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Editors Nora Lester Murad and Mary L. Onorato, along with and a selection of authors, discuss Resisting Erasure: Libraries in Palestine and Palestine in Libraries, a new book from Library Juice Press. This is part one of a two-part book launch. Be sure to catch both to hear from a variety of authors.
About the Book
The diverse pieces in this anthology explore research and experiences at the intersection of Palestine and libraries. Part one examines how Palestinian librarians, archivists, and individuals resist erasure by preserving Palestinian materials and narratives and by ensuring Palestinians’ access to library resources amidst recurring cycles of destruction and confiscation. Part two explores how librarians in the United States respond to pressure from right-wing and pro-Israel advocacy groups that are quick to label any effort to include Palestinians and their histories as antisemitic.
Links Shared During Event
- Nora shares K-12 teaching and school advocacy resources and research for librarians at www.IdaInTheMiddle.com and can be reached through her blog at www.NoraLesterMurad.com.
- Information about the censorship of Jenan Matari and Nora Lester Murad at the Los Angeles Public Library plus an action step is here: https://bit.ly/LAPLcensorship
- “Why Libraries Matter in a Fascist Moment” by Kelly Hayes in Truthout (March 19, 2026):
https://truthout.org/audio/why-libraries-matter-in-a-fascist-moment/ - Librarians and Archivists with Palestine:
https://librarianswithpalestine.org/ - “With Gaza’s Libraries in Ruins, Palestinians Fight to Preserve Historical Memory” by Eman Abu Zayed in Truthout (March 22, 2026):
https://truthout.org/articles/with-gazas-libraries-in-ruins-palestinians-fight-to-preserve-historical-memory - The Great Book Robbery by Benny Bruner:
https://youtu.be/GdtCrCsKlw0?si=L_CI863Wd2piayPh - Librarians and Archivists with Palestine’s censorship tracker: https://share.google/5CvUgfpKpsuoiqSkz
- Palestinian Identity (1984) by Kassem Hawal :
https://youtu.be/3o7jgGdhDJ8?si=_iP9USZ8hvMZ578l - An interview with Sabri Jiryes:
https://mondoweiss.net/2025/10/palestinian-scholar-who-wrote-iconic-book-on-zionism-reflects-on-the-gaza-genocide-and-our-duty-to-history/ - Olivia Snaije’s personal website:
https://www.oliviasnaije.com/ - Jamilah Thomkins-Bigelow’s website: https://jamilahthewriter.com/
- “Watch Your Back, We Support You” (zine): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ANl8B8UT17QatAWn2K6c4LpLwVFYy4P9/view
- Hannah Mermelstein’s website:
https://www.hannahmermelstein.com/ - UNESCO’s “Impact on cultural heritage”: https://www.unesco.org/en/gaza/assessment
- “Palestinian scholar who wrote iconic book on Zionism reflects on the Gaza genocide and our duty to history,” https://mondoweiss.net/2025/10/palestinian-scholar-who-wrote-iconic-book-on-zionism-reflects-on-the-gaza-genocide-and-our-duty-to-history/
Co-Sponsors
Presenter Info
Nora Lester Murad
Nora Lester Murad is an educator, activist, and author of the award-winning young adult novel, Ida in the Middle, among other books about Palestine. Nora, who is Jewish, married a Palestinian Muslim and raised three daughters in the West Bank. She shares K-12 teaching and school advocacy resources and research for librarians at www.IdaInTheMiddle.com and can be reached through her blog at www.NoraLesterMurad.com.
Mary L. Onorato
Mary L. Onorato has enjoyed a career in library reference publishing that encompassed several years of editorial work and ultimately product development and management. She also lived in Lebanon and Syria, where she worked as an editor and French-to-English translator.
Maggie Schreiner
Maggie Schreiner is an archivist and public historian. She is a member of the steering committee of Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, a long-time volunteer at Interference Archive, and a faculty member in NYU’s Archives and Public History MA program.
Maggie’s chapter is called: Israeli Damage to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza, October 2023–January 2024
Olivia Snaije
Olivia Snaije is a journalist, writer, and editor based in Paris with a focus on the Middle East. She translated Lamia Ziade’s Bye Bye Babylon (Jonathan Cape) and co-edited Keep Your Eye on the Wall: Palestinian Landscapes, published by Editions Textuel (Paris) and Saqi Books (London).
Olivia’s chapter is: “A Battle with Books, not Bullets”: The Saga of the Palestine Research Center’s Stolen Library
Hannah Mermelstein
Hannah Mermelstein is an activist, librarian, and parent living in Philadelphia. She has been involved in Palestine solidarity work for over twenty years and has led more than thirty delegations to Palestine. She is a co-founder and steering committee member of Librarians and Archivists with Palestine.
Hannah’s chapter, co-authored with Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is: Who is Being Protected? An Author and a Librarian in Conversation About a Canceled School Visit
Hiba Burqan
Hiba Burqan is a graduate student in the doctoral program in Cultural Mediations at Carleton University, focusing on investigating co-de-sign as a decolonial curatorial approach for museums and cultural institutions in Palestine. Her work spans architecture, design education, and exhibition-making in a diversity of design, curation, and research projects. Her professional career has run parallel to long-term voluntary participation in the cultural arena through dance and choreography.
Hiba wrote the afterword.