ENDORSEMENTS
Loolwa Khazoom is one of the most uniquely powerful and creative people I have ever met. She has been a friend, a consultant, a colleague, and a patient at different times. I recall her experience with thyroid cancer and the remarkable intelligence, research, and
deep thoughtfulness she put into making her decisions about treatment. In her case, she decided to go with an intensive immersion in natural healing, involving dietary changes, deep mind/body/spirit work, dance, and natural remedies. She’s obviously been successful, as this is now her tenth year living well and having no progression or spread of cancer; and all credit goes to her and her fierce belief in following the life that her deep soul guides her in. This song and video, “Cancer is my Engine,” is just a taste of the passion and commitment that Loolwa brings not only to her healing, but to everything she does. Decisions in cancer care are complex, and very deeply personal. Some cancers respond well to conventional treatments and others do not. Some people respond well to conventional treatment while others cannot tolerate them. Every person is unique, and every cancer is also unique. Loolwa’s story does not mean that everyone should choose natural cancer treatment as an alternative to conventional treatment, but it does mean that we should open our hearts and minds to the remarkable healing abilities we each have within us, and learn to nourish them, so that whatever course we choose in our cancer journey, we are an active agent rather than a passive bystander.”
– Martin L. Rossman MD
Author, Fighting Cancer from Within: How to Use the Power of Your Mind for Healing; Author, Guided Imagery for Self-Healing
Pay attention to Loolwa Khazzoom, especially if you ever had cancer. Music and dance became her path to healing, along with a robust program of organic foods, botanicals, and nutrients. I am a medical oncologist and hematologist who worked with Ms. Khazzoom as a
patient from 2012 to 2014, and watched her large malignant thyroid nodules (Hurthle cell tumor) stabilize as she found her voice, and made cancer her engine, as the song goes.
To me, cancer represents not an enemy, but a call for transformation. Loolwa transformed her life profoundly, followed her intuition wherever it took her, and healing was the result. The joy that this transformation brought into her life is in every breath of her music, in every tone of her chants, and in the fluid movements of her dancing (in which she had found healing from chronic pain, which preceded her healing from thyroid cancer). We can all learn from Loolwa Khazzoom. And enjoy her music.
Although her nodules have become significantly smaller over the years, they have waxed and waned, in direct correlation to the amount of stress vs the amount of joy in her life. Loolwa has learned to use them as a “biomarker” feedback system – telling her when she is “on course” or “of course.” In her own words, “You can live a healthy, vibrant, and joyful life, even if cancer is still there somewhere. So that you’re not living well despite cancer, but you’re living well because of cancer.” Cancer has become not only her engine but also her life navigation system.
– Dwight L. McKee MD, CNS, ABIHM
Author, After Cancer Care: The Definitive Self-Care Guide to Getting and Staying Well for Patients with Cancer
Loolwa is a force of nature. It’s no surprise to us that the cancer wilted beneath her phenomenal presence and no wonder also, that her courageous heart expresses itself so eloquently in the hurricane of her gritty music.
– Deva Premal & Miten
Billboard chart-topping musicians
Loolwa Khazzoom’s journey from cancer to healing demonstrates how attention to emotions, attitudes, and lifestyle can serve as powerful factors promoting recovery. Her experience should give hope and guidance to anyone facing serious health challenges. She reminds us
that healing forces originate from within, not only from without. In a world enchanted with high-tech approaches to health and wellness, this is a message we desperately need to remember.
– Larry Dossey MD
NY Times Bestselling Author, The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things; Executive Editor, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing
Iraqis in Pajamas song, “Cancer Is My Engine,” is the soundtrack for the epigenetics revolution. This soulful music, inspirational lyrics, and captivating music video awaken us to the fact that with a positive mindset and healthy lifestyle choices, we can heal ourselves from
chronic illness, no matter what our genetic predisposition. Through her bold decision to follow her heart through a cancer diagnosis, songwriter Loolwa Khazzoom is now living proof that music is truly medicine and that with the right mindset, a cancer diagnosis can serve as the portal to an extraordinary life.
– Kenneth R. Pelletier PhD, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF; Author, Change Your Genes, Change Your Life; Director, Corporate Health Improvement Program
“Cancer Is My Engine” is a wonderful story about our body’s tremendous ability to heal—if we give it a chance.
– Joseph Pizzorno ND
Founding President, Bastyr University of Naturopathic Medicine; Author, The Toxin Solution; Editor, Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal
“Cancer Is my Engine” showcases the story that with true resilience and faith, one can conquer anything – including illness. It’s the only true direction to healthcare: self-care. It’s the Hippocratic Way!
– Maria Benardis
Gourmand Award-winning author and health coach
Over the past two years, Loolwa Khazzoom has launched two of the most imaginative and high-impact programs the Lloyd Symington Foundation has ever funded in its 35-year history. In 2020, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her band Iraqis in
Pajamas successfully completed their innovative project, “Cancer Healing Adventure,” which featured Loolwa’s song, “Cancer Is My Engine,” an original, hard-driving synthesis of contemporary rock and ancient Jewish liturgy from the Middle East. In 2021, she is implementing an equally bold and visionary program, “Kitchen Pirates,” which features improvisational and inspirational cooking by Loolwa in her own kitchen, dressed up as a pirate. One of her primary intentions, she emphasizes, is to replace fear with fun.
Loolwa’s programs, very much like her own life, illustrate the human capacity for deep transformation. Transformation, in fact, is at the heart of our mission as a small, grassroots foundation — supporting cancer programs which can shift consciousness in fundamental ways and engender healing at the deepest level. Loolwa is a perfect match for our organization.
In addition to her uncompromising vision and myriad gifts, what I really admire about Loolwa is her indefatigable commitment to whatever project she undertakes. Loolwa never gives less than 100% and will do whatever it takes to meet her goals and manifest her vision. What I find particularly moving is that, after all the anguish and agony suffered by the Iraqi people following the American invasion of Iraq in 2001, Loolwa, a daughter of Iraqi immigrants, is bringing the riches of a very old and distinguished Middle Eastern culture so as to relieve suffering in a country which is still learning how to treat all of its citizens in a humane and respectful way.
– Toby Symington
Executive Director, Lloyd Symington Foundation
I have dealt with chronic pain for most of my life. My introduction to Dancing with Pain® was incredible and gave me the hope I’ve been looking for. Loolwa Khazzoom lead such a wonderfully informative guided session. I felt safe to be and do exactly what my body needed to do. I felt inspired and will continue explore this method.
– Dawn M.
I have hope again. Now I know I don’t have to live the rest of my life in pain.
– Desdemona (Fibromyalgia)
I feel true joy and love for my body again!
– Gail (Chronic hip pain)
There were movements that I hadn’t been able to do in years, that I was able to do in the Dancing with Pain® class.
– Jenny (Lupus)
I felt safe in Loolwa’s Dancing With Pain® class. Her voice guided me gently throughout the session – reminding me of the power I have inside. I had severe pain at the beginning of class, and I thought I would only dance in my imagination. Instead, I was surprised to find
my body moving organically, without even realizing I had started moving! I felt significantly less pain by the end of the class.
– Cynthia (CRPS)
I feel much more relaxed and pain free! I also feel more joyful and confident.
– Maya (Migraines)
The Dancing With Pain® class was a real blessing. I felt much better when I walked out than when I walked in. Perhaps most importantly, Loolwa shared mind and body tools for transforming pain that I have been using since the class and that have had a
very positive impact on my life. If you’re at all hesitant to attend a class, don’t be. The atmosphere is safe and nurturing. Thank you Loolwa!
– Daniel (Chron’s Disease)
Loolwa gave us the permission to move without self-criticism. The experience was releasing and elevating, and I had significantly less pain and greater mobility by the end of class.
– John (Back pain)
I really loved it. It was very freeing, expansive, and a lot of fun…I see it as a way to open up and give me more room to move without any pain or problems.
– Beverly (Chronic soaz pain)
The Dancing with Pain® class was excellent. It left me with a warm feeling in my muscles and more freedom from pain.
– Judy
Loolwa Khazzoom is a brilliant lyricist and a dedicated artist, with the ability to teach through her art. Loolwa and her band, Iraqis in Pajamas, bring deeply personal truth through song and lyric and make us think through our own human reaction, through their profound and often
cathartic performances.
We need more of this! We need more art that makes us think in this turbulent world. Loolwa is the pearl in the oyster of a nation in great need of more awareness and enlightened thinking.
– Lara Lavi
Grammy Award-winning musician
I have always found Loolwa Khazzoom as both an original and a super honest artist. In an art scene, and an entire world for that matter, desperately lacking those exact qualities, her presence and work are a blessing.
Sha’anan Street, platinum recording artist, Hadag Nahash
Hearing Loolwa Khazzoom live is like being struck by a thunderbolt. Her music will crack you open and get under your skin in the best way. Her lyrics are raw and visceral, combining prayer with deeply personal truth about the reality of what it means to be a woman living in the world.
Her music will have you reevaluating what it means to be human. It’s both ancient and modern— holding a startling tension between the sacred and the beautiful chaos of being alive.
– Katie Rudman
Event producer
Iraqis in Pajamas! Their live performance emotes an unencumbered power of grief, rage, and delight thru song and storytelling, power chords and a capella nusach (Jewish melodic chants). Hear them, and you will know the pulse of modernity entangled with centuries-past.
– Stefanie Brendler
Event producer
I encountered Loolwa’s important work during a crucial time in my life. Growing up a Persian Jew in Los Angeles, I struggled with reconciling my ancient heritage and cultural norms with my daily life as a contemporary American girl. Loolwa’s work provided excellent guidance
and a framework for the complexity surrounding the history of my identity and how it fits into our modern world. She has an absolutely unparalleled dedication to empowering voices often brushed aside by history, and Iraqis in Pajamas is another perfect example of how she eloquently translates identity and culture into art. We need this kind of storytelling, not only to remind us of our past, but also to push us into the future.
– Arezu Hashemi
Jewish community organizer
When I was introduced to Iraqis in Pajamas music, I was profoundly moved, not only by the band’s talent, but by the messages they share. Their songs somehow manage to be deeply personal, but also universal. Hearing their songs and lyrics gives you an instant kinship and
connection with the band, because you hear the lyrics and feel completely understood. The band takes very real experiences and translates them into music that sticks with you long after the song is over.
– Cathy Tilton
Social media strategist
The Flying Camel, Loolwa Khazzoom’s anthology on Middle Eastern and North African Jewish women, is a fantastic resource for exploring the intersections of multiple identities. Now Loolwa’s band, Iraqis in Pajamas, brings this learning to life, with music to help heal both
personal pain and rifts between communities that are so often considered separate. Loolwa’s blend of Iraqi Jewish melodies, punk rock, and audience participation opens so many important conversations: about the diversity within Jewish communities, about violence against women, and about personal activism, to name a few. We enjoyed Loolwa’s session very much, and so will you.
– Jonathan Branfman PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor, Cornell University
Iraqis in Pajamas music is powerful, and Loolwa’s voice is beautiful.
– Madeline Sosin
Musician, Correo Aereo
Loolwa Khazoom is an exceptionally talented, passionate and intelligent individual. In just a short time, Loolwa was able to tune into what was most important to the artists and to express that to the press and a broader audience in a relevant and meaningful way. The initial
strategy sessions were priceless. Loolwa brought a lot of understanding and clarity; presenting clear and concise ideas that made sense and were attainable. Working with Loolwa energises and reawakens a willingness to thrive and to do your best work.
– Hannah Green
Manager for Deva Premal & Miten
Loolwa is among the few media pros who really understands integrative medicine both as a patient and a healer herself. She’s a skilled writer, but even more to the point, she’s hardworking and persistent. I normally have no patience for PR of any kind, and my favorite
use for releases is generally to fuel my woodstove to warm my house. But Loolwa calls, emails, makes videos and does lots of other stuff that sets her apart from the typical flak. I recommend her highly.
– Brad Lemley
Editorial Director, Weil Lifestyle LLC
Loolwa is a dream to work with! She’s efficient, effective and affordable. She saw the best way to position us to get great media placements quickly, and she coached me through the process of arriving upon the best PR plan. Thanks to her insight and efficacy we’re getting
radio and print coverage, including our first ink in Rolling Stone.
– Austin Willacy
Band Leader, The House Jacks
Loolwa is a media expert with connections, follow-through, and clear communication. In a short amount of time she put my two newly-released books on the map. Her take-charge attitude with creative pitches and detailed emails created a media frenzy in TV, radio, and print. Loolwa gets results.
– Donna Hartley
Motivational Speaker, Hartley International
Loolwa served as the media and public relations manager for my book, The Worry Solution, and she was great to work with. She is wonderfully creative and flexible; she is a great communicator; and she has a great attitude. Loolwa is very savvy with media and creates
innovative and interesting pitches tailored to specific media, whether print or television. I recommend her very highly.
– Martin Rossman
MD, Founder, The Healing Mind
Loolwa opened my eyes to the world of public relations. She is a bulldog who doesn’t take no for an answer. Loolwa isn’t your average publicist. She thinks outside of the box, pushes you out of your comfort zone, helps you discover your life’s purpose, and uses her connections
to propel your business forward. With her guidance, I re-designed my website, scheduled a book tour, landed two articles in a national magazine, and appeared on ABC, NBC, and FOX news.
– JM Buckler
Fantasy Fiction Author
As an editor, you’re always hoping for the rare freelancer who’s willing to go the distance — someone who reports out her pitches thoroughly, writes according to your audience’s needs and the magazine’s voice, and delivers the
necessary follow-up during the revision process. Loolwa was always willing to do whatever it took to get the story we needed.
– Whitney Joiner
Former Editor, Seventeen Magazine
Loolwa did an awesome job of representing me to the press. She went above what she was contracted to do and spent more time than expected. She is energetic, vivacious, knowledgeable, fast, and friendly —
a perfect combination for a PR specialist. I would recommend her to anyone who wants not only a good PR person but also a pleasant person to deal with. I now consider her a friend as well as my PR agent, and I plan to use her services in the future.
– Theodora Bruns
Author, Through Phantom Eyes
Loolwa is a dream to work with! She’s efficient, effective and affordable. She saw the best way to position us to get great media placements quickly, and she coached me through the process of arriving upon the best PR plan. Thanks to her insight and efficacy we’re getting
radio and print coverage, including our first ink in Rolling Stone.
– Steve Metzger
Massage Therapist, Revive Therapy Massage of Sacramento
Loolwa always came to me with original ideas and incredible access. She knew the tone of the magazine, and which girls we’d feature without hesitation. She is one of the best idea contributors I have worked with.
– Melissa Walker
Former Editor, ELLEgirl Magazine
Loolwa’s creativity, connections, and writing are so very valuable to our magazines. She’s the ultimate professional—meets deadlines, responds to my changing needs and wants, and turns in pristine prose. I look forward to seeing what she’ll query next.
– Leslie Young
Editor-in-Chief, Massage & Bodywork Magazine
After spending over $20,000 dollars on learning how to market myself and on having others market for me, I gave up on marketing altogether. Then Loolwa found me! Not knowing how to accurately share my essence and gifts with the world,
and given my past experience, I was very skeptical at first. But what an amazing blessing Loolwa has been for me! She knows how to market, how to express exactly who I am, and how to put everything into language that my target market understands. I highly recommend Loolwa if you are struggling to brand yourself and position yourself with your clients. She magically knows how to do this. It is a remarkable gift, and her work made my heart sing.
– Suzanne Strisower
Your Next Step Coach
Loolwa’s mind is clear and sharp. She pays close attention to the tiny details and lines them up in service to the big picture. As such, working with her has put the missing pieces into place in my business and has helped me expand my market.
I especially appreciate Loolwa’s uncanny ability to zero in on the essence of who I am and what I do, and to write up that information in language that is accurate, engaging, and inspiring. It has been such a boon to my business to be able to hand over all my writing to her! I also appreciate not only Loolwa’s expertise in social media, but also her perspective on it. By helping me understand that it is a tool but not the be-all and end-all, I have felt less overwhelmed by it and have come to understand how to use it effectively for my particular needs. Loolwa can help move your business to the next level, and I highly recommend working with her.
– Anasuya Basil
My Body Wisdom
When I interned for Loolwa, she gave me access to all of herself, because that is what she puts into everything she does. She was a truly inspiring mentor.
– Stephanie May
Former Intern, Loolwa Khazzoom Media Services
“Powerhouse” is the first adjective that comes to mind when I think of Loolwa; followed by “determined” and “passionate.” Tenacity and patience are difficult qualities to come by in a single individual, and I have found both in Loolwa. In addition,
as an author, one would think that I would be capable of using a computer in an efficient, organized manner. Au contraire! Loolwa has taken the time to walk me through the steps it takes to organize and maintain my campaign. I recommend her to anyone!
– Tory Zellick
The Medical Day Planner
Loolwa’s magic with words and presentation has enhanced my expression in my writing- creating successful impact articles. Loolwa is a clear and effective strategist, making the hard work of publicity pay off beyond expectations,
and what’s more, she makes the process fun! Loolwa teaches as she works, and I have learned a lot from our process – leaving me feeling as if I studied marketing at the university level. Loolwa has been a wonderful publicist for me and a joy to know.
– Suna Senman
Life Transformation Facilitator
Loolwa came in at a time when we were launching a complete overhaul of our online presence and experimenting with redefining the way we spoke about our work, so as to better reach mainstream audiences. Working with her was a
breath of fresh air, thanks to her unconventional, vibrant, unique, and deeply engaging approach to traditional media services. Beyond that, however, her unique gift lay in helping us re-connect with our own message from new and unexplored angles and to see it from a fresh perspective – ultimately allowing us to engage with our audiences on a whole new level.
– Evelyn Sztojanov
External Operations Executive , The Reconnection
Loolwa’s “Three Steps to Game-Changing Marketing” teleseminar was much more useful than other marketing workshops. It was very personal, which made it far more helpful than those with lots of general statements that apply to “everyone.”
I also love Loolwa’s direct, funny, and authentic style. She made me feel completely comfortable and acknowledged me and my work in a way that was empowering. At the same time, I received real, useful direction with specific steps I can take to make positive changes on my own, so that I can reach more people and share the work that I love doing, helping more people with their own transformation and healing. Loolwa also spent considerable time with me after the teleseminar, again giving me useful, specific advice, after really taking the time to hear what I need and where I want to take my work. I love working with her and look forward to more!
– Lucia Maya
Luminous Adventures
I want to enthusiastically recommend Loolwa as a professional, hardworking, and effective media consultant. Due to her promotional efforts we had over 1,000 attendees at the 2012 Cancer as a Turning Point conference in Sacramento.
She secured media coverage in the local ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox TV outlets, as well as in the local magazine, newspaper, and radio outlets. In one or two cases, we got coverage twice over, as Loolwa launched a two-pronged media campaign – first using the time hook of National Cancer Survivors Day and second using the time hook of the Healing Journeys conference. Thanks Loolwa. We would definitely use your expertise again.
– Carolyn Chamberlain
Board Member, Healing Journeys
It was a pleasure to work with Loolwa Khazzoom in her capacity of editor of my book on the subjects of medical intuition and energy medicine. Loolwa is very knowledgeable in the field of holistic health and understood my manuscript at a
profound level. She is highly professional, erudite, multi-talented, and versatile. In addition, she is punctual, reliable, pleasant, and polite. On a personal note, I find Loolwa to be a bright, charming, humorous, and delightful person. I highly recommend Loolwa as an editor and book project adviser. You will be glad you selected her!
– Liliana Cerepnalkoski
MD, Medical Intuitive
I have worked with Loolwa for the past six months, reworking my brand and launching what I hope will become a new movement: Slow Medicine – the reintegration of the heart and art of medicine, bringing to bear the genuine and
deep healing that we need so desperately now. Indeed, this is an ambitious project. But it was Loolwa who recognized and embraced its potential, applying her great intelligence and experience to get the platform established in such a short time. Not only does she possess all the skills required, but she is tenacious and passionate about the work – which together are essential elements in such a campaign. Very few people get so far on their own. There is usually a team behind the effort, and teams need leaders. Loolwa is just that. As a result of her great sensitivity and compassion, she is an outstanding leader, and it is a pleasure to work with her. Combined with her disciplined organization, she is remarkably effective. I am grateful.
– Michael Finkelstein
MD, The Slow Medicine Doctor
I had the pleasure of working with Loolwa on expanding my media portfolio and earning me the opportunity to contribute to some prestigious networks. Loolwa expertly guided me through the process of building a brand that
would be marketable and really highlighted my accomplishments and skill sets. She is a natural motivator, enthusiastic about your project, and passionate about getting you the results you desire. With her guidance and services, I managed to exceed my expectations and earn opportunities beyond the scope of our contract. Simply put, Loolwa will make it happen!
– William Craig
WebpageFX
I found it very energizing to listen to Loolwa’s “3 Steps to Game Changing Marketing” on-demand audio class. I really appreciated the congruency, authenticity, and flow of the class. The exercises were worthwhile, and I enjoyed the feedback time.
As someone who is intending to launch a new business in 2014, marketing and promotion often appear to be an unscalable mountain. After listening to this seminar, I’ve come away feeling that there is hope and that possibilities abound — that marketing and promotion may not be a fire-breathing dragon after all, but rather, may be entirely doable and fun!
– Joceline Burnel
Crowing Crone Woman of Wisdom
I was happy to have an opportunity to work with Loolwa. As a first-time blogger and author, I felt overwhelmed by the need to do “this” and keep up with “that,” to make myself stand out in a fast-paced, crowded media world. Where do I begin?
What to do first? What will make the biggest impact? These questions had just too many answers! Loolwa developed a preliminary roadmap for me based on my answers to a detailed and extensive questionnaire. The 40-plus item questionnaire itself was a huge help as it made me think hard about my message, my unique edge, and my audience. I appreciated Loolwa’s guidance and helpful advice on taking the next step in developing my brand and presence in both traditional and social media. Thank you, Loolwa!
– Janna Seagull
Spiritual Hottie
I had an incredible experience working with Loolwa! She was inspiring, insightful, and has such passion! I was honestly moved, as she took such care and consideration in making sure I was able to represent myself in the greatest light. I would definitely recommend working with her!
– Kristina Goolsby
Documentary Writer and Producer
Loolwa is an extremely creative person and a gifted writer and has designed a reflective process that allowed us to really hone into my work. Her ability to understand and transform my message went well beyond what I had experienced before
with other professional consultants. Beyond that, she organized the team around me to execute my vision. In addition to her brilliance in all these respects, she is heartfelt and fun to work with.
– Robin Queen Finkelstein
The Slow Medicine Therapist
I cannot thank Loolwa enough for branding me and my practice. I am a holistic women’s health specialist who provides treatment options for human papillomavirus and precancer of the cervix.
When Loolwa first contacted me, I was in the process of writing a book on my treatment — and not having the book yet complete —passed on her assistance. My thinking was that I could market my book and practice myself. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Thankfully, Loolwa contacted me about six months after publishing my book. It was clear to me that she had detailed and specific knowledge of how to market my practice and my book, and she was generous with giving me ideas before I was even her client. These ideas were insightful and aligned utterly with what I had learned in operating and marketing my business. No BS here. I knew that she would take me to where I wanted to be. In determining my road map, we spent at least 20 hours discussing everything about my practice, education, book and previous marketing. I cannot properly convey the importance of this road map process, nor can I fully describe the excitement that I had knowing I had finally found someone to stand in my corner. The vast network she has in my field became immediately clear and we set out obtaining book testimonials while building a new website that was narrowly defined to my expertise. In other words, we set out to polish everything about me, my practice and my site to facilitate press releases, book signings and speaking engagements. Loolwa is insightful, passionate and connects in a way that I have never experienced. She has given me direction where I had been jaded and confused—burned one too many times with expensive marketing. I am in her debt.
– Dr. Nick LeRoy
Women’s Health Specialist
I own a small community health restaurant in Seattle, called HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Cafe. One of our spinoff brands is Pure Pies, a vegan, gluten-free specialty pie company. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I hired Loolwa
to help us get the word into the media about our unique pie offerings. I was sure that we had a story, but I didn’t know quite how to put it together and how to go about reaching the people we needed to reach. Luckily, an angel named Loolwa came before me! Within the first week of working together, Loolwa had done a complete media blitz, blasting my company’s story from all angles to various local Seattle media outlets. She was laser-focused at getting our story to the right decision-makers. As a result, we ended up being invited to do a pie demo on KOMO TV (local ABC affiliate) a week before Thanksgiving, and we were also included in Seattle Magazine’s holiday pie roundup! Loolwa was fast, professional, and had stellar follow-through and communication. I cannot wait to work with her again!
– Monika Kinsman
HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Cafe
Loolwa has a way of breaking down big ideas around PR, making them digestible and applicable to anyone who wants to build a stronger connection with the media. During the masterclass that she lead for a group of my clients,
she was able to show the connection between the messaging, purpose, branding and target audience and how all of that informs which media you pitch yourself to and how. The biggest question I hear my clients ask when it comes to PR is “Where do I begin?” and Loolwa gave multiple different ways for my clients to begin marketing themselves to the media consistently and unapologetically. By the end of the training, my PR & media wheels were turning in directions I hadn’t thought of before, and I know it was the same for my clients. Loolwa is the real deal!
– Jenn Lederer
Motivational Speaker and Leadership Coach
I have worked with Loolwa on and off for about two years. I cannot emphasize enough how productive and illuminating that collaboration was. Loolwa is not only incredibly knowledgeable in all issues related to marketing,
website content development, and business development, but has also almost an uncanny knack for finding right words, labels, and designations. Every single one of our numerous working sessions ended with me feeling more inspired, energized, and having a much better sense of direction. Absolutely loved working with Loolwa, a brilliant and also very accommodating and caring PR coach, and I look forward to more collaboration in the future.
– Magda Tarnawska Senel
Ph.D., Teacher, Speaker, Author
Loolwa Khazzoom is an absolute delight to work with! She is an expert in her field, with powerhouse media credentials to leverage for the good of her clients. She is refreshingly candid and fun to work with. She gives it to you straight,
makes you think, and helps you craft a vision for the impact you want to make in the world. She is soulful, thoughtful, and brilliant. Best of all, she learns who her clients are very quickly, and that allows her to edit their work in their voice. She is bold, strategic, and determined. When you hire Loolwa, you’re not just getting the basics any publicist could offer you. You’re getting a rambunctiously enthusiastic advocate for the cause you hold dear. If you’re looking for a rockstar partnership to catapult your dreams a quantum leap forward, hire this lady, she is awesome!
– Deb Holland PhD LCSW
Leadership Coach, Author
I have been working with Loolwa for a fantastic year. Loolwa makes a list of the impossible for you and achieves it with methodic and resilient structure. Be sure about what you want to bring in your life and your future, because there is
nothing that will stop this grounded, structured, practical and wonderful support system that Loolwa is. Not only does she have characteristics like integrity, stability, and commitment, but her energy is a great boost for your career, as well as for your spirit: She will read you in between the lines and will come up with the perfect description about your intentions, qualities, and purpose. Loolwa is just one of those blessings from the Universe.
– Donatella Moltisanti
Viality Soul
I have long felt the need for such a book as The Flying Camel, and for a representation of the voices and perspectives within it.
– Leila Ahmed
Professor of Women’s Studies in Religion
Harvard Divinity School
Cambridge, MA
The Women’s Studies Program and Religion Department at Temple University find The Flying Camel of great importance in teaching courses in “International Women’s Writing” and “Women, Religion and Society.”
– Rebecca Alpert
Associate Professor of Religion and Women’s Studies
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
The Flying Camel provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on an unjustly neglected identity and to see it through the eyes of those who have lived it. It is certainly true that the lives of Jewish women from the Arabic-speaking world are unknown
to too many in our society and that our understanding of questions of Arab, Jewish, and American identities are diminished by our ignorance. I find this book useful in the courses I teach on questions of identity and ethics in the contemporary world.
– Kwame Anthony Appiah
Professor of Afro-American Studies and Philosophy
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
The Flying Camel is a powerful anthology of creative works by North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women whose voices have rarely been heard either in the United States or in Israel. These women embody the “impossible”: They are Jewish and Arab, feminist and lesbian, women of color, and indigenous to North Africa and the Middle East. Their stories of struggle and sacrifice give us reason to hope that in this time of terrible suffering and war, peace and justice may continue to be our twin aspirations. This book could not be more timely, and is of great benefit to those of us teaching in Women’s Studies and Jewish Studies programs.
– Bettina Aptheker
Professor of Women’s Studies
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
The Flying Camel fills a gap in three separate academic areas – Women’s Studies, Jewish Studies, and Multicultural Studies. I will speak to the area of Women’s Studies, since that is the area in which I teach: First, there is not enough
literature or knowledge about Jewish women in general. Second, for those of us who teach in the Northeast, Jewish women are often a large percentage of our students. I have usually about 50% Jewish women in my “Women’s Lives” class. Third, and perhaps most important, this book will offer something that does not exist now – a recognition that not all Jewish women are from European backgrounds. There is a real need for a multicultural analysis of Jewish people and therefore also Jewish women. This book offers just that analysis.
Beyond the needs of Women’s Studies, I think that in this moment in time, a multicultural analysis of Jewish people, including Jewish people from African and Middle Eastern backgrounds, is crucial. What happened on 9/11 has finally taught us that we need to learn more about the world outside of the U.S.A., and the Middle East violence has taught us that we need to understand more fully the problems in that area. This book breaks down the falsely constructed duality between Arab and Jew and offers us a more complex and complete picture of identity in that region.
– Judith Barker
Professor of Sociology
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
I am interested in this book for my course, ‘Women in the Modern Middle East.
– Joel Beinin
Professor of History
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
The Flying Camel is a truly innovative and original contribution; there is no other book dealing with this topic in the literature on Women’s Studies.
– Lila Braine
Professor of Psychology
Barnard College-Columbia University
New York, NY
The Flying Camel illuminates the ethnic diversity among Jewish women and explores the misconceptions that many Americans (and others) have regarding the Jewish population and the Middle East conflict, e.g., that there cannot be an overlap between
Arabs and Jews. The trend today is for Women’s Studies curricula to become increasingly diverse and international in scope, and therefore I think that the book would be of interest to many faculty teaching women’s studies courses. The collection also is very timely. It clearly counters the stereotypes of Arabs that have been so unfortunately fueled by the recent tragic events, and brings more understanding of the complexity of the Middle East conflict
– Jill M. Bystydzienski
Director of Women’s Studies
Professor of Sociology
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
The Flying Camel fills an important curriculum gap in Anthropology and Gender Studies. It is particularly timely now, as questions regarding the culturally prescribed rules and variations in practice by Middle Eastern women is most relevant. I teach courses in Gender Studies and find a book on this topic most helpful
– Janet Chernela
Professor of Anthropology
Florida International University
Miami, FL
Loolwa Khazzoom has compiled a captivating collection of first-person accounts that makes us alternately cry for and celebrate the all-but-forgotten Jewish women of Africa and the Middle East and their American descendants.
Stories of adventure, loss, degradation, courage, and personal triumph provide insight into the fascinating mix of Moslem and Jewish culture and its collision with contemporary American values. At this time in our history, we as Americans are starting to wake up to the world around us, especially to the plight of women in the Middle East. Khazzoom’s work makes a fine contribution toward lifting the veil from our own eyes.
– Carrie Yang Costello
American Sociological Association Council Member
Race/Gender/Class Division
Assistant Professor of Sociology
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
A provocative collection that attempts to untangle complicated webs of anti-Semitism, racism, and misogyny, The Flying Camel presents a chellenging introduction to complex struggles around issues of identity and community
– Angela Y. Davis
Civil Rights Activist, Author
Professor of Women’s and African American Studies
UC Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Blasting away every bagels-and-lox cliche, these writers reveal the rich, vital, and shamefully overlooked dimensions of Jewish identity, reminding us that Jews are a rich strand of multicultural, global communities.
– Ophira Edut
Editor
Body Outlaws
There is no question that The Flying Camel fills a gap in the available literature on the intersections between gender, ethnicity, nationality, and religion. I know of no such book of first-person, experiential accounts by
Jewish women of color; the very idea of the book complicates the notion of “the Jewish community” in interesting and useful ways. This book is a useful undergraduate teaching tool for Women’s Studies courses, Ethnic Studies courses, Judaic Studies courses, and for Sociology courses that deal with the complexity of collective and individual identities.
– Joshua Gamson
Department of Sociology
University of San Francisco
The Flying Camel is a much-needed and welcome addition to the voices of women oppressed not just because of gender but also because of race, ethnicity, or religion. The voices of the many Jewish women in the text cry out with
anger and also conviction against the injustices committed against them. This is an excellent text for Women’s Studies programs as well as Theology, Sociology, and Anthropology courses. It exposes the reader to new understandings of Judaism and challenges all of us to listen and learn.
– Diana L. Hayes
Professor of Theology
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.
While there is a great deal of literature on Jewish women, very little of this work specifically addresses the experiences, perspectives, and issues of Jewish women of color. The Flying Camel is timely and offers a much-needed
discussion of diversity within Jewish culture and among Jewish women. The insights that it providea on the Arab-Israeli conflict are especially important, given the on-going tensions and violence in the Middle East. The book is useful for Women’s Studies as well as Jewish Studies classes and fills a void in the study of Gender and Jewish Culture.
– Janet Jacobs
Professor of Women’s Studies
University of Colorado
Bolder, Colorado
It is most exciting to learn that there is a book which deals with the North African Jewish women’s experience, which has been ignored until now. It is a necessary addition to any study of Jewish culture, and especially the lives of women.
– Aliza Keddem, Ph.D.
Professor of Human Sciences
Marylhurst University
Marylhurst, Oregon
I have been teaching “The Jewish Women: Some Historical and Cultural Perspectives” since 1995. A primary aim in all my courses is to provide students with a perspective that includes the diverse and international history and culture of Jews.
I have had great difficulty in balancing my syllabus with materials specifically on North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women and generally on Jewish women of color, because not many materials have been available. I was, therefore, greatly pleased to find the work of Loolwa Khazzoom in an issue of Bridges magazine and have included in my syllabus her article, “A Bridge Between Different Worlds” since its first appearance in 1995. Its feminist passion and commitment to honoring and maintaining North African and Middle Eastern Jewish identity was an eye-opener to my students of European background and an inspiration to those from non-European backgrounds.
Ms. Khazzoom has contributed other materials to Bridges magazine, which I have also used. But clearly many voices and perspectives are needed. The rich and complex experience of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women cannot be captured in a single article or story. I am heartened that Ms. Khazzoom has edited an anthology which begins to address this complexity. The Flying Camel helps provide the broader perspective that is needed in all Jewish courses, a perspective that many of my colleagues seek.
– Irena Klepfisz
Associate Professor of Women’s Studies
Barnard College-Columbia University
New York, NY
The Flying Camel explores Jewish identities in all of their varieties and complexities. Through critical essays and creative narratives, readers are introduced to deeply emotional identity searches and long-held cultural practices.
The collection is not only timely, dovetailing with multicultural efforts in our communities and in our universities, but also necessary. For Jewish Studies instructors who wish to introduce their students to the continued struggles of and range of voices among the Jewish people, this text should be a requirement; for Women’s Studies instructors who wish to diversify stories about and by women of the East, this collection is equally essential. This text cuts across many academic fields in honestly and openly confronting issues of identity, gender, and social isolation.
– Miriamne Ara Krummel
Assistant Professor
Department of English
University of Dayton
Today, good teaching and scholarship demand that the diverse voices of women be heard and represented first hand. I am therefore always on the lookout for books like The Flying Camel that provide these voices, along with a commentary that reflects current trends in scholarship.
– Becky R. Lee
Assistant Professor of Humanities and Women’s Studies
York University
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
As the interest in Jewish Women’s Studies continues to grow, we become more sensitive to the gaps in our knowledge. It is imperative that we include in our understanding of the field the historic and contemporary experience of the full range of Jewish women.
Loolwa Khazzoom’s book fills in an area which is often overlooked and thus provides ample material both for those engaged in the academic study of the field and for the large group of non-academic interested readers.
– Professor Anne Lapidus Lerner
Director of Jewish Women’s Studies
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
New York, NY
I am impressed by the wide spectrum of writers and issues in The Flying Camel. This insightful and rich volume contributes significantly to the current knowledge about women in modern Arab societies.
– Yoram Meital
Department of Middle Eastern Studies
Ben-Gurion University
Beer-Sheva, ISRAEL
The Flying Camel is a useful addition to those texts on ethnic and religious diversity available to professors teaching courses with a cultural diversity component. The chapters are both compelling and accessible to an undergraduate audience, and describe the experiences of
individuals with whose backgrounds many will be unfamiliar. This book can be used for courses in Sociology, Women’s Studies, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, World Cultures, and Cultural Diversity.
– Bonnie J. Morris
Professor of Women’s Studies
George Washington University
Washington, D.C
The Flying Camel is exactly the sort of collection that is needed in both Jewish Studies and Gender and Women’s studies today. Jewish studies is far too Euro- and U.S.-centric, and the perspectives offered by these essays helps students and faculty alike understand the
many different cultures and communities that fall under the rubric of Judaism worldwide. Nearly all the essays expose the ethnic and racial cleavages that lie hidden within the supposed unity of “the Jewish community,” and many provide deep insights into the political as well as cultural implications of these cleavages. The collection also has much to offer the field of Gender and Women’s Studies. Given both current events and recent world history, there is a good deal of unexamined anti-Semitism in this field. By demonstrating the multi-ethnic constitution of global Jewry, the essays help break down the first-world/third-world tension that often crops up in Gender and Women’s Studies courses, placing Jews on the “politically incorrect” side of that divide. In addition, the essays’ sensitivity to sexual identities within Jewish communities fit very well with ongoing concerns about this issue within the field.
– Sonya Michel
Professor of American Studies and History
University of Maryland, College Park
For too long, the overlapping movements for Jewish and feminist visibility have ignored North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women, but Loolwa Khazzoom’s new anthology challenges that posture of exclusion. Especially now, it is urgent that activists concerned
with both Jewish survival and female empowerment hear the voices of women whose traditions and experiences are not those of hegemonically represented Eastern European Judaism. In The Flying Camel, contributors challenge notions of Western “Jewish culture.” They also have much to say to the men of their own communities and to anyone who identifies with the struggle of being an exoticized “other.” The anthology is a much-needed letter from women who cross ethnic and gendered borders in their daily lives as Jews. And the book is an enormous asset at a moment when American scholars and media seek authentic representation of Middle Eastern women’s issues.
– Margaret O’Neal
Assistant Professor of Psychology
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC
There is no question that a more thoughtful view of the role of North African and Middle Eastern Jews, particularly those of the women, is crucial to an understanding of many issues relating to Middle Eastern society and history, and The Flying Camel is a most valuable contribution.
– Lawrence Rosen
Professor of Anthropology
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
It’s about time! The Flying Camel is an important, long-overdue book that will make an indelible, desperately needed mark on American Jewish life.
– Danya Ruttenberg
Editor
Yentl’s Revenge
The Flying Camel is desperately needed by those of us who teach courses within Jewish Studies and within Women Studies. While we have a selection of undergraduate and graduate texts on white Ashkenazi (Central/Eastern European) Jewish women,
we do not have a single anthology on North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women. As a result, Jewish women of color are almost always rendered invisible within the university curriculum. At best, they make a very token appearance. Ms. Khazzoom’s book makes an important contribution towards rectifying this serious (and intolerable) omission.”
What a treasure this book holds! for many of us whose Eastern European culture has for so long been taken as the Jewish norm, The Flying Camel provides the missing tiles in the mosaic puzzle which is the global story of Jewish women’s lives.
– Susan Weidman Schneider
Editor-in-Chief
Lilith Magazine
The experiences, ideas, and values of Jewish women are not monolithic. Khazzoom, founder of the Jewish multiculturalism movement, brings us the plethora of voices present in global Judaism. The fact that these voices are female makes this collection of essays all the more exciting and ground-breaking. Jewish women, in all our difference and diversity, unite!
– Rivka Solomon
Editor
That Takes Ovaries!
I strongly support the publication of The Flying Camel. This anthology is desperately needed by those of us who teach courses within Jewish Studies and within Women Studies. While we have a selection of texts on white Ashkenazi women, we do not have a single anthology on
North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women. As a result, Sephardic and Mizrahi women are almost always rendered invisible within the university curriculum. At best, they make a very token appearance. Ms. Khazzoom’s book will make an important contribution towards rectifying this serious omission.
– Shelly Tenenbaum
Chair of Department of Sociology
Clark University
Worcester, MA
The Flying Camel is an important contribution to the literature about women’s lives and voices. Ms. Khazzoom does a great job of compiling the voices of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women. This book shows a part of Judaism that is virtually unknown to most people, including Jews.
– Diane Kholos Wysocki
Director of Women’s Studies
Associate Professor of Sociology
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE
Editor Loolwa Khazzoom has assembled testimonials that come together like some sort of truth commission…”The Flying Camel” is living history. The people who have written these essays have strong feelings about their connection to lands now exclusively identified with Arabs and Muslims.
Their reflections will shock those who believe that Jews can be easily categorized. In words that are powerful and poetic, Khazzoom, Waldman and the other contributors come to terms with their multilayered upbringings. Through their struggles, they couldn’t take their Jewishness for granted. Through their eyes, we see the progress they’ve already made in breaking down stereotypes and ugly assumptions.
– The San Francisco Chronicle
The essays in this book, which traverse landscapes from Iran to Los Angeles, from Morocco to Beersheba, from Tunisia to Paris, are almost uniformly excellent as they manage to get beyond the usual PC ranting to be both provocative and moving…the writing is…surprisingly beautiful.
– Jerusalem Post
The Flying Camel…stories are heart warming, heart breaking and vastly important to read…While the stories reflect a hardship beyond what most Jews of European descent have experienced in America, they also exude hope and passion for a Jewish future that will one day reflect the vibrant diversity of Jewish tradition and experience from around the world. Each story is powerful, gripping and unique.
– InterfaithFamily.com
The Flying Camel is both a travelogue of exile and longing…and a book that charts a new course…Asserting their identities with newfound confidence, the contributors are writing their stories into the larger story of Jewish history…Many of the essays include unforgettable imagery.
– The Jewish Week
The Flying Camel offers great insight into Jewish communities with which many of us will be unfamiliar; it offers those who are in similar situations a feeling of community, of not being alone.
– Jewish Western Bulletin
The Flying Camel is a path-breaking work edited by a young Sephardic activist/scholar Loolwa Khazzoom who attempts to provide an open forum for Sephardic women to discuss issues relating to identity…[It] must be read by all those who see themselves as participants in the ongoing dialogue taking place around ethnic identity and gender in the Jewish community.
– Sephardic Heritage Update