Chicago: Palestinian Americans Coping with Grief, Anger over Gaza Genocide
Many of them have relatives and friends in Gaza, who are living under constant fear of Israeli airstrikes and blockade. Some of them have lost their loved ones in the conflict, or have not been able to contact them for days.
The Israeli airstrikes have caused a massive loss of life and injury among the Palestinians, with over 11,000 dead and 27,000 wounded. Most of the 2.3 million civilians living in Gaza have been forced to flee their homes and many are homeless.
The Israeli regime has blocked the access to essential supplies such as food and water, fuel and medicine, while the hospitals and shelters run by the UN are overwhelmed by the casualties.
The Palestinian Americans in Chicago have been organizing rallies, vigils, and fundraisers to show their solidarity with the people of Gaza and to demand an end to the Israeli occupation and aggression.
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Orland Park resident Lena Hussien said grief is overwhelming Chicago’s Palestinian American community.
With about 85,000 residents, Palestinians are widely believed to make up about 60% of the Arab American population in metro Chicago. Illinois also has more Muslims per capita than any other state in the U.S.
“We’re a grieving community,” Hussien, 41, said. “Any conversation that we have literally revolves around Palestine and what more can we do. We just feel helpless,” Chicago Tribune quoted him as saying.
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Making things more complicated is the fact that Palestinian Americans have watched the conflict unfold in their homeland for decades. Summer Rafati, 42, of Orland Park, says “Unfortunately, in this region, we have collective trauma and generational trauma. People ... can inherit that and it can actually become part of our DNA.”
Source: Agencies
