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AHA MEDIA filmed Gina Waldman – Prominent Human Rights Activist, Chair of JIMENA speaking upon “Forgotten Jewish Refugees” in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
On Sunday, Jan 24, 2010 – AHA MEDIA filmed Gina Waldman – Prominent Human Rights Activist, Chair of JIMENA speaking upon “Forgotten Jewish Refugees” in Vancouver, Canada
Regina Waldman, Chair of JIMENA http://www.jimena.org (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa), was recently on a Pacific region speaking tour, sponsored by the Canada-Israel Committee. http://www.cicweb.ca
While in Vancouver, Ms. Waldman shared her personal story about mistreated and under-represented Jewish refugees.
Gina Waldman’s bio from The David Project http://www.thedavidproject.org
Gina Waldman born in Libya to a family that had lived in the country for centuries. She was persecuted and nearly murdered while escaping during a brutal expulsion from her homeland in 1967. All her assets were confiscated. She was allowed to keep only twenty dollars, only because she was a Jew.
In the years following, Ms. Waldman has been a tireless advocate for refugees and human rights. Her accomplishments and credentials included the following:
In March 2008, she testified at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva about the Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
Using her personal story, Ms. Waldman sheds light on the unknown history of the Forgotten Refugees.
She recently testified before Congress on the plight of the nearly one-million Jews who were made refugees from the Arab countries. She speaks of how she grew up in a hate-filled country, including her own school. A teacher, whose class she observed, asked the children in an arithmetic lesson, “If you have ten Jews and kill five, how many do you have left?” “That,” said Gina, “was my first taste of hate.”
In 1992, Ms. Waldman was awarded the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award by the Human Rights Commission.
In July 2007, she testified for the Human Rights Caucus of the United States Congress as an expert witness.
Part of the Directorship of the Bay Area Council for Soviet Jewry, which helped win freedom for thousands, including dissident Anatoly Sharansky.
Worked closely with Russian Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Human Rights champion Andrei Sakharov.
Advocated against human rights abuses in Chile during the Pinochet Regime.
Worked to re-settle Bosnian Muslim refugees in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Co-founded and Chairs JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) to educate the public about the plight of the Jews from the Middle East and North Africa. http://www.jimena.org
JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa is a 501 (c) (3) organization that works on many fronts to educate and advocate for the forgotten Jewish refugees of the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to 1948, approximately 850,000 Jews lived in Muslim countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. Today, 99 percent of these ancient Jewish communities no longer exist.
JIMENA seeks recognition for the nearly one million Jews indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa who were displaced from their country of origin.
JIMENA is dedicated to the preservation of Mizrahi and Sephardi culture and history.
JIMENA endeavors to address the existing gap in the historical narrative of the Middle East and North Africa by sharing the Mizrahi and Sephardi story of oppression, plight and displacement.
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Below is a photo of Daniel Schloss Pacific Region Manager, Advocacy of the Canada-Israel Committee http://www.cicweb.ca shows us the film “Forgotten Refugees” by The David Project & IsraTV
In this video is the beginning part from “Forgotten Jewish Refugees” the movie in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
In this video is the Peace and Justice storyline from “Forgotten Jewish Refugees” the movie in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
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In the next 6 videos, Jonathon Narvey and Gina Waldman speak about Forgotten Jewish Refugees in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
Jonathon Narvey: Principal Writer and Consultant http://www.writeimage.ca http://www.jnarvey.com
Gina Waldman: Prominent human rights activist, Chair of JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) http://www.jimena.org
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In this video, Randi Winter, Jonathon Narvey, Gina Waldman, Daniel Schloss speaking on traditional clothing of Forgotten Jewish Refugees in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
Gina Waldman: Prominent human rights activist, Chair of JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) http://www.jimena.org
Randi Winter: Director and Travel Specialist in Inspired Pursuits http://www.passionatetravel.org
Daniel Schloss: Canada-Israel Committee – Position: Pacific Region Manager, Advocacy http://www.cicweb.ca
Jonathon Narvey Principal Writer and Consultant http://www.writeimage.ca http://www.jnarvey.com
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In the next 2 videos, Randi Winter and Gina Waldman speaking on Forgotten Jewish Refugees in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
In this video, Daniel Schloss, Gina Waldman with Randi Winter speaking on Forgotten Jewish Refugees in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday Jan 24, 2010
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All videos were filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera – Panasonic DMC-ZS3. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
AHA MEDIA films Sam Sullivan, former Mayor of Vancouver speaking about SALOME – Vancouver’s New Heroin Maintenance Trial at VANDU in Downtown Eastside
Sam Sullivan speaks about SALOME –
Vancouver’s New Heroin Maintenance Trial at
VANDU in Downtown Eastside
Sam Sullivan with Photographer Kim Stallknecht
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The following text is from http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/s…
The Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness (SALOME) will choose a Downtown Eastside location next month and begin taking applications from potential participants in February, according to a Tuesday press release from the Inner Change Foundation, which, along with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, is funding the trial. With selection of participants supposed to last only three weeks, that means SALOME could be underway by March.
SALOME will enroll 322 hard-core heroin addicts—they must have been using at least five years and failed other treatments, including methadone maintenance—in a year-long, two-phase study. During the first phase, half will be given injectable heroin (diacetylmorphine) and half will be given injectable Dilaudid® (hydromorphone). In the second phase, half of the participants will be switched to oral versions of the drug they are using.
The comparison of heroin and Dilaudid® was inspired by unanticipated results from SALOME’s forerunner, NAOMI (the North American Opiate Medication Study), which began in Vancouver in 2005 and produced positive results in research reviews last year. In NAOMI, researchers found that participants could not differentiate between heroin and Dilaudid®. The comparison of success rate among injection and oral administration users was inspired by hopes of reducing rates of injection heroin use.
SALOME was also supposed to take place in Montreal, but Quebec provincial authorities effectively killed it there by refusing to fund it. SALOME researchers have announced that it will now proceed in Vancouver alone.
With an estimated 5,000 heroin addicts in the Downtown Eastside and a municipal government that has officially embraced the progressive four pillars approach–prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and law enforcement—to problematic drug use, Vancouver is most receptive to such ground-breaking research. It is also the home of Insite, North America’s only safe injection site.
The NAOMI and SALOME projects are the only heroin maintenance programs to take place in North America. Ongoing or pilot heroin maintenance programs are underway in Britain, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.
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In the following 7 videos, Sam Sullivan, former Mayor of Vancouver talks about SALOME – Vancouver’s New Heroin Maintenance Trial and other things to Members of VANDU and Ann Livingston in Vancouver Downtown Eastside
Videos by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera – Kodak Zi6. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
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Below is a photo of Sam Sullivan – Former Mayor of Vancouver, Richard Cunningham of VANDU, Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA, Robert Vincent – President of VANDU, Hugh Lampkin – Vice President of VANDU
April Smith of AHA MEDIA is a featured storyline in ” With Glowing Hearts” – WGH the Movie
Vodpod videos no longer available.
This storyline is from the Documentary ‘With Glowing Hearts‘. It follows April Smith on her journey building AHA Media as the preeminent news source for Vancouver’s DTES using social media for social justice. Along the way April faces many challenges including homelessness
” April Smith is an incredible young woman facing a boat load of challenges. She has graciously allowed us to follow her for the last 8 months and gather the footage we used to compile this story thread. Hers is a story full of both despair and inspiration. ”
A Social Media revolution has been brewing for the past five years on websites from FaceBook, to Wikipedia, to Flickr, and as it spreads throughout the Internet and into popular culture through an increasing number of portals, it is creating a new sense of community and empowerment amongst those who have embraced it.History has shown that poor and marginalized communities stand to gain the most from leaps forward in the democratization of information, so the excitement in areas like Vancouver’s maligned Downtown Eastside about the possibilities of Web 2.0 and beyond is palpable.
With the Winter Olympics less than a year away, billions have been spent in preparations and many poverty advocates are concerned about how the city’s several thousand homeless and working poor will fit into the equation as Vancouver puts on its best face for the world.
Against this background the film examines Social Media in action as a group named Fearless City embarks on a campaign to empower and protect its neighbours with cellphones, video-streaming, and the World Wide Web.
With great thanks to Director Andrew Lavigne and Producer Jon Ornoy !
AHA MEDIA is very proud to introduce a new look to AHA MEDIA’s Website
Welcome to the new look for AHA MEDIA online! 🙂
A sleek new design means faster access to what AHA MEDIA is known for primarily…
1) Social Media Content Production, Promotion, Documentation and Archiving of Events, Projects and more
2) Hyper Local Citizen Journalism Coverage – A media outlet for people of Vancouver and Downtown Eastside to help tell their own stories. Through our social media campaigns we aim to bring an awareness to the Social Justice issues that affect our area
AHA MEDIA is proud to be involved in our Vancouver Downtown Eastside Community! 🙂
- Facilitate others in social media literacy and campaign building
- Community engagement and outreach with social media
- Peer advocacy and awareness for our neighborhood residents.
- Active participation in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside
- Media representation and speaking engagements
Three upcoming and ongoing projects that AHA MEDIA is involved in
1 ) Filming 3 satirical/parody remakes of a “Holiday themed” song involving residents of the Vancouver Downtown Eastside.
2) Part of W2 Community Media Art’s Fearless City Mobile Project – helping to do livestreaming and engage with the Downtown Eastside . We will include their personal thoughts and stories in a very participatory way. http://www.CreativeTechnology.org
3) Being filmed and documented ourselves for With Glowing Hearts, an independent film about social justice, social media, Olympics and the Vancouver Downtown Eastside http://www.WGHTheMovie.ca
Thanks everyone for supporting AHA MEDIA! We really appreciate it! 🙂
Some of AHA MEDIA status updates on Facebook and Twitter over 2009 in Vancouver + Downtown Eastside ( DTES )
@Ahamedia went and filmed our walkthrough of @Workspace!! Post tomorrow!
Going to film Press Conference at Golden Crown – Illegal Tenant Evictions
NEW POST! @AHAMEDIA filmed at Fight HST Rally at Canada Place on Sat Sept 18 – Over 5,000 ppl! http://tinyurl.com/nf2q3q
Will be helping to present at #BarCamp on @FearlessCity – Moble Media + @W2Woodwards – New Media Arts Centre in Vancouver #BCV09
Will be helping to do a presentation on Mobile Media Strategies at @FreshMediaMe at @W2Woodwards from 1:50pm to 2:40pm TODAY!
Just filmed a short segment of the the Sites of Empowerment tour in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside with Wendy Pedersen and CCAP volunteers. Nice to see Vancouver City Councillor George Chow with our group of 40 interested folks on life in our community! 🙂
Dear Friends, I just started @AHAMEDIA Fan page on Facebook. Please come join me http://tinyurl.com/yzw4sfz Thank you
Today AHA MEDIA will be filming Remembrance Day ceremonies at Victory Square in Vancouver
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