has also been selected for script development schemes with Warner Bros x Royal Exchange and Channel 4. Amy was named runner up for the Alpine Fellowship Prize for Playwriting.

Amy is debuting her solo play “Lost Girl” which explores expectations of womanhood and Jewish-Arab identity inspired by her own family history. ”Lost Girl” will be performed at Manchester Jewish Museum on Sunday 19th May, before it heads to Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. 

Reading “The Flying Camel“ has been deeply informative in writing her play, and touching personally to hear experiences of Mizrahi Jewish women.

Chosen Organisation for Donations: Manchester Jewish Museum

Manchester Jewish Museum is based in Cheetham Hill and is “a place to experience how we are different, together”. The museum was first opened in 1984 in its Grade II listed 1874 Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue.

This Synagogue turns 150 this year and to celebrate the Museum is organising a diverse range of events to explore Sephardi culture and history.

The Museum holds over 31,000 items documenting the story of Jewish migration and settlement in Manchester. The Museum connects Jewish stories to the world and to our society, hoping to make real the knowledge that there is more that binds us together than separates us.

By donating to the Museum, you can support their fantastic and dynamic work with Jewish communities across the city. Find out more here. 

If you would like to facilitate a future book club or have an idea for a book that you think we should feature please drop us a message at girlgangmanchester@gmail.com. 

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We’ve expanded the focus of our regular anti-racism media club to include a variety of other identities and issues we believe are important to engage with as a community. Anti-racism will still remain a central focus and we will take an intersectional approach to issues - with many of the books on our upcoming lists authored by black/queer women.

We hope this group will provide a space and build a community for education, discussion and reflection. Every other month we will focus on a brilliant book exploring marginalised experiences.

Where possible we will invite facilitators with lived experience of the topic to provide stimulus and co-moderate discussions with our team- we choose to share the role of facilitation to share both the power and responsibility within the space.

The club meet on the final Thursday of every other month and sessions will now be 2 hours long to create space for lengthier discussions and action point check ins and outs at the start and end of each session.

We are trialling an in-person/online hybrid event delivery to maintain some of the increased accessibility lockdown instigated, but we would also like to build community and action around this group - so encourage people to come down in person if they can! 

We intend to maintain a long term, consistent space for people to take personal responsibility and communal accountability for their allyship and coalition learning, creating a space for reflection, discussion and to hear from other voices. The group is always open to new members, or returning ones, so we’d love for you to join us!


HOW THE GROUP WORKS:

• We’ll be meeting in person and online. Both digital and IRL spaces will be open 10 minutes in advance to arrive for a prompt kick off.
• Links to online meeting will be sent in advance of the session.
• Our sessions will involve specific prompts and small group discussions (as well as online in virtual break-out rooms)
• Digital attendees will be in groups together and in person attendees will be in groups together
• The space will be facilitated. Though some of our facilitators may have lived experience, this is a space for communal learning and structured discussion rather than a teaching space- the ‘teacher” will always be the author of the material.
• In order to pay our facilitators for their preparation and leading time, we are making paid for tickets compulsory at check out to help us cover the cost of their fees. We feel this is important, particularly when we are asking people with lived experience to contribute. If you are currently unwaged or the £3.50 is a barrier to your attendance, please book the free ticket, but we encourage payment where possible.
• There is also an optional donation to a relevant charity which changes each month and is selected by our facilitators, should you wish to donate.
• Please book your place in advance for each session.

WHO IS THE BOOK CLUB FOR:

The sessions are open to people of all genders/races/sexualities/classes/disability inclusive - if you have any specific accessibility needs in regard to the sessions, please let us know and we’ll do our very best to accommodate. For parents, single Mums, and those with a legitimate reason to be late, don’t worry we will still let you in the room! For everyone else, please try to be on time if you can so we can all be a part of the full conversation where possible.

This is a space for everyone - though we would like attendees to be aware that participants may be at different stages of their personal educational journeys. We must be prepared to push one another and address our own shortfalls to get the most out of the sessions, valuing the voices with experience, if they wish to attend.

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Refund policy: Paying for a ticket funds freelance artists, creatives and facilitators and helps support Girl Gang Manchester in continuing to run events. All tickets are non refundable and non transferable.

Girl Gang Manchester’s events aim to be as inclusive as possible. This event is open to people of all genders, ages, races, sexualities, and classes. All are welcome, please see specific access information below.

Accessibility information:

• The room will be lit with normal lights. There will be a projection screen for zoom participants and potentially a power point presentation.
• We won’t be using strobe lighting for this event.
• All gender toilets are provided.
• Seating will be available throughout the event.
• We happily offer free tickets for personal access assistants, please email us at girlgangmanchester@gmail.com to arrange this. Registered assistance dogs are also welcome!
• Specific COVID guidance can be found below.
• A Girl Gang Manchester team member will greet you as you enter the event space and will be available as a point of contact throughout the event if you require anything.

If you have any other access requests or worries, please contact us at girlgangmanchester@gmail.com. We are super proud that our events and club nights are welcoming and that there are always people who feel comfortable to attend on their own.

COVID-19 Guidance:

Though we no longer have any specific COVID-19 guidelines in place at our events, it is our expectation that you as a member of our community exercise personal responsibility in that you do not attend if you knowingly have COVID or any other contagious disease, or if you have knowingly had contact with a positive case.

Why do we ask identity questions?

We want to make our events as inclusive as possible and we often get questions from people who for whatever reason say, ‘I really want to come but I am nervous, will I be the odd one out?’ Whilst we will always strive to do our best to make everyone feel welcome, it is useful to know a little more about who our audience is for each event so we can be honest in our responses to any queries. It also helps us tailor events for the people attending and identify who we aren’t currently reaching with our work.

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