Building Unity Democracy Tour!

Interfaith Peace Working Group is glad to Co-Sponsor this 20 week Tour! Catch them on the road if you can!

MECA bike ride announcement 2026
Madison’s 2026 Big Ride for Palestine: a fundraiser for Middle East Children's Alliance

July 19, 10am-2:pm, leaving from Olin Park in Madison.

 Contact:  Cassandra, madisontogaza@gmail.com, 608 445-0357

 Madison area cyclists of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in Madison's 2026 Middle East Children’s Alliance Big Ride for Palestine, July 19, presented by Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and Palestine Partners.
This ride is for everyone! Regardless of your age, your bike,  and your  level of biking energy, this ride is for you! 

 Riders will gather at 10 for a brief sendoff at the east  end of the park, then ride along the Wingra Creek bike path to Midland Park, a distance of about 2.5 miles, where riders will have an option of taking a break, or continuing on for a 3.5 mile loop around the zoo.  Riders will then return to Olin Park together.  Bike decorations, watermelon and ice water will be available at Olin Park, and participants are encouraged to wear Kuffiyas and decorate bikes in solidarity with the children of Palestine and Lebanon.

Registration is now open and Madison area riders can visit  Madison’s team page at https://tinyurl.com/MadisonRide4Palestine  
to view a ride map and register to ride with the Madison team, or donate to the Madison team’s fundraising efforts.

Participants have until July 15 to register and receive a Ride for Palestine shirt but are encouraged to register now and build support for their personal ride among friends, family and colleagues to make this year’s event a success in this time of desperate need in Gaza.  
The July 19 event at Olin Park is free and open to the public and anyone is welcome to join the ride or cheer on Madison's team.  

The event is presented by Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and Palestine Partners and co-sponsored by Madison Jewish Voice for Peace, Madison Mennonite Action, WORT FM Community Radio, Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement, Veterans for Peace Madison ~ Clarence Kailin, Chapter 25, Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America, Madison for a World BEYOND War, Families for Justice Dane County, Students for Justice in Palestine, Madison,  trans* intergenerationalmutual aid project, Wisconsin Interfaith Peace Working Group

MECA works to protect the lives, rights, and well-being of children in Palestine and refugee camps in Lebanon. After over 77 years of ethnic cleansing, displacement, and attacks on their lives and livelihoods, Palestinians remain steadfast on their land and fiercely committed to the cause of freedom and liberation. This Ride for Return is an act of solidarity with Palestinian communities as they struggle to protect their children’s lives and their culture from erasure.     

 As Israel's bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon, and blockade of Gaza continue, our support is needed more urgently than ever. All funds raised by the Ride will go to MECA’s relief work in Palestine and Lebanon.  Learn more about MECA at https://www.mecaforpeace.org.

 Madison-Rafah Sister City Project  is a local volunteer organization committed to standing with the people of Gaza and Palestine as they struggle to remain in their homeland despite Israel’s decades long settler-colonial occupation of the West Bank and brutal blockade and Genocide in Gaza.  

Facebook event at: https://www.facebook.com/share/189NsF4YKb/

Sign up to volunteer at the ride at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4FACAC28A6FAC16-64196429-madisons

Everyone who registers by July 15 will receive a Ride for Palestine t-shirt;

 The ride is designed to be family-friendly, with both a short (5 mile) and longer (8.5 mile) ride option. It will begin at 10 am with a brief sendoff at the north-west portion of Olin Park on the south shore of Lake Monona.

  Bike decorations, watermelon and ice water will be available at Olin Park, and participants are encouraged to wear kuffiyas and decorate bikes in solidarity with the children of Palestine and Lebanon. 

 Contacts:

Cassandra Dixon, madisontogaza@gmail.com, 608-445-0357

Barb Olson, rafahsistercity@yahoo.com

Donna Wallbaum, 608-235-7870

Palestine Film Night and Discussion with Bright Stars of Bethlehem

Friday, August 14 at 7:00pm

Midvale Community Lutheran Church, 4329 Tokay Blvd, Madison, WI 53711

Experience two powerful short films that offer deeply personal perspectives on life in Palestine. Created by students, faculty and graduates of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, these internationally acclaimed films highlight stories of resilience, creativity, and hope. Following the screenings, there will be a time for conversation and questions. Bright Stars of Bethlehem executive director, Tracie Ortman, will share more about the organization's mission, its partnership with Dar al-Kalima University, which was founded by the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, and how you can help support this vital work in Palestine. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/MidvaleFilmNight