By Serin Sarsour
After two years of the annual event being held online due to COVID-19, the Gaza 5K returned back in person on Mar. 5 at Prospect Park. Brooklyn College students and faculty joined hundreds of others in the walk/run dedicated to raising money for the mental health and well-being of Palestinian refugee children and families in the Gaza Strip.
The event was hosted by a non-profit organization called the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which serves to improve the lives of Palestinians with support and fundraising from Americans. The UNRWA has been operating since 1950, and its mental health program behind the 5K helps to provide Gaza refugees with at-home counseling, group sessions, and school counseling. All proceeds from ticket sales and individual/team fundraising went to the efforts that equip Palestinians with “a safe space to express their emotions and fears and a way to learn valuable coping skills,” according to the UNRWA’s website.
“My team, Academic Workers for Palestine, raised over $3,000 to support Palestinian refugees in Gaza. We want them to know they’re not alone and that their mental health matters,” said Anthropology Professor Naomi Schiller who attended the Gaza 5K. “It was a powerful event and I was so happy to see so many CUNY colleagues and Brooklyn College students there,” she said. About 20 other CUNY faculty members formed part of Schiller’s team.
BC sophomore Showda Shahid was a part of another team registered in the Gaza 5K that was comprised of 14 members of three BC clubs: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Islamic Society and Muslim Women’s Educational Initiative (ISOMWEI), and Muslims Giving Back (MGB). Together, the clubs raised approximately $421.
“At the end of the event, we all gathered around as everyone participated in dabke [a Middle Eastern folk dance], sang along to Palestinian songs, and passed around the Palestinian flag. Getting to enjoy and have some fun during these tough times was really nice,” said Shahid, while describing her favorite part about the event.
Fahria Orine, a senior at BC, was another member of the SJP x ISOMWEI x MGB team who participated in the Gaza 5K. “I believe this event is important because it highlights how much of an impact being at war for your homeland has on the mental health of many. Not only is it important nationality-wise, but also community-wise,” Orine said.
Although for many the event was a great way to bring the community together and raise money for Palestinian refugees, some of the 5K’s participants faced obstacles. “A passerby made anti-Palestine comments and called me a terrorist,” said a BC senior who wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns. “Unfortunately, as supporters of the Palestinian struggle, we aren’t surprised when this happens.”
However, the anonymous BC senior did not let those remarks get in the way of her completing the run. “It is important we spread awareness about the occupation of the Palestinian people by Israel and the effect it has on the mental well-being of those living in Gaza,” she said.
Millions of Palestinians live under Israeli occupation and military rule, according to the New York Times. In numerous cases, Palestinians have been and are continued to be expelled from their homes or have their homes demolished by Israeli authorities. As a result, the mental health of Palestinians is severely impacted, which is why UNRWA aims to fundraise and provide Palestinians with resources, such as mental health services, to help them cope with their losses and traumas.
“It was refreshing and very heartwarming to see people of different races, ethnicities, genders, faiths, etcetera come together to support the same cause and show solidarity for the Palestinian cause. It incites hope for the future of Palestine,” said Orine, expressing that she would like to make participating in the Gaza 5K an annual occasion for her and her friends.