An U.S. charity which 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, which provides life-saving medical care at hospitals across the U.S. to children injured in Gaza depends on public donations to continue its vital work.
'Caoineadh do Gaza - A Keening for Gaza' will take place on the evening of 26 February at 991 Fifth Avenue and will feature, among others, Irish American luminaries Larry Kirwan, former frontman with Black 47, singer-songwriter Mary Courtney (below), famed fiddler Liz Hanley, playwright and author John Kearns and artist Marcus Robinson. Darrah Carr dancers will also perform.
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 a for "tell(ing) a layered story of trauma, dislocation and resilience" about Palestinian history.
Steve Sosebee, founder of HEAL Palestine, told the Irish Echo that the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "beyond anything we have ever seen".
"HEAL Palestine is 1005 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.”
Some of the children of Gaza being treated by medics across the US are pictured below.
The event will be joint emceed by Zoe Rabinowitz, founding member of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, which presented Gathering, and Irish Echo publisher Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.
"All three of the main global Irish charities, Goal, Concern and Trócaire, have special appeals to help the victims of the war in Gaza," said Máirtín Ó Muilleoir. "As media partner of 'Caoineadh do Gaza - A Keening for Gaza', the Irish Echo similarly wanted to support urgent relief efforts for children left scarred and wounded by this cataclysmic war. We are heartened by the response of the New York Irish American artistic community to this non-political event focused solely on repairing young, broken lives."
Tickets for ‘Caoineadh do Gaza – A Keening for Gaza’ are available here.
The Irish Government will be represented at this event through its NYC Consulate.
