Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
Amidst untold deaths, massive shortages of medical supplies, and inequalities in healthcare treatment, two different ways of thinking about nature have emerged in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nature has become a crucial mental, spiritual, and physical solace for many who are restricted due to Stay-At-Home orders and unable to access other mental and spiritual…
I have this fear that the Sayville Theater and many others like it won’t be here on the other side of the pandemic. Capitalism uses crises to enact austerity measures and art is always one of the first industries to get the axe.
For parents and guardians that are able to work remotely from home during Covid-19, we have the added burden of everyday being “take your child to work day.”
The emptiness we witnessed in the streets of South Bethlehem throughout April and May would have been unimaginable to us even a few months prior…
One of Bethlehem’s most defining landscapes is the Bethlehem Steel factory. Approaching South Bethlehem from any direction, the retired steel stacks are the first thing anyone sees. They are the city’s major historical attraction, and Bethlehem Steel is arguably Bethlehem’s greatest claim to fame. The once multinational corporation impacted the lives of nearly every family…
On October 30th, Lehigh University students and members of the community came together for public discussion of the Global Youth Climate Declaration (GYCAD), which is a document that reflects the collective youth voice demanding specific policy interventions to heads of state and policymakers at all levels of governance. The public consultation held at Lehigh is…
On October 22nd and October 23rd, Noa Baum, an Israeli-Jewish storyteller, and Lehigh’s Mohsen Mahdawi, a third-generation Palestinian refugee, hosted three events on the power of storytelling as a means to building peace. During the first event, Baum presented her show titled ‘A Land Twice Promised’ to the Lehigh community. In her performance, she shared…
Coach Roy and Malta Ortiz have been the heart and soul of the Lynfield Community Center (1889 Lynfield Drive, Bethlehem PA 18015) for the last eight years. They have cultivated the Center into a “hidden gem up in Lynfield,” providing solace, sanctuary, discipline, and life lessons to the Lynfield community. As the only remaining community…
New Bethany Ministries is the organization in the Lehigh Valley that “keeps the lights on” for those who need it most. Their mission is to “provide opportunities for a secure future for the homeless, hungry, poor and mentally ill.” Headquartered at the corner of Wyandotte and 4th Street in South Bethlehem, the group annually serves…
Ghada Kassis is both the baker and the chef behind the delicious pastries and Levantine meals enjoyed at The Olive Branch. With her husband Salir, she runs the warm and inviting Middle Eastern Restaurant, offering an escape from the commotion of Bethlehem’s Broadway Street. Because of her love for the food and her neighbors, Ghada…