‘We have to hold hope.’ How Jewish-Palestinian families cope.thedigitalchaps

[ad_1]

As Israel’s war with Hamas enters its second month, anger has also erupted in the United States. Reports of alleged hate crimes are emerging, including death threats against Jewish people at Cornell University in New York and the stabbing death of a Palestinian American boy in Illinois.

Deeper dialogue, however, is unfolding in the quieter realm of private lives, as families with ties to Israel and the Palestinian territories process grief. Many emphasize the humanity of all the affected people. They also see their children as embodying a shared future at stake.

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Some American families with ties to Israel and the Palestinian territories are supporting each other as they process fear and grief raised by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

“I feel strongly that I need to resist being polarized,” says Jacquetta Nammar Feldman in Texas, a Palestinian American who is also Jewish. “We have to hold hope for something better.” 

One couple in Chicago have reminders of their shared vows – and values – hanging in their living room. Their Jewish and Muslim marriage contracts, the ketubah and the nikahnama, are framed side by side. 

Though not always in agreement, “we’ve worked really hard to create a space where we can [listen to] each other,” says Shaina Curtis.

The commitment to honor all human life was made “before we got into this marriage,” adds her husband, Amir Abdullah.

The parents shield their sons, ages 2 and 4, from how the war hits home. That includes what their father, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, found at his Washington office last month.

Go back to where you came from, the typed note said. “You might get lucky with a missile, and meet your Allah sooner!” 

Then, in all-caps, a call for all Palestinians to die.

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Some American families with ties to Israel and the Palestinian territories are supporting each other as they process fear and grief raised by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Waseem AbuRakia-Einhorn’s employer, American University, says it’s investigating the note – and separate Nazi graffiti – with the FBI. “It was terrifying,” says Mr. AbuRakia-Einhorn, who now rarely leaves the house. 

Yet he’s pushing himself to speak up –  with encouragement from Becca AbuRakia-Einhorn, his Jewish American wife. Her support provides a refuge at home. 

“She has a way of calming me down,” says Mr. AbuRakia-Einhorn. 

[ad_2]