At an unprecedented evening in the history of Nazareth and in a luxurious atmosphere in which hundreds of invited Arab owners of capital attended atmospherea charitable dinner event on February 9, 2012 at the Golden Crown Nazareth Hotel. . The dinner was jointly organized by the Nazareth Municipality, Nazareth Fund and Nazareth Academic Institute in support of the Nazareth Academic Institute- the first Arab academic institute that offers students a bachelor’s degree in the subjects of media and physics with official recognition from the Higher Education Council in Israel.
The event program was as follows:
A performance by the Oud An-Ned choir led by musician Katie Jarjurah, a speech delivered by the mayor of Nazareth, Mr. Ramez Jaraiseh - a Samih Al-Qasim poem recited by the poet Marwan Makhoul in honor of Samih Al-Qasim, who apologized for not being able to attend due to health reasons, a performance by the Al-Masiyyah “Diamond” band led by the musician Kamil Shahrawi along with the guest of honor, Nadine Khatib, a standup comedy performance by Odai Khalifeh, a performance by the Nabil Abboud classic trio band (violin, cello, piano), a screening of a film entitled “The Identity of the Academy” and produced the Nazareth Academic Institute students, a speech delivered by Mr. Ahmad ‘Afifi, Chairman of the Nazareth Fund, a speech by Mr. Beshara Kattuf, chairman of the Fund’s administrative Board, and a speech expressing gratitude by Mr. George Kanaze’.
During the ceremony that was directed by Fou’ad ‘Awad and in which Iman Bassiouni was the emcee, an auction was held where a poem personally hand-written by the poet Samih Al-Qasim and entitled “I walk upright” was bought by Michel Zaher for USD 10,000. Also a painting made by the artist Suleiman Mansour was bought by Ahmad Afifi for USD 21,000 and a gold jewelry item designed by Kattouf Jewelry was bought by lawyer Mazen Qobti for USD 10,000. Furthermore, a bronze statue sculpted by the artist Sana’ Beshara was bought by Omar Al-Masri for USD 7,000. Mr. Ghasoub Sarhan, a cloths designer, emceed the auction.
During the event, Mr. Munib Masri was honored for the generous and persistent support he offers to the project of constructing a university in Nazareth. He has donated USD five million for the project, and promised to raise more funds for this purpose. Masri delivered a speech and conveyed the best wishes of His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas to the residents of Nazareth and those overseeing the university project. During his speech, tears were streaming down Masri’s cheeks due to his hearty support for this project that is vital for Nazareth and the Palestinian people.