Keeping up with news from occupied Palestine has become a daily obligation for many Palestinians living in diaspora. Denverites Ruba and Yazen Sus keep up with Palestinian journalists in Gaza, follow news through social media and hear first-hand experiences from their family in the occupied West Bank. It’s all they talk about these days.
“There’s a guilt that comes with straying from thinking about it,” Ruba said. “If you do anything that gives you any sort of pleasure or joy, there’s guilt that comes with that.”
“When you take a shower, when you eat a meal,” Ruba’s brother Yazen emphasized. “It’s survivor’s guilt, especially if you’re Palestinian.”
That’s what motivated the siblings to head a team of young volunteers to organize a benefit gala on Jan. 13. More than 370 Coloradans gathered at the Morrison Event Center for a night celebrating Palestinian culture and history. But most guests didn’t come for the auction, the tatreez, or even the falafel. They came to support the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, or PCRF, a non-governmental organization dedicated to providing essential medical services and personnel to Palestinian children across the Middle East.
The event featured speakers, performances by young Palestinian poets, a live auction and a museum installation. Vendors sold Palestinian goods and a spread of traditional dishes was provided by Phoenician Kabob and Jerusalem Restaurant. Everything, including the venue, was provided through donations, allowing 100% of the fundraiser’s proceeds to go directly to the organization. In all, the group of young volunteers raised more than $300,000 for the PCRF.
For Ruba, the evening was a unique opportunity to make an impact on what, to many, has felt like unstoppable devastation in Gaza. Following the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas, which killed 1139 Israelis, the Israeli Defense Force, or IDF, launched an air and ground invasion of Gaza. Since then, the IDF has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians and displaced over 85% of Gaza’s population.
“One of the biggest concerns was, is the money getting in? Are the supplies getting in?” Ruba said. “At the moment, [PCRF] was one of very few organizations able to make it across the border.”
PCRF, which partners with Anera and the Palestinian Red Crescent to bring food, water and medical supplies into Gaza, is one of few organizations whose materials have been allowed to enter the besieged enclave.
“I wanted to do something material, something where I could see that I was making a difference,” Yazen said.
Ruba and Yazen began volunteering with PCRF just two months ago. As first-generation Palestinian Americans, the siblings have been politically active in Denver for several years. Although they do not have any family in Gaza, they’ve been in close contact with their relatives in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7.
“We try to call them as often as we can, whenever we can,” Ruba said.
“You won’t find better support than family,” Yazen added.
Their cousins, who live outside of Jerusalem in Kfar ‘Aqab, hear gunshots regularly. One cousin, Ruba said, opened her front door in December to find an IDF soldier pointing what she called a machine gun at her. Other cousins were chased by Israeli settlers while driving.
The occupied West Bank has seen historic levels of settler and state violence towards Palestinians since Oct. 7. Over the past 100 days, 319 Palestinians have been killed and 4,015 injured by the IDF and Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank, marking the area’s deadliest stretch since the second intifada.
But while staying connected has been essential for the Suses, consuming the often-graphic media coming out of Gaza day after day has also deeply affected their personal lives. In addition to “throwing off” his sleep and eating habits, Yazen noticed changes in his relationships, even in friendships he’d had since childhood.
“It’s opened my eyes to how much conversation seems to lack meaning,” he reflected. “Like with my friends, for instance, we don’t talk about anything real. I started distancing myself, spending more time educating myself, reading literature, trying to do stuff that matters.”
Yazen also reconnected with family and community, leaning into relationships that had previously “grown apart.” Organizing also became a key outlet; it helped to fight the feeling of helplessness, and Yazen began getting more involved in local pro-Palestine advocacy efforts.
“Otherwise you’re just sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself,” he said. “That’s not the place to be.”
So when Ruba was contacted by long-time Colorado organizer Reema Wahdan about putting on a fundraiser with the PCRF, she and Yazen jumped on the opportunity. Now, after successfully pulling off their first fundraiser with a team of first-time volunteers, the Suses are looking for more ways to help.
“[People in Gaza] don’t want the world to cry for them. They want the world to allow them to be liberated,” Ruba said.