Cast of Gathering during rehearsals.Jeenah Moon
A US charity that provides hospital care to children wounded in the war in Gaza is to benefit from a fundraiser featuring some of New York's most-loved Irish artists and performers.
HEAL Palestine, a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization that provides life-saving medical care at hospitals across the US to children injured in Gaza, depends on public donations to continue its vital work.
"Caoineadh do Gaza - A Keening for Gaza" will take place at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, February 26 at the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS) at 991 5th Avenue in New York.
Performers for the event feature are Irish American luminaries, including former Black 47 frontman Larry Kirwan, singer-songwriter Mary Courtney, famed fiddler Liz Hanley, playwright and author John Kearns, and filmmaker Marcus Robinson.
Darrah Carr dancers will also perform, while Palestinian author Ibtisam Azem will read from her most recent work.
The Irish contingent will be joined by singers from the musical "Gathering" which enjoyed a successful run last year at The Shed Arts Center in Hudson Yards, New York. The New York Times praised "Gathering" by the Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre for "tell(ing) a layered story of trauma, dislocation and resilience" about Palestinian history.
Steve Sosebee, founder of HEAL Palestine, says the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is "beyond anything we have ever seen."
"HEAL Palestine is 100% supported by grassroots, private donations," he said.
"We do not get government funds and therefore are independent of any political ties.
"The physical and psychological scars of this genocide will last for generations and will require huge support to rebuild the education and health sectors, which have been destroyed, and more importantly, to rebuild the lives of the tens of thousands of permanently injured and orphaned children in Gaza.
"These victims face a bleak future without organizations like HEAL Palestine stepping up to help rebuild their lives and futures.”
The event will be jointly emceed by Zoe Rabinowitz, founding member of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, which presented "Gathering," and former Lord Mayor of Belfast Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.
Tickets for "Caoineadh do Gaza – A Keening for Gaza" are available online here.
The Irish Government will be represented at this event through its NYC Consulate.
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