Culturegrams is easily accessible as one of the databases within the LAPL system if you have a Los Angeles library card. We do not own it in our library, but I took a look. It is true that one of the countries of choice on the long drop down menu is "West Bank and Gaza" and there is information about Palestinians there.
In general, the entry looks informative to me and I have not seen
blatant bias that should concern anyone particularly. Remember, the
information on each country in the database includes a huge amount of
stats and customs ("people, lifestyle, society, government,etc ) for
kids to do reports from and it is many pages, each offering a different
subject, like, "language" or "life cycle" or "diet". But they clarify
the status of the country on the first page:
West Bank and Gaza are the common names of the territories administered
by the Palestinian National Authority but controlled by Israel. The
sovereignty of these areas and the renaming of the territories as
Palestine are currently in dispute or under negotiation.
Under the part explaining the history of the area, they go into the
Balfour Declaration and 1948 war and intifada, etc.-all factually
accurate. Presumably, they use different wording then some would prefer,
and may either include or leave out things, but for those who want to
decide for themselves, I have pasted the last few paragraphs of the
"history" section, and the paragraphs of the "General Attitudes"
section-the only ones I saw that may relate somehow to the concerns of
the original post:
In response to Hamas's takeover of Gaza, Israel blockaded Gaza.
Militants there fired rockets into Israeli territory, and Israel
retaliated with air strikes. After Egypt mediated negotiations between
Israel and Hamas, the two sides signed a six-month cease-fire agreement
in June 2008. In practice, neither side met all its obligations under
the terms of the cease-fire. When it lapsed in December, rocket fire
into Israel increased. Arguing that no state could tolerate continued
attacks on its citizens, Israel launched an air and ground assault in
Gaza. The war lasted three weeks, during which 13 Israelis and about
1,300 Palestinians died; thousands more Palestinians were wounded or
left homeless.
Hostilities intensified in May 2010, when a ship bound for Gaza carrying
toys, medical supplies, and clothing attempted to cross the Israeli
naval blockade. Nine activists on board the ship were killed during the
ensuing fight, and international protests against the blockade grew.
Israel then agreed to adjust its blockade policy.
In May 2011, President Obama weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and called for a peace treaty including land swaps based on the
borders Israel had before the 1967 war, the first American president to
do so.
In early 2011, Fatah and Hamas surprised the international community by
reconciling and announcing plans for an interim government and elections
in the fall. Although the elections did not happen, in early 2012
president of Fatah Mahmoud Abbas and head of Hamas Khalid Meshaal signed
the Doha Document, which allowed Abbas to head a unity government as
they worked toward future elections. Although the Doha Document is a
step toward Palestinian unity, many challenges remain as the two groups
reconcile their differences. The reconciliation was denounced by Israeli
leadership, who said the Palestinian Authority would have to decide
whether they wanted peace with Hamas or peace with Israel.
General Attitudes
Print this section
<http://online.culturegrams.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/world/world_country_sec
tions.php?contid=12&wmn=Asia&cid=176&cn=West_Bank_and_Gaza&sname=General
_Attitudes&snid=6> | E-mail this section
<http://online.culturegrams.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/world/world_country_sec
tions.php?contid=12&wmn=Asia&cid=176&cn=West_Bank_and_Gaza&sname=General
_Attitudes&snid=6>
Palestinian Arabs value courage, freedom, generosity, and hospitality.
They are known for their strong family ties and their sociability.
Social status is measured by one's family name, occupation, and
education. Palestinians strongly believe they have the right to a
sovereign state that provides them with basic human rights. For those
who seek full independence, self-rule does not go far enough; an
independent state is their ultimate goal. Since the Palestinian
Authority has had difficulty bringing order and structure to society,
many people are as critical of their leaders as they are of Israel. Most
have shared a dream for a Palestinian state but now are pessimistic
about its future.
Most Palestinians say they respect Judaism, and even Israel's right to
exist as a state, but they oppose Zionism (a movement to establish the
area between Egypt and Jordan as the Jewish homeland). They point to the
fact that they, too, have lived in the area for centuries. Palestinians
are therefore sensitive to references to the Holy Land as "Israel"
because they consider the Holy Land to be Palestine.
Lisa Silverman
Library Director
Sinai Temple Blumenthal Library
10400 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-481-3215
________________________________
From:
hasafran-bounces+lsilverman=sinaitemple....@lists.service.ohio-state.edu
[mailto:[email protected]
tate.edu] On Behalf Of Hasafran
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 2:45 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ha-Safran] Database issue regarding the Middle East
From: "Levine, Joyce" <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:26:07 -0400
I would like to suggest that anyone with a subscription to Culturegrams
should check it out and please contribute your opinion to this
discussion.
>From what I understand from the description of some of the material in
this article, a response from AJL to ProQuest may be warranted.
Joyce
--
Joyce Levine
Director of Library and Media Services
North Shore Hebrew Academy High School
400 North Service Road
Great Neck, NY 11020
President, Synagogues, Schools and Centers Division
Association of Jewish Libraries
<mailto:[email protected]>
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