New Year. Renewed Commitment.

Dear friend of Golden Thread,

As we begin the new year, I want to celebrate our 2024 successes with you, and share my excitement for our 2025 Season of Solidarity.

I write this message to you from Beirut — finally reunited with my family and friends. They have been luckier than many, many others who have lost their lives and their homes. But being here, face to face with the impact of the brutal genocide and now expanded war waged by Israel (with public and financial support from the U.S. government), my commitment to Golden Thread’s essential mission of producing art in community as political action remains steadfast.

Looking back, I am deeply moved by what we accomplished together in 2024. With your support and in one year, we engaged with more than 225 artists and activists from all over the world. We played to sold out houses in San Francisco, and created bustling community gatherings online, including our ambitious 24 Hours for Palestine: A Moon Will Rise from Darkness which was viewed by 1,700 people from 54 countries. We partnered with 22 community-focused organizations, and expanded our reach to thousands with like-minded allies.

In those moments when I felt utterly drained by the atrocities we are witnessing, it was YOU, our brilliant community, that gave me the strength to get back up and continue the meaningful work we are doing. Though all our efforts might seem futile, we cannot allow ourselves to fall into despair. It is simply not an option when our communities, even while under the threat of bombs, are showing such powerful resilience. We must continue to rebuild our lives, our homes, our humanity, one story at a time.

Our 2025 Season will do just that by illuminating the interconnectedness of our struggles, amplifying Palestinian, Armenian, and Afghan voices. Tickets go on sale in February, and I cannot wait to share this season with you. In the meantime, please reach out with any questions, suggestions, and words of encouragement. We do this essential work with and for you, and I thank you in advance for your attendance and your support.

With gratitude and in solidarity,

Sahar Assaf
Executive Artistic Director