For Majd - More Than a Writer

I’ve recently found myself reflecting upon many things in my mind and heart and memory of these past two years, reviewing the impressions and stories and connections, thinking about how I met certain people, how one relationship has led me to another. And as I’ve tried to trace back various pathways and intersections, it struck me that my friend Majd is the one person in Gaza who I did not meet through anyone else. He is the only person I can't trace back a connection to other than what first drew me to him, which were his words. His writing. The way his words affected me. How they made me respond, caused me to reach out to him directly with my own words, despite not knowing him and not knowing how he would respond.

When I first messaged him, I was trusting a feeling that was more than a feeling–it was almost as though I was acting without thinking, without analyzing–just moving in a direction that was pulling me, magnetically, organically, naturally. As though carried by a rushing river with the strength of a current that was somehow lifting me forward, bolstering me, keeping me afloat until I arrived in a different place. A place of meadows and flowers and illumination.

Reflections and memories about Majd have been ever-present with me in a particularly strong way these recent weeks, stronger than usual, I should say. He has been collaborating with me on the two recent live reading events for “Read Palestine Week” we hosted in the town where I live. He has done this despite being sick, despite dealing with the innumerable challenges and injustices that are part of daily life and survival in Gaza. I’ve been thinking a lot about how no matter what we see or hear or think we know, for those who are being forced to withstand the unbearable, forced to endure what is beyond my capacity to comprehend–for those who are being asked to demonstrate a faith and persistence and willingness to survive, despite the constant presence of death, loss, and violence– there is a gap we cannot close. As another friend once said to me, "You know what I tell you. But I know what I am living."

I have often said that Majd’s writing is a gift to an undeserving world, a gift for which I am very grateful. His writing is not only clever, powerful, and technically-skilled, it holds depths beyond what is apparent at first glance, containing multitudes, carrying a rich vastness of understanding, emotion, insight, and feeling.

He has told me before that he just writes what he feels. And this is something I think about a lot. Beneath everything he says and does, there is also a foundational vision rooted in compassion, integrity, and justice. I am frequently overcome with emotion by what he shares, how he writes, and the way he captures a feeling, a truth, an observation, a devastation, a moment of joy. He is a writer who is more than a writer. He is an educator who is more than an educator. A translator who transcends the limitations of language, who crosses barriers and borders and hindrances of proximity, time, and materiality.

Majd possesses both a mastery of language and an instinct for understanding how to combine what is said with what is left unsaid–how to use words which simultaneously confer and infer. How to combine insight with humor–humor that can sting with a kind of realism that brings home the harshness, reality, absurdity and injustice of a situation–yet still somehow offers a strength that emerges out of this understanding. Always clever and never contrived, Majd’s writing is a reflection of him. And the way he writes emerges naturally, through him, of him, carrying with it a sensitivity and a kind of integrity that is core to his being.

There is also a precision in his writing that is unique and profound, a way in which he offers subtle clarity on a point that needs elucidating, bringing light to something that has not only been obscured, but whose very obfuscation had altogether eluded me before he not only casts his light, but also shows me where the shadows are lurking. I find myself returning to his words, again and again and again, always grateful for this chance to go deeper into an understanding that changes me and helps me stay afloat when the river of the darkness of this world threatens to subsume me.

No matter how much I strive to know, to comprehend, to understand, I know I am still removed. There is a distance. And I miss many things. But I am always changed by Majd’s writing, and his words bring me closer, collapsing that distance. And I have seen first-hand the transformation of other people who read or hear or see his words. And no matter what words I choose now, no matter what I say, nothing will be enough to adequately convey the depth of my regard, appreciation, love, and admiration for my friend Majd, for the connection we have that emerged from his writing, his words, his voice. A connection that is sustained because of our friendship. How grateful I am to him for his beautiful, wise, caring heart, for this love I have the privilege of experiencing.

Majd is a writer who is more than a writer. He is also a colleague, a teacher, an educator. He is a brother, a son, a friend. He is all of these things and so much more. He cares deeply about his family and his community. And his commitment to education and his determination to do all he can to support his students, to counter the many ways the world has betrayed both him and them, is unlike anything I have ever observed in any educator I have ever known. He is a kindred spirit, a beautiful soul, a man who cares and feels things deeply. We have talked before about writing as a means of coping, survival, resistance and resilience. A point of connection. A demonstration of determination to continue, to exist, to keep moving through the darkness towards whatever light can be created or made visible.

And all of these things I share about Majd, these glimpses and descriptions and inadequate attempts to capture so much that cannot be captured–I offer them now as just one small piece of something to reflect back just a fraction of what he has given me. How grateful I am to him for his friendship; how lucky I am to know him. Sometimes the distance of time and proximity does not feel vast. It is as though there is a connection despite these barriers, a magnetic beam of light stretching across these limitations. I feel its gentle pull. I see its shimmer in the darkness. And I know it will remain, now and always.

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If you are reading these words and would like to make a contribution in support of Majd and his family, you can do this via their survival fundraiser on GoFundMe. 

Read, Resist, Rise Up - A Special Encore Reading, Thurs. Dec. 4th at 7PM

 

Yesterday's community event, held in honor of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, offered us a chance to talk, share, reflect and engage, while also raising direct aid monetary donations for writers and families in Gaza, and with additional monetary donations from all food and beverage items going directly to the Sameer Project. I am so grateful to everyone who helped make this event happen, and also to those who gave your support through presence and donations.

I am also grateful to our partners from the Salish Sea Poetry Festival, who participated in the Read Palestine Week reading and also shared their art and creative works made in support of the featured writing from Gaza, and who found a way to integrate writing and poetry into the entire day. I also want to thank both Community to Community (C2C) and the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center (WPJC) for their presence, support, and collaboration.

And finally and most importantly, thanks to the Palestinian writers and families in Gaza, whose words, stories, poetry, reflections, video, audio, and writing were featured during this very special event. You have my deepest gratitude and appreciation.

For those in the Bellingham area, on Thursday, December 4 at 7pm there will be a special encore reading presentation of yesterday's #ReadPalestineWeek reading at the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, and I really hope you can make it. Many people told me after the event how much they appreciated it and how deeply it affected them. I am personally humbled and honored to help bring the words, writings, and voices from my friends in Gaza closer to my community here in Bellingham, and I really hope to see you there. 

Special Event for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Includes Special Live Reading of Words Written by Palestinians in Gaza at 4PM for 'Read Palestine Week'

Everyone is invited to join us for a special community event, a day of connection and creativity in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in celebration of the first day of #ReadPalestineWeek, to be held at 1530 Birchwood Ave (suites C & D), with a special live reading at 4 p.m. featuring the writing and voices of people in Gaza.

Family-friendly, free, and open to everyone, attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the connections between our local community and Palestine, while exploring a variety of creative activities, art, and unique handmade items. Stop by, wander, and enjoy this comfortable, inviting, restorative environment, an intentional alternative to the many post- & pre-holiday commercial spaces focused on spending & consumption. There will also be opportunities to offer donations to a variety of Palestinian initiatives or direct aid fundraisers for different families in Gaza, in exchange for books, crafts, snacks, art, and unique hand-made items.

The special program at 4 p.m. will include a live reading by local writers and poets of the poetry, short stories, and the words written by Palestinians who are currently in Gaza, and who are partnering with us on this event in support of #ReadPalestineWeek. Some of the featured writers in Gaza also hope to create audio or video recordings specifically for this event, which if completed in time will also be shared during the program.

Read Palestine Week is an international initiative first established by Publishers for Palestine, a global collective of publishers and others who work in publishing around the world, and who stand for justice, freedom of expression, and the power of the written word. This year’s international focus of Read Palestine Week is on raising funds to support Palestinian writers in Gaza. And here locally, anything donated or raised in support of the reading presentation will be sent directly to the writers and families in Gaza of those whose words are featured during the reading, including those who are connected to the families who have become known locally as ‘Eight Families in Gaza.’

Additionally, on Thursday, December 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, (1220 Bay Street), there will be a second event for Read Palestine Week. Named for Read Palestine Week’s theme, “Read, Rise Up, and Resist,” this combined reading and presentation will touch upon themes related to reading, writing, and education as being integral to Palestinian culture, and to the lives of people in Gaza, even in the midst of the ongoing genocide.

Amjad, Abeer, Hassan, Mohammed, & Their Family

I first met Amjad and Abeer through a relative of Abeer’s, although I have come to know this family primarily through Amjad's eyes, which always shine with love for them. Amjad is the first family among the families I grew personally close to and began introducing to my local community as 'Eight Families in Gaza.'  Amjad's kindness, compassion, and love for his family struck me from the very first moment we ever spoke. We became friends quickly and easily, and it was impossible not to care about him as I grew to know him. And I am honored to have his trust, and touched when he refers to me as his 'big sister.' 

When the intensified Israeli aggression against Gaza began in October 2023, Amjad and Abeer had to flee their home as it was besieged by fire and surrounded by firebelts. It was then completely destroyed, and since that time, they and their family have been displaced so many times, I can no longer count them all.

When they first tried to move south in October 2023, it was too dangerous for Amjad, as Palestinian men were being arrested and taken captive by the Israeli forces at the checkpoints. Abeer left with their son Hassan in search of safety, and Amjad was separated from them for over a year. This was a particularly painful period, and Amjad would often tell me how much he missed his family and how he was worried about their well-being, how he wanted to be there to support them, how he wished he could be with them.  

Towards the end of November 2024, he could not wait any longer and he decided to risk the journey so they could be reunited, and thankfully, he was able to reach them, and this close-knit family has been together ever since, trying to survive the violence, the bombing, the repeated displacements, the forced starvation, and the daily struggles of living in the midst of the genocide.

In addition to Abeer and his sons Hassan and Mohammad, Amjad is also doing everything he can to support and care for many other family members. He also feels responsible for the well-being of his grandmother, his sisters and their kids, in particular his sister whose husband was martyred during the genocide.

Amjad has told me before that he is very tired. He wants more than anything just to have a simple ordinary life, where he can make his wife and kids happy and enjoy spending time with them. He misses being able to just be, to have a job and regular routines. There have been times during these past two years when he has volunteered and helped organize and support community initiatives that cook and distribute food in the nearby areas, and these opportunities have always been restorative for him and made him very happy.

Helping others gives him joy. And giving people support, taking care of his family, making sure those around him are ok, trying to give everyone what they need–these are the things that sustain him. At the same time, when this becomes more difficult, when donations slow down and obtaining what his loved ones need is not possible, I think it is the pain caused by his feelings of being helpless and unable to ease the suffering of those around him that wounds him more than the actual deprivation.

In the dozen or so times I have given the presentation in my local and area communities, whenever I have planned presentation updates and asked Amjad if there is anything new for me to share, he always says that he just wants me to make sure people know that his family is the most important thing to him. In all the time I have known Amjad, this has not changed and will not change. Amjad’s love for his family is his touchstone and guiding light.

I still remember the day he was finally reunited with Abeer, and I was so happy when they could be together again. One of the ways I got to know them both was through the public posts they would both make to each other during the time when they were separated. It was clear that their love for each other was strong, and this is another thing that has helped see them through many challenges.

Abeer is lovely, sweet, and kind. And she has an undeniable strength that she has had to draw upon repeatedly, both for herself and also her family, including when her health and the health of her baby Mohammed was at risk. She required daily injections throughout her pregnancy to manage a serious health condition, and ultimately her labor had to be scheduled and induced. She has endured much uncertainty, deprivation, forced starvation, and suffering while still doing everything she can to take care of herself and her family. And thankfully, on August 13, 2025, beautiful baby Mohammed was born, bringing life and happiness to his family and community, joining his dear sweet brother Hassan to become together with him the core of this family.

This family is very special to me, and this past year they have also become very special to my friend Tal, who last spring began co-managing their survival campaign with me, taking responsibility for the financial side of things and the funds transfers. Tal has also been helping as together we try to find more supporters in our communities. And in some ways, having this shared connection to this wonderful family has also brought me closer to friends like Tal, another thing that fills my heart with gratitude.

Amjad and Abeer are a family who brings people together. Being able to build upon the love and care I have for Amjad & Abeer and their family, to see it expand and grow and affect other people who have also come to know and care about them, has brought me closer to them and to others who care, as the kind and loyal hearts of this family have reflected back to me what this world needs more of, giving me hope that a different world is possible.

Likewise, my connection and commitment to Amjad & Abeer has also grown stronger with time, becoming a commitment I vow to keep for the rest of my life. A commitment and an honor. I am grateful for their presence in my life. And I hope you will give them your support.

[For those in the Bellingham area, there is a fundraiser yoga class benefit on Friday, November 21, 2025 at 6pm at Flux Power Yoga, with donations from this class going towards Abeer & Amjad & Their Families.]

SPECIAL EVENT NOV. 29 Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People & Read Palestine Week

SAT. NOVEMBER 29, 2025 / 12PM-6PM

Join us for a day of community and connection in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and in celebration of the first day of #ReadPalestineWeek 📖 Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the connections between our local community and Palestine, while exploring a variety of creative activities, art, and unique handmade items.

Family-friendly, free, and open to all: stop by, wander, and enjoy this comfortable, inviting, restorative environment, an intentional alternative to the many post- & pre-holiday commercial spaces focused on spending & consumption. There will be opportunities to offer donations in exchange for books, crafts, snacks, and hand-made items, with donations going directly to support specific families and organizations in Gaza.

There will also be a special program from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. featuring the words of Palestinian writers in Gaza, who are partnering with us for Read Palestine Week to share their poetry, stories, and other writing in support of specific Palestinian writers and ‘Eight Families in Gaza.’

(If you have questions about this event, need more information, or want to contribute your own art and handmade goods for me to use as donation incentives for the Eight Families, please email me at clarissjanae@gmail.com)

Disability Justice, Palestinian Justice, Survival Campaigns, & ‘Eight Families in Gaza’

Today I finished something I have been working on this past week, something I have wanted to make for some time now. In a way, it is a version of the presentation I have been giving in my local community, and it contains much of the same information I have shared in the introduction to the in-person program, “Eight Families in Gaza: Amplifying Their Voices.” 

While I don't share specific information about specific families in this video presentation, I do talk about the background, the context, and the reasons for the presentations, as well as my entry way into this, and the origin of my connection to the families I have been trying to connect to my local and area communities. 

The video explains how I met the families I have collaborated with to build these presentations, the families who I have been speaking about and raising support for, and I also talk a fair bit about the relationship between Disability Justice & Palestinian Justice. I explain how supporting mutual aid and survival campaigns are integral to our commitment to solidarity, and how the Principles of Disability Justice have led me to the development of a framework that I think can enhance our media literacy skills and guide our actions. 

This video is also an attempt to answer questions that come up from community members regarding crowdfunding efforts and donations for families in Gaza, and I offer it also as a pathway to help people understand how they can become more involved with these efforts. 

Currently, more support for the families I am trying to support is urgently needed, as donations have slowed down dramatically, and no aid is reaching anyone. Additionally, the winter weather and rain is causing catastrophic disasters, while no one has adequate shelter, protection, or warmth. 

Tonight and in the coming days, I am going to work on updating some of the individual campaign pages for the families I write for or co-manage, and then I also hope to send out an email to my personal contacts list soon, a list which thankfully keeps growing. I am hoping that these efforts will generate more donations, as right now every single family does not have enough coming in to support them, and I am truly worried about their survival if nothing changes soon. 

I will also share a link to this latest video, in case it can address questions, remove any barriers that potential donors might have, or be a source of encouragement for others as they talk to their own contacts and try to generate support for these families. Anything you can do to help with this effort is needed and appreciated. 

In closing, I want to add that I was in the middle of finishing edits to this video when I learned of the passing of Alice Wong, who is someone I always quote during the in-person presentations, and someone whose words, actions, and life have impacted me greatly. Although we never met, I consider her to have been part of my community. Even though she did not know me personally, her presence in my life has been very strong, and I would not be who I am without her. I would not be who I am without having learned so much from her and without having been deeply and profoundly affected by her. And I know I am not the only one who can say this. I mourn her passing, I celebrate her life, and I will always be grateful to her. Thank you, Alice, now and forever.

Celebrating Mahdi's Birthday & The Importance of Community

During these past nine to ten months, as I've sought more connection with my local and area communities, as I've tried to find and create spaces to introduce people here to families I am close to in Gaza, and as I've tried to make the connection between Palestine and Bellingham more clear, I have consistently heard the same message from so many people. It is a message of gratitude, emotion, and relief--it is an expression of words and feelings. It is frequently accompanied by tears, hugs, or a squeeze of my hand. If I had to try and summarize the essence of what I have heard time and time again, it is something like this:

"Thank you for sharing what you have shared, for giving us an opportunity to be in community with other people who feel the same way. Thank you for being here, for making a place where we can name and talk about what is being done and how wrong it is. I haven't known what to do. I have felt this destroying me. I have been overwhelmed. I am grateful for knowing about something tangible I can do, understand, and help with--I am thankful to those who are creating spaces where our feelings are normalized, validated, and understood. And thanks to everyone who is doing this in ways that are public and inviting."  

I am not attributing these words to any one specific person, but rather this is my attempt to capture a synthesis of many many outpourings of expressions that have come to me in so many different spaces from people from all walks of life,  people of all ages identities and genders and religions, from all backgrounds and professions and lived experiences. 

This gratitude and appreciation expressed by so many in my local communities truly belongs to the families in Gaza. They are the ones who have made these conversations and connections possible. It is through them I have found my true community, both in physical and online spaces. It is through them that I have found people and friends who have become more significant and important to me than I would have ever imagined possible, both in Palestine, and also in Bellingham, and even throughout the world. 

I also have come to realize there are many people who are searching for places and ways to support each other, to fight oppression, to transform this world through their love and solidarity. And so it is important that we keep finding ways to create opportunities to come together and connect with this in mind. I feel strongly that this is one of the ways we can understand both what is needed and what is possible.

And all of this also makes me think of yesterday. Yesterday was a very special day, the birthday of sweet Mahdi, the son of Leila and Yanis, my dear friends and beloved family who I have written about before,  and who I speak and share on behalf of during the community presentations. During the recent 'Pizza for Palestine' event hosted by the wonderful Goat Mountain Pizza, I was very worried because Yanis had told me earlier that morning that Mahdi was very very ill. He had a respiratory infection, and I could hear his labored breathing during a sweet voicenote they sent me that day, as Mahdi was still eager to send me a greeting despite being so sick. 

The fundraiser that evening was focused on trying to raise emergency funds for families in Gaza to buy warm clothes, tents, and blankets to help them get through the cold winter. Last year, infants and babies died of hypothermia and exposure, and the harsh winter weather caused an outbreak of illness and disease among many people. Another dangerous season looms as families are even worse off than they were last year, and thankfully, what we raised that evening went towards helping the families we are trying to support. 

However, sweet Mahdi ended up being hospitalized later the next morning as his condition worsened overnight and his fever spiked and would not lower. The antibiotics and medicine they needed for Mahdi were difficult to find, as the entry of medical supplies into Gaza continues to be blocked by Israel. But thankfully, after much searching and expense, Yanis secured what was needed for Mahdi. There was a particularly scary 48-hour period when Yanis and Leila remained unsleeping and vigilant by Mahdi's side, and many of us in Bellingham added our prayers to theirs, our feelings of love and concern strong and fierce across these many miles. 

How relieved we were when Mahdi's fever broke, when he began responding to treatment and showed signs of improvement. And when he was released from the hospital and Yanis sent me the good news, I realized I had a chain of people here in Bellingham who I needed to text, to tell them he was doing better-- friends who had been praying and caring and worrying. How wonderful this news was and how happy we all were, many of us shedding tears of joy. 

And while I am very grateful that it was mainly thanks to the fundraising event that Yanis and Leila could afford the medical care Mahdi needed, this also means they are still in need of funds in order to afford the warm clothing and improvements to their tent for which we were trying to fundraise. And it is the exposure to the cold that caused Mahdi to get so sick in the first place, so now we are back to hoping we can find a way to help them get what they need so that they can stay well and survive this dangerous winter.  

And, in the midst of all of this, yesterday was Mahdi's birthday. He turned three years old, which was a reason to celebrate and a most joyful occasion. Together with friends we were able to create a special present for him, which I am also sharing with you now.  The act of creating this video was another example of how families in Gaza are bringing us together, giving us opportunities to find and create moments of joy and connection, understanding and hope. These are the things that sustain us, and I am forever grateful to them for this. 

If you would like to contribute to Mahdi and his family's survival campaign, you can do so online via their Chuffed campaign page, and you can even sign up to make automatic weekly donations. You can also email me at clarissjanae@gmail.com  if you would prefer to give me funds for them instead, which I will send to them on your behalf. I hope to be able to transfer an installment of funds soon, as soon as we have at least $300 built up again. (In case it helps to know, they need between $800-$1000 for their winter protection funds for shelter, blankets, and clothing, in addition to between $100  to $150 per day minimum for food and essentials.) Anything you can give is needed and will help.