Greta Berlin
Encyclopedia
Greta K. Berlin is a media communications expert and volunteer pro-Palestinian
activist. She has gained international attention as a spokesperson for the Free Gaza Movement
(FGM), which she co-founded.
from Safed
. They have a daughter, Kristin (b. 1964) and a son, Michael (b. 1967). The marriage lasted for 14 years. Her second husband was A. J. Berlin, Ph.D. She founded GKB Associates in 1977, a training and media coaching firm "that trained scientists and engineers to [sic] design and deliver technical presentations to large multinational conferences". Her second marriage also lasted 14 years.
providing medical supplies and relief to Palestinians.
Greta Berlin belongs to the "Los Angeles Chapter" of Women in Black
that according to her own account "essentially believes in a one state solution, the right of return and the fact that there will be no peace in the middle east until the Palestinians are granted their human rights and their civil rights." (TC 48'23")
Her second phase of pro-Palestinian activism was sparked in 1997 when Israeli authorities controlled her daughter's movement during a visit to Israel when she was not allowed to visit Safad, the city where her father Ribhi and his family was from until the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
In 2003 she began to work for the ISM (International Solidarity Movement
) in the West Bank, working in the media office in Beit Sahour
and living in Jenin
during many of the Israeli raids into that city. She went back to the West Bank in 2005 and 2007.
In 2006 she co-founded the Free Gaza Movement. and was the major spokesperson for the flotilla involved in the Gaza flotilla raid
on May 31, 2010. She continues to speak about Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza.
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
activist. She has gained international attention as a spokesperson for the Free Gaza Movement
Free Gaza Movement
The Free Gaza Movement is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to challenge the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by sailing humanitarian aid ships to Gaza...
(FGM), which she co-founded.
Biography
Berlin was born in Detroit in 1941 and received higher education in Illinois where she obtained a BA in speech and English from MacMurray College and an MA in theatre and mass communications from the University of Illinois. She also took several engineering courses when she began teaching engineers.Personal life
Upon entering graduate school at the University of Illinois in 1963, Greta met her first husband Ribhi, who was a Palestinian refugeePalestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
from Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
. They have a daughter, Kristin (b. 1964) and a son, Michael (b. 1967). The marriage lasted for 14 years. Her second husband was A. J. Berlin, Ph.D. She founded GKB Associates in 1977, a training and media coaching firm "that trained scientists and engineers to [sic] design and deliver technical presentations to large multinational conferences". Her second marriage also lasted 14 years.
Political Activism
According to Berlin's own account, her pro-Palestinian activism started with the outbreak of the six-day war in 1967. Greta and her husband Ribhi then founded Pal-Aid International Inc, one of the first NGOs ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
providing medical supplies and relief to Palestinians.
Greta Berlin belongs to the "Los Angeles Chapter" of Women in Black
Women in Black
Women in Black is a women's anti-war movement with an estimated 10,000 activists around the world. The first group was formed by Israeli women in Jerusalem in 1988, following the outbreak of the First intifada.-History:...
that according to her own account "essentially believes in a one state solution, the right of return and the fact that there will be no peace in the middle east until the Palestinians are granted their human rights and their civil rights." (TC 48'23")
Her second phase of pro-Palestinian activism was sparked in 1997 when Israeli authorities controlled her daughter's movement during a visit to Israel when she was not allowed to visit Safad, the city where her father Ribhi and his family was from until the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
In 2003 she began to work for the ISM (International Solidarity Movement
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
) in the West Bank, working in the media office in Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority...
and living in Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
during many of the Israeli raids into that city. She went back to the West Bank in 2005 and 2007.
In 2006 she co-founded the Free Gaza Movement. and was the major spokesperson for the flotilla involved in the Gaza flotilla raid
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
on May 31, 2010. She continues to speak about Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza.