S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show. A UCSD panel highlights alumni and students with close connections and roots , and Garza will speak with a couple of the panelists. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Tonight , Palestinian-American alumni and students from UC San Diego will talk about their family stories and personal ties to Gaza. The event is called We Are Tritons from Gaza to UCSD. My next two guests will be part of that panel talking about their roots in the region. Danya Zainab Zainab is an alum of UCSD , and she recently graduated from UCLA with her master's in Public policy. Ali El Farra also joins us. He's currently a sophomore at UCSD studying human biology. Allie , Dana , welcome to you both. Hi.
S2: Hi. Thank you for having me. Hi. Thank you.
S1: So glad to have you both here in studio. Um , tell me a bit about yourself. I mean , you both grew up in Oceanside. Can you talk about your own personal connections and ties to Gaza ? Danielle , I'll start with you. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Thank you.
S3: Um , so I grew up in San Diego , California. I was born in Oceanside. I grew I grew up with two parents who immigrated from Gaza. My father came here in the 80s to study and pursue his education. And then he went back to Gaza and got married to my mother and brought her here to San Diego. And then they had me. And then , um , I grew up with , um , being very proud of my culture. My father taught us to always be proud of our identities and to stay connected to our roots. and we remain connected through local nonprofits and organizations that we where we participated in , um , cultural performances and things like that. And I always grew up with our story , with our family being being told that we we are we were refugees from the Middle East. So it gave me it made me passionate about the refugee crisis here and the refugees that came to San Diego to pursue another life and a better life for themselves and their families. So I went on , after I graduated from UCSD to work with the county of San Diego , um , helping refugee families get pursue their education , learn English , um , get a start their careers. And and that's what has fueled , you know , given me purpose and helped me continue on into graduate school. I'll let Ali start his story.
S1: Ali , how about you ? Yeah.
S2: So , um , both of my parents are from Gaza. Uh , specifically Khan Younis. And they two as well. Um , immigrated just for the sake of a better education. So my dad , he first , uh , um , seeked asylum in Spain at first. And , uh , my mom in Egypt , where they both studied and eventually they reunited and , uh , found each other in , in Gaza and , uh , they eventually got married there. And , um , my dad being a US citizen after he left Spain to America. Um , so , yeah , it's just like the classic immigrant story where they're leaving a place to come to America for a better opportunity. But of course , um , we acknowledge that. And , uh , being in America , I've also been proud of my identity , of where my roots come from , of Gaza. And so my mom , my dad , they always taught me about Gaza. They always told me , told me stories. And even though I've I've been there twice and I haven't really been able to see family often in Gaza because of the blockade. And , um , it was , uh , just , I guess , connecting ourselves from a long distance. Uh , we would always be on phone calls with my grandparents. Uh , and , um , you know , I've always been trying to teach myself Arabic , and my parents have been really supportive of that , you know , taking me to school in over the weekends for learning Arabic. And so over time , throughout the years , I have developed a stronger connection to the land , to Gaza. Yeah. And through history.
S1: Right ? You know , since the war has started , a lot to change. How are you both doing first ? Yeah.
S2: Uh , Daniel ? Yeah.
S3: I mean , of course , when it first started , um , it kind of because we we've almost become used to war after war in Gaza and our families having to , um , you know , always having to check up on them and having the only way to see them is , like Ali said , through phone calls , FaceTime and all of that. Um , so in the first couple of months , of course , it was terrifying. We had our first thing , and our priority was to make sure everyone was okay and checking in on them. Um , and then we had to , you know , we were trying to figure out ways to get them out. Um , once we knew that , we knew this is not like any other war previous , um , we we it was priority number one to get them out. Um , so there was a process. We started with my grandma first because she's older , she's unable to walk on her own. So we , um , my mother , because she's an American citizen , was able to get her out pretty quickly in the first couple of months of the war. And then , um , you know , it's just every day was just terrifying. Just making sure everyone was still alive. Um , they didn't have internet. They they had very limited times where they could call us. Um , so it was about kind of trying to communicate at certain times. This is where you need to go. This is where it's safe. Um , they didn't they didn't always have the the news. They didn't always get to know ahead of time where to go. So we were always trying to make sure that they were they were aware of those , um , notifications of where to go. Um , and then eventually we were able to get , um , 14 of my family members out by paying an enormous fee for each one of them. We we fundraised that amount on a GoFundMe page. Um , and that was shared through , you know , we shared it. I was at UCLA. Yeah , I was at UCLA at the time , so we were sharing it through all the student organizations , and we were able to raise $75,000 to get all of 14 members of my family out. Wow.
S1: Wow. Ali , what's been your experience ? Yeah.
S2: So , I mean , me and my family , we've all endured wars previous to this. Um , I mean , if you do a little bit of research , there has been times where there has been relentless bombings in Gaza. Previous to 2023. And so we really were kind of like used to it at first , but it really did hit us deep when my aunt on my mom's side , um , her husband actually died , uh , via a Israeli airstrike. Sorry. He was , um. Yeah. Thank you. He was on his way. It was just a couple of days after October 7th. It was maybe October 15th. And he was on his way to go check in on his father because he's old and he's elderly. He has to check up on him. Um , and on his way there , uh , his car was blown up with an Israeli airstrike. And that's when I just remember me and my whole family waking up to the news , and we all just broke down , and that's when we realized , like , this is something that it is. It's like no other. Like , we have never seen something like this before. And so obviously our first instinct was to get our direct family out because , I mean , our family's huge , but I mean , at least try to get , you know , like my aunts and my little cousins out. And we asked them , even though it's very hard to communicate them , would communicate with them due to the lack of Wi-Fi , the lack of cellular , and even the lack of them being able to charge their phones because of the lack of electricity. And so , uh , we when we did get the opportunity to ask them , you said , like , we can connect you with an immigration lawyer. We could try to have you guys seek asylum. We can. We'll pay the fee. They actually stood their ground and they said , you know what ? We're we're not going to do this. We don't want to leave our houses because the last time we saw that , um , they they weren't able to go back to their houses. And so they have stayed there for the past two years , and they have been having to endure these horrible , horrible tragedies. I mean , um , throughout our family , our family is massive. It's like 10,000 people , like , throughout the whole globe. Yeah. But , um , within Gaza , 200 people , um , from the Florida family were killed by Israel. And two of those being my dad's brothers , my uncles , including cousins. And I mean , like , I could go on like , there's so many stories , like , I mean , my uncles.
S1: I'm so sorry. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. And and I just. I'm at a loss for words to even , like , describe all of this. I mean , like one of my uncles , he was just sitting in el mawashi , which was a , um , it's a designated safe zone , according to Israel. And so it turned into a refugee camp. People from all over Gaza went to the Milwaukee. It's like right on the beach. And they're setting up their tents. My uncle , he's sitting in his tent. And keep in mind , he's also disabled from the hip down. He actually got hit by an airstrike just out of nowhere. And it's in a safe zone as well. So even being in a safe zone , there's no reassurance of of safety for our family members. And so it was just relentless , relentless , constantly overthinking what's going on. Maybe I'm going to come back home from school or from practice or something like that , and my mom is going to have horrible news about my other uncle or my cousin that I know or who knows ? You know , so it was just always a fear for me and my parents. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Yeah , I can imagine that. Dania or Dania , rather. I'm sorry about that. I mean , your family member , is there ? A lot of them are actually in Egypt. Mhm. Um , you recently visited , but what what are the challenges that remain even though they've since left Gaza ? Yes.
S3: So , um , after they crossed into Egypt and now they are in Cairo , um , because of the , because the Egyptian government does not provide them like a residence or , or no pathway to citizenship. Um , they remain as sort of like undocumented , basically , where they do not have opportunity to work or go to school. Um , so that right now they're , um , they they started actually in Egypt , a lot of organizations have started to support Palestinians that were created for the purpose of educating all of these Palestinian refugees That came here in the last two years. Um , so they , they started like centers and and just all volunteer run or or donation , uh , provided by through donations. Um , so I know my cousins who are of elementary and high school age , um , they were doing school online when they were still in Gaza. And then now in Egypt , they do it online , but then they go to these centers to get just some sort of feeling like they are still in school. Um , they're doing they're teaching them the same courses and things like that , but they don't get any kind of they don't get like the , the certification that they , they attended. They don't get like the , you know , the grade completion. They have to do it online through the Palestinian Authority to be able to get it approved. Um , so they're doing school twice in the day , once in person and once online. Um , and my , my aunts , you know , they're they're trying to maybe start they're trying to find like fulfill their lives with something. I mean , they , they , they go and they maybe they'll start their own. They're trying to start their own businesses or things like that. A lot of actually Palestinians that left Gaza in the last two years have opened up the businesses that were in Gaza. They opened the same businesses in Egypt. So when I was there , I saw tons of restaurants and cafes that I recognized from when I visited as , um , that were there. And I was so happy to see it. At least they have some semblance of home , right ? Um , my family , like , they feel happy when they , you know , they're able to go to these restaurants , these places , just to have some connection to what they used to know. And every day , of course , it's difficult. I still see how emotional and upsetting they are. Upset they are. Um , I was just with my grandma last week , and she got proof that her home was completely destroyed during the cease fire. Right now , some people were able to go and take videos and photos. So she got that like confirmation that her home is actually gone. And just seeing her reaction was just like , I have no no words to , you know , Describe. But yeah , at least they have that community there that they can go to for support. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. You mentioned the cease fire. And um , while it's technically , uh , in effect , it seems to be just deteriorating day by day. Um , I mean , with the announcement today that there would be some more shelling.
S2: I mean , we have seen multiple cease fires go to failure. Um , so , I mean , throughout the entire war , it's just been a lack of hope to see actual change , actual , lasting , an actual , lasting end to the war. Because we have been begging , we have been , uh , going out. We have been like , I guess , screaming at the top of our lungs for a cease fire , for a end to this war , and we have never been able to reach it. And honestly , when I saw the news about the cease fire , I was actually worried because I was worried that global support for a humanity would actually cease itself as well.
S1:
S2: And like behind closed doors , you'll still see atrocities going on and it's not as well documented. And so I think that's why we need to keep speaking up about injustices , and we need to keep going and to where we can have a sustainable cease fire and peace.
S1: Dana , how are you feeling ? Yeah.
S3: Um , you know , like what we said , how our families have endured war after war in Gaza. So the main thing is that we want the ceasefire to actually last And for the conditions to not return to how it was before. I mean , um , you know , the one positive thing I could maybe say about everything that's happened is that it has brought more awareness to the issue , and it has , um , you know , people who didn't know what Palestine was before now know and now know how what our country has contributed to this , this war and the weapons that have been provided for years , you know , years before this current chapter. Has that started ? Um , so , you know , it took all this devastation for for people to become aware , but at least that's , you know , now we are in a place where we should be able to , um , create conditions where this never has to happen again. And our families don't have to keep suffering over and over and over again.
S1: Um , you know , you've both , um , mentioned , you know , visiting the region before all of this started. How would you describe Gaza back then ? What are some of your fondest memories ? Yeah.
S2: So Gaza , you know , it's it's human. It's a place of humans , you know. I mean , I went there as a kid. I played on the streets with kids. We'd play soccer , we'd go on our bikes , we'd go out and eat as a family to a beautiful restaurant on the beach , and we'd have the best food. We would go to the beaches. We would swim. I mean , it was it's beautiful. The nature there is beautiful. The beach is beautiful. And I mean the people , the way they live life. It's as if they just. They want to be like any other human around the world. They just want to have the right to live. And so , I mean , it really resonated with me when , um , my younger cousin , the same one who , um , he's the son of my aunt whose husband tragically died through the airstrike on his way to see his father. Um , recently , over the summer. He was playing on his iPhone , just playing like a regular game like any other kid would do. And , um , the he he asked for milk , and he wanted to drink some warm milk with his , with his mom. And so they both go to the kitchen and all of a sudden , out of nowhere , an Israeli shell hits their house and his mother is blown across the kitchen , hits the wall and suffers. Almost like , luckily , not a traumatic brain injury , but I mean a concussion. She was concussed. She was very hurt. I mean , you could see all the debris all over them. It went viral all over Instagram. Like you could literally see the video of him searching his house to look for his phone , because after he realized that his mom is okay , he's like , where's my entertainment now ? Like , I want to , I want to. It's his one resort from , you know , chaos. Yeah. And so he's he's heartbroken. I mean , his whole house has gone. All of his possessions are gone. And you can just see him going throughout the rubble , looking for his things for him and his little sister's things.
S4: The trauma of that is is unimaginable.
S1: Dana , what do you remember about the region ? Yeah.
S3: So I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Raisa in 2022 , a year exactly before the war , and this was the first time we visited in 18 years. Um , I had visited a few times when I was under five years old. Um , but in 2022 , this was a huge reunion. We had a huge , like a family celebration. Um , we arrived at the border and we took this very this photo that has now been spread everywhere when we used when we shared our GoFundMe page , and this was the first time my mother got to see her mother in 18 years. This was the first time I got to see my grandma , my aunts and my cousins in 18 years , and that was due to the Israeli blockade. No one could leave and no one could enter. Very , very limited. It was very , very difficult. And even when we went in 2022 , it was super difficult to get in. But we it was as if like , I don't know , my mom had said that year that I'm not going to go another year without seeing my mother. I need to go. So we did everything we could and we made it. And then once we entered , I mean , I was pleasantly surprised. I was I , I didn't know that Gaza. I mean , you know , we see Gaza in the news and we see Gaza just as something that's war after war , devastation , destruction. I've never I never got to see it , like with my own eyes like that. And of course , nothing is like in reality. So I got to see the beautiful restaurants like Ali mentioned on the beach. The the hotels , the the , um , you know , the enormous , the creativity that goes behind , um , being under such extreme restrictions. Oh. So , yeah.
S1: I mean , this we could go on and on. And I know this is a conversation you all will have on the panel , um , and something we'll continue to cover. I so appreciate you both coming and sharing your story with us.
S2: Thank you so much.
S1: That's our show for today.
S5: I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
