We are a community of Palestinian-Americans seeking to forge meaningful connections and to share Palestinian Culture and traditions with the boarder community.
We are a community of Palestinian-Americans seeking to forge meaningful connections and to share Palestinian Culture and traditions with the boarder community.
We develop and implement Palestinian cultural community programs to preserve traditions for younger generations.
9
COUNTIES
101
CITIES
30,000+
PALESTINIANS
The Palestinian American Coalition of San Francisco was developed out of the popular Annual Palestine Day Cultural Festival held in San Francisco. In October 1978, Palestinian organizers and activists gathered to determine the best way to provide humanitarian aid to Palestine. They agreed to host an annual cultural festival to raise money for humanitarian aid. After several meetings with organizers, it was suggested that the Ramallah Club of San Francisco, a social group for descendants of families from Ramallah, Palestine, in the diaspora, take the lead in organizing the festival because they were the most established and funded Palestinain community organization at the time.
Dr. Samir Totah, a respected Pharmacist and President of the Ramallah Club of San Francisco, was the Chairperson of the first Palestine Day Cultural Festival. The Ramallah Club of San Francisco, supported by other local Palestinian social clubs and political organizations, led a community effort in organizing and sponsoring the Palestine Day Cultural Festival for the first several years. After some time the Ramallah Club of San Francisco was the only organizer of Palestine Cultural Day Festival.
In 2014, Afif Baba, President of the Ramallah Club of San Francisco approached Dr. Totah about making the event more inclusive to increase attendance and participation. They decided to call on the other local Palestinian organizations to participate in the organizing of the festival. They held a meeting attended by over 70 Palestinian-Americans where they discussed developing a coalition to assist with the festival. The meeting resulted in the establishment of the Palestinian American Coalition of San Francisco (PAC-SF). PAC-SF consisted of eight Palestinian-American organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area and four Members At-Large to ensure that active members of the Palestinian community who may not be part of an organization, were given a voice in the coalition. The first Co-Chairpersons of PAC-SF were Dr. Totah and Dr. Khalil Barhoum, a senior lecturer in linguistics at Stanford University.
PAC-SF’s mission is to preserve Palestinian heritage through hosting cultural and educational events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and assume responsibility for organizing and sponsoring the Palestine Day Cultural Festival.
For 36 years, Palestine Day was held in San Francisco’s Hall of Flowers making it challenging for members in the South and East Bay to attend. In addition, the venue had a limited capacity of 3,000 people and offered little parking. As a result, in 2018 the festival was moved to Leo J. Ryan Park in Foster City where a Palestinian-American, Sam Hindi, was mayor. Leo J. Ryan Park offers ample parking and expansive indoor and outdoor venues. As a result, the event drew 10,000 in 2019 and a record breaking 15,000 in 2023.
We thank our Palestinian community for their ongoing support and participation.
Executive Team
Chairperson
Vice-Chair
Treasurer
Secretary
Past Presidents
Member Organizations
Afif Baba
Mona Saadeh-Totah
Maher M. Zabaneh
Raja Samara
Ronnie Eid
Shukri Taha
Board Members
Our coalition represents a diverse group of Palestinian-Americans.
The coalition works to raise funds for our programs.
As a board member of San Francisco branch of the Ramallah club for 15 years, and a member of the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine (AFRP ) for over 40 years, Wael “Wayne” Mufarreh is passionate about celebrating and fostering Palestinian culture and community in the Bay Area and beyond. He and his family immigrated from Ramallah to San Francisco when he was just six years old. Since then, serving his community both socially and professionally has been his top priority. In 1982, Wael co-founded B&W Service Center, an auto-repair center in San Francisco’s Mission District and later became a managing partner of BW San Francisco Properties in 2019. Wayne’s volunteer work with the Palestinian community in San Francisco greatly benefits from his extensive business and property management experience.
Nader Musleh, hailing from Ramallah, Palestine, embarked on a remarkable journey that led him to San Francisco, where he defied odds to establish a thriving DJ and Property Management company. Through determination and a passion for his craft, Nader’s success story serves as an inspiration, bridging cultures and leaving a lasting impact on both the music and real estate scenes of the vibrant city.
Mona Saadeh-Totah was born in Jerusalem in 1955 and raised in Birzeit until 11, when she moved to Ramallah. There, she worked as a teacher in the Ahliyeh Elementary School and then served at the Ministry of Interior of Israel, office of Citizens Affairs in Ramallah. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1978 and completed her studies in Austin, Texas, before moving in 1990 to the Bay Area, where she married George B. Totah in 1997. She worked as the executive secretary to the Consul General of Egypt in San Francisco for 11 years. She also owned and operated many businesses in Austin, San Francisco and Vacaville.She currently serves on the board of PAC-SF. In addition, she serves as president of Birzeit Society Northern California Chapter and on its national board of directors. She was also active in several Arab American organizations such as U.S. Omen and the Arab Cultural Center.
Afif Baba came to the U.S. at the young age of 5. After his family decided to settle down in San Francisco, Afif became highly involved in the Arab community in the Bay Area. He began helping at Palestine Day at the age of 17 as the youth president of the Ramallah Club. He then went on to become the Young Adults president to now the President of the Ramallah Club of San Francisco for the last 11 years. Afif prides himself on always going out of his way to help the churches and other Arab organizations in the community. Having started his own construction company in 1980, it has helped Afif take on a leadership role both at work and in the Arab community and has given him a voice to speak for the Palestinian people.
Daoud Eid immigrated to the U.S. from Palestine in 1966 with only a sixth-grade education and all of $5 to his name. Three days later, he began work selling tapestries door to door before buying his first store in San Francisco in the early 1970s. Over the years, he has owned a variety of stores and gas stations and worked remodeling homes for resale. His seven children and 33 grandchildren describe him as smart, charming, well-respected and generous in his work helping Palestinians in the Bay Area and abroad as part of the PLO.
Randa Shatara was born and raised in Damascus Syria, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Damascus University. In 1982, she immigrated to the U.S., and studied Computer Programming and worked at the Arab Culture Center in San Francisco, where she became engrossed in the Arab community in the Bay Area and abroad. Randa’s involvement in the community includes the Association of the Arab-American University Graduates, which she served as president between 1985 and 1986, and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimation Committee, where she served as a board member from 1983 to 1987. From 1988 to 2014, she concentrated both on raising up three happy, successful children and focusing on her career while continuing to participate in community organizations as time allowed. In 2014, she once again took a leadership role in the community when she was invited to be a board member at large with PAC-SF to help with the renewed Palestine Cultural Day. She continues to be a dedicated member of the Arab community in the Bay Area.
Fuad Atyeh came to the U.S. in 1969 and studied business administration at San Francisco City College and San Francisco State University. He later returned to City College to teach small business management and also founded the Arab Grocers Association, later serving as president of that group. Over the years, he owned and operated several retail and wholesale businesses. He helped to organize and participated in the very first Palestinian Cultural Day. Under San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan, he served on the Small Business Commission as well as the Hate Crime Commission under District Attorney Arlo Smith. He co-founded the Palestinian American Congress and served as national president for two terms. He served as president and on the board of trustees of the Arab Cultural Center and is a member of the Palestinian National Council. He and his wife have five children and seven grandchildren.