The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Campus
The 28-year-old Egyptian-born writer, teacher and pro-Israel advocate shares the story of his journey to asylum in the United States after surviving imprisonment and torture.
(Sarasota-Manatee) The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and StandWithUs present “Surviving Cultural Hate: A Firsthand Account,” with Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, Sunday, January 22, 4-6 p.m., in the Beatrice Friedman Theater on the Federation campus, 582 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Mansour will speak about his time as a political prisoner in Egypt and his journey to becoming a pro-Israel advocate. The event is free but audience members must pre-register at JFEDsrq.org/events. For more information, contact Andrea Eiffert at 941-552-6308 or aeiffert@jfedsrq.org.
A 28-year-old political refugee born and raised in a traditional, middle-class Arab-Muslim family in Cairo, Mansour was persecuted for his interest in Israel and study of the Hebrew language. In this presentation, he shares the story of becoming a pro-Israel advocate and his subsequent journey to the United States after surviving imprisonment and torture, and being disowned by his family.
Now an assistant professor of Hebrew studies, Mansour says his goal is to “educate people about anti-Semitism in the Arab world.” According to him, learning to hate Jews “starts, in Egypt, the first moment you learn about their existence and continues long into adulthood. I am so used to seeing Jews identified as mean, filthy, greedy dishonest conspirators out to cause global chaos and disharmony among the Egyptian people.”
Mansour’s blog, “I survived Tahrir Square,” describes itself as being dedicated to the cultural, social, historical and political issues of the Middle East, as well as countering anti-Semitism. Visit the blog at www.husseinmansour.com.
About The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life in the Sarasota-Manatee region, in Israel, and throughout the world. In addition, the Federation is responsive when worldwide catastrophes occur. For more information, call 941-371-4546 or visit www.jfedsrq.org.
StandWithUs
StandWithUs (SWU) is a 15-year-old, international, non-profit Israel education organization that supports people around the world who want to educate their campuses and communities about Israel.
Based in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters throughout the U.S., including South Florida, in Israel, the UK Canada and Australia. For more information, call www.standwithus.com and www.standwithus.co.il.