The Story of Palestine, Part 3 (& The Zionist Tears Cocktail)

Students at UC Davis just won an historic victory by passing a bill that divests all student funds from apartheid Israel. I spoke with three of the women who were instrumental in making this happen, including the political director, the president, and the social media coordinator for the UC Davis chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). We discussed the magic moment when the bill passed, the work that went into this success, and how they are helping to empower students at other universities to achieve similar victories.

Already, students at many other UCs have followed suit, passing a similar divestment bills and resolutions. (UC Riverside,  UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Cruz, and UC San Diego). We hope this is just the beginning of an avalanche of university divestment victories like those that were vital to the end of South African apartheid

LINKS:
SJP at UCD Linktree
Follow @sjpatucd2 and @sjpatucd on Instagram!
Follow @sjpatucdavis on Twitter!

Shamouti Sour
(The name is a tribute to the Palestinian people and their connection to the fruits of their land, as Shamouti oranges originate from Yaffah -- an occupied city in Palestine)

      60ml   Orange juice (fresh if possible)

      22ml   Lemon juice 

      8ml     Simple syrup

      22ml   Olive brine 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and shake briefly with ice. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a half orange slice and an olive.

Cocktail crafted by bartender Jesse Torres

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

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Jewish organizer and activist Max Geller joins me to talk about the birth of new Palestine Action chapters around the world in response to the intensified genocide that has been raging for 4 straight months.

As discussed in last year's episode featuring Jodie Jones, Palestine Action is a UK-based network of activists that has permanently shut down 2 arms factories and caused millions in damages to Israel’s arms dealers. The main target of this network is Elbit Systems, which Max describes as the “most evil company in the entire world." 

Calls to Action:
Follow Palestine action on Twitter and Instagram (UK, US, France, Italy, Scotland)
Take a Palestine Action direct action training
Help provide arrestee, court, and prison support
Donate to their Legal Defense Fund

Cocktail Pairing: The Direct Actionist

45ml  Rye Whiskey
22ml  Campari
15ml   Cynar or bitter amaro
8ml    Peaty Scotch (like Laphraig)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with plenty of cubed ice until drink is properly diluted and chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. 

Cut an orange peel and flame the oils over the drink: Express the oils by squeezing the peel in half with one hand while using the other to hold a lighter or match. Release the orange oils into the flame over the drink so the flaming oils land on top of the drink. Discard orange peel and garnish with a fresh Bay Laurel leaf. 

Note: use any good Peaty Scotch available such as Laphraig, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, or Lagavulin.

Cocktail crafted by bartender Jesse Torres.

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

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In this episode, I speak with Francisco Pérez about Economics for Emancipation, a free online and in-person course on "capitalism, solidarity, and how we get free.” Francisco is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Utah and senior economist at the Center for Economic Democracy. He’s the former director of the Center for Popular Economics, a nonprofit collective of political economists whose programs and publications demystify the economy and put useful economic tools in the hands of people fighting for social and economic justice. 

Follow at  Francisco Pérez (@Platanomics) on Instagram and Twitter
Follow @economics4emancipation on Instagram and @econ4freedom on Twitter

Economics for Emancipation is a course created by the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) and the Center for Popular Economics (CPE). The current version of this course is the result of many years of work first led by the CPE – a collective which was founded in 1979 by radical (or heterodox) economists out of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Since 2019, CPE has partnered with the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) to update and redesign its curriculum into “Economics for Emancipation” (E4E).  During the 2020 Covid crisis, CPE and CED worked to adapt E4E for virtual learning geared towards regional cohorts of just transition and social justice organizers, and thus was born this offering.

E4E has been shaped by decades of dialogue between progressive economists, grassroots organizers, and rank & file union workers; we hope it will strengthen your analysis, fuel your spirit and connect you to efforts challenging this economic system at its root.

COCKTAIL PAIRING:

Cuba Libre
Use a Cuban rum like Havana Club if you're able to get it (outside of the US). Probitas is a good substitute that you can find in the US.

1 1/4 oz Light rum 
3 oz cola like Coke
1/4 oz lime juice
Add all to Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

This week, I speak with Sara Bannoura, a Palestinian organizer, artist, and journalist who has been fighting for a ceasefire from her home in St. Louis, Missouri. The daughter of a Christian pastor, Sara was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. We talk about the childhood experiences that exposed the violent and dehumanizing reality of Israel’s occupation, including some of Sara’s early encounters with IOF soldiers.

As an organizer, Sara works with the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee (STLPSC), a group that was instrumental in pushing the city to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire. In December, Sara and others in St Louis were victorious in shutting down the local Boeing facility. This facility supplies missiles, warheads, guidance systems, and F-15 fighter aircraft to the Israeli military, all of which are being used against the Palestinian people in this ongoing genocide. 

LINKS: 

Instagram for Sara Bannoura

St Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee

The St Louis for a Ceasefire Toolkit helped to push the city of St. Luis to call for a ceasefire. They are working on a toolkit to help others replicate this victory in cities across the US.

Cocktail pairing: The Old Fashioned 
(Sara’s favorite!)

1.5 oz whiskey

2 dashes bitters

I cube of sugar

Orange twist

Cherry

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

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Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

I had the honor of speaking with the brilliant Palestinian journalist and activist, Hebh Jamal. We talked about the heartbreaking reality of this ongoing genocide, “the politics of condemnation,” and Israel’s targeting of the brightest Palestinian minds, including the beloved poet and professor Refaat Alareer.

Hebh got involved in activism as a teen around the issues of school segregation and education inequality in the New York education system. She helped to organize a large student walkout in response to Trump’s racist Muslim travel ban. 

Currently based in Germany, Hebh has written extensively about the country’s repression of pro-Palestine voices and protests. Many of Hebh’s powerful writings have been published in Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss, The New Arab, 972 Magazine, and Middle East Eye. She also has a substack called The Diaspora Journal that you should subscribe to. Here are some of the articles we discussed:

– “A Letter to my Gazan Palestinian Son”

– “Germany’s weaponization of antisemitism to target migrants and Arabs is what must be condemned”

CALL TO ACTION: “GO TO YOUR LOCAL PROTESTS”

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

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Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

In this Cocktails & Capitalism conversation, I speak with Egyptian activist, entrepreneur, model, and feminist Merhan Keller. We connected between her recent trips to volunteer with the Egyptian Red Crescent where she has helped provide emergency supplies to displaced Palestinians fleeing Israel’s genocidal bombardment.

Merhan explains how her work as a model led to her vital involvement in the Egyptian #MeToo movement. We also discuss her personal connection to the Palestinian struggle and the tragic loss of her uncle in Egypt to an Israeli airstrike on a school during the Naksa of '67.

Our conversation centers around the constant theme of glorious anger -- the anger we channel into action when faced with injustice. “And that’s the beauty of it. When you have that rage inside you, you elevate.” 

Call to action!
You can help the Palestinian people by volunteering with or donating to the Egyptian or Palestinian Red Crescent.

Egyptian Red Crescent

       Volunteer / Donate

Palestinian Red Crescent

       Volunteer / Donate

The Merhan Keller 
(Mocktail or Cocktail)

       -88 ml Carrot juice

       -44 ml Milk

       -15 ml Lemon Juice

       -Optional:  44 ml Tequila 
       -Optional: sugar to your liking

To make, chop carrots and place in blender. Add a little sugar if you'd like. Cover with a little water, blend, and strain. Add carrot juice, milk and lemon juice to a glass. Add tequila and ice (both optional). 

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

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Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

We’re joined by Jewish comedian, activist, and cohost of the Palestine Pod, Michael Schirtzer, who explains why and how he became so deeply committed to the cause of Palestinian justice and liberation. 

Speaking just days after congress approved a resolution equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, we discuss how the term “antisemitism” has been used to shut down valid criticisms of Israel.


LINKS:

—The Palestine Pod

—Speech by Palestinian lawyer Lara Elborno at the Stop The War Coalition rally in London on 12.2.24 http://tinyurl.com/583ys8pe

—Follow these IG accounts: @michael_schirtzer, @thepalestinepod, @gazangirl, @palestinianyouthmovement, @wolpalestine, @palestine.academy, 

CALLS TO ACTION

—Advocate for Palestine at home, at work, local councils, etc

—Get involved with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Within Our Lifetime Palestine, Palestine Action UK, Palestine Action US, 

—Get engaged in our community with local organizers for Palestine (like local Students for Justice in Palestine chapters)

The Free Palestine Cocktail

100   ml Watermelon Juice

30     mlLime Juice

15     mlSimple Syrup (1:1 ratio) to taste

Small pinch of salt

Optional:

25     mlMidori Melon Liqueur or green juice

25     mlClear spirit of your choice: Mezcal, Tequila, Gin, Vodka, Arak, etc etc 

Combine all ingredients except (Midori or other green ingredient) in a mixing tin and shake with cubed ice until drink is properly diluted and chilled. Fine strain into a Collins glass or your favorite transparent drinking vessel filled with pebble or crushed ice. If adding Midori, add Midori first and layer the

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

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Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

This week, I speak with organizer, writer, and podcaster Jamie Peck about the mass action that shut down the construction of Cop City last week. We talk about the ridiculous and extreme police response to this nonviolent direct action and the creative tactics employed by protestors to keep each other safe.

We also discuss:

-how a Georgia State Police officer endangered protestors and risked starting a fire by throwing a tear gas canister into the forest

-why the movement chose to engage in this form of nonviolent mass action

-the ridiculous press conference during which the Atlanta Police tried to paint the protestors as v**lent by displaying the gardening tools protestors brought to plant saplings

Jamie Peck is one of the speakers who traveled the country on the Weelaunee Worldwide Mass Action Speaking Tour to encourage folks to participate in this action. Follow Jamie on Instagram @jamiepeck666 and check out her podcast, Everybody Loves Communism She’s also a founder and former host of The Antifada podcast, and she worked with the Majority Report as a producer and contributor.


From The Guardian:  “Atlanta police condemned for heavy-handed action at Cop City protest
Officers used flash-bang grenades, teargas canisters, tanks and snipers and accused participants of ‘terrorism’

THE STOP COP CITY COCKTAIL (SIMPLIFIED VERSION)

30 ml blueberry shrub

40 ml vodka or whiskey

Soda water or water

Ice

Blueberry Shrubb Recipe

350g Blueberries

350ml Granulated Sugar

225ml Vinegar (wine, apple cider, or unseasoned rice)

Mash berries, add sugar, & stir to combine. Seal & let sit at room temperature for ~24 h. Periodically shake or stir to dissolve sugar.

Strain, slowly add vinegar, & taste. It should taste sweet & sharp but not overpowering, so add more sugar or vinegar to your liking. Label & cover with lid.

Shelf stable for up to 1 year.

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

A mass action is about to take place in the Weelaunee Forest to stop the construction of Cop City in Atlanta. In this episode, I speak with Barry (they/them) who describes this upcoming event that will take place November 10th to 13th. 

We talk about the rich ecosystem of tactics folks have used to halt this project and how the movement has decided to engage in mass nonviolent direct action.

To learn and get involved, go to BLOCKCOPCITY.ORG

Topics discussed in this episode:

-The “spokescouncil” model for organizing a mass event consisting of “affinity groups”

-Repression of the referendum campaign after it collected 116,000 signatures to place Cop City on the ballot

-Repressive charges handed to protestors and how the organization of this mass event takes safety concerns and legal protections for protestors into consideration

-Links to Palestine and Israel’s brutal treatment of the Palestinian people, including the GILEE program

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

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Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

Sixty-one people were just indicted for their alleged involvement in the movement to Stop Cop City. These folks were slapped with RICO charges, which were designed to go after the mob. Some were charged for crimes as small as handing out fliers, serving as a legal observer during a protest, and organizing a bail fund.

Our guest is abolitionist organizer Micah Herskind, who has been involved with and written extensively about the movement to Stop Cop City. You can read his Primer on Cop City in Scalawag here. Follow Micah Herskind on Twitter: @micahinATL

As we discuss, the RICO indictment seeks to criminalize and shut down the decentralized movement against the massive urban warfare training center for police known as Cop City.

The indictment even lists “mutual aid” “solidarity” and “collectivism” as essential to what they are calling an “organized criminal enterprise” against Cop City.

This is an outrageous abuse of power by the state which threatens to strip away our very right to protest.

YOU CAN HELP THE FOLKS FACING THESE INSANE CHARGES by donating to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. https://atlsolidarity.org/

This episode was hosted by Dr. Erika Okamoto of the Cocktails & Capitalism podcast — a show that pairs crafted beverages with stories distilled from our capitalist hellscape. You can support this anticapitalist independent media project by contributing any amount through Patreon: https://tinyurl.com/mw4a4bur

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe