On a large projector, three black-and-white photographs appear—one of a man and the other two of two young women. These are the relatives of Deborah Adelman, a professor emerita from the College of DuPage, who lost their lives in the Holocaust. 

Now a member of the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace, Adelman channels her family’s history of suffering to speak out against events the group identifies as modern-day atrocities, particularly in Gaza where United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turn recently marked 40,000 Palestinians deaths and an average of 130 people have been killed daily for the past 10 months.

“These are my relatives who were murdered in Auschwitz,” she said. “I don’t know much about their lives or their horrible deaths. [They were] victims of a genocide against their people. This should not happen again to anyone. Every time a person dies, an entire world is lost. There could be 40,000 more faces on this slide of all the Gazans who have died in this last year.”

This past Wednesday, in collaboration with Lombard for Palestine, a recently-founded COD chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, invited guest speakers from various backgrounds to a discussion panel entitled “Voices of Resistance.”

The panel centered on various methods of pro-peace activism, as well as dismantling misconceptions regarding Palestinians and their struggles amidst Israeli military operations. 

Awad Sifri is a Palestinian survivor of the 1948 Nakba (“catastrophe” in Arabic) in which thousands of Palestinians were massacred and displaced during the Arab-Israeli War. Born eight years prior to Israel’s establishment, he addressed the common stereotype of Arabs having felt hostile against Jewish people for “centuries.” He explained how Palestinians historically tolerated and respected people of other faiths, noting how even some of his relatives had interfaith marriages, particularly in his birthplace of Haifa.

“We lived in Haifa, where my parents had mostly Muslim and Christian Arab friends but also very close Jewish friends who were Palestinians like us,” he recalled. “I have cousins who are half Palestinian, half Jewish. My mother’s eldest brother married a young lady at the time who was half Palestinian and half Jewish, the Eastern Jewish sect at the time. In Palestine, we grew up not knowing if you were Muslim or a Christian or a Jew. We were just living as a community.”

Sifri also provided historical context of the impact of Israeli occupation on the Palestinian community. He noted how secret deals between colonial Britain and France in 1917 regarding the territory exacerbated tensions between Arabs and Zionists, as well as how misinformation that Israel was unoccupied prior to its establishment as a state has been rampant for decades since. 

Omer Mohsin, a College of DuPage student and member of Students for Justice in Palestine, aimed to restore a sense of hope in attendees who may feel dejected regarding international adversity.

“I believe that many of us within the DuPage Community want to make a difference with what is happening to our fellow humans in Gaza,” he said. “The problem is that the avenues for effective change are unbeknownst to them. I heavily relate to these sentiments as there was a time, in the months after Oct. 7, where I felt completely powerless from the onslaught that was occurring.”

Mohsin explained how hearing more diverse perspectives regarding the conflict in Gaza enlightened him on how he could help spread awareness and make a difference.

“It wasn’t until I allied myself with fellow students, faculty, advisers and community leaders that I realized that through our shared resistance against injustice, we are able and willing to empower ourselves and each other,” he said. “ ‘Voices of Resistance’ was formulated and catered to be an event to speak to the disillusioned student at COD— the type of student that I embodied for so long.”

Sumayya Siddiqui, a psychology student at College of DuPage, attended the panel. The different viewpoints from people of various faiths drew her in.

“​​I wanted to see different perspectives, especially since some speakers were Christians, some were Jewish, and some were Muslim,” she said. “I think [the panel] will influence people of all faiths, like Christian, Jewish and Muslim, to all work together and improve the situation by either joining Students for Justice in Palestine or participating in protests and boycotting.”

Ben Norquist, a member of the nonprofit group Churches for Middle East Peace, discussed the humanitarian work he has been involved in. He mentioned a young Palestinian man he met named Ahmed, who lost his childhood home and got separated from his fiancee amidst the current conflict, noting how his story impacted him.

“When I think about activism and my own aspirations to live a life of solidarity, it’s tempting for it to become about the activists,” he said. “It’s not about the activists. It’s about Ahmad and others like him. I have discovered that as I seek to aspire to live a life of solidarity, it comes with unexpected blessings. You’re opening your eyes to injustice and to very dark realities in the world.” 

Norquist emphasized the importance of meeting different people and hearing their perspectives to increase sympathy and understanding. He mentioned how a colleague of his became motivated to also be involved in aiding Palestinians impacted by displacement and violence. 

Adelman discussed the aim of Jewish Voice for Peace in detail, noting that the main goal of the group is to help achieve a permanent ceasefire to maintain peace for all who live in the Middle East. She made a distinction between antisemitism and criticizing harmful practices done in the name of Zionist ideology, acknowledging the harm caused by antisemitism while encouraging people to exercise their First Amendment rights.

“Antisemitism is real. It exists. It’s actually on the increase in many ways, and it is harmful,” she said. “Criticism of Zionism is not to be confused with antisemitism. All states, such as Israel and the United States, are openly criticized in public life, and their political beliefs and policies are subject to critical debate that’s in accordance with our basic First Amendment rights. How does expressing criticism at the State of Israel harm Jewish people? That would require saying that all Jewish people support the State of Israel or share a single political position, or it would require saying that all Jews are the same as the State of Israel. All of those claims rely on blanket stereotypes.”

Osama Abdl-Haleem, a Ph.D candidate at the University of Kentucky, advised attendees to realistically assess their available resources to consistently advocate for justice in a way that is safe and achievable.

“No matter how much you want to suffer with the people that are there and you feel their pain, you weren’t chosen to be in that place. That’s their struggle to be there. Your struggle is to find the way that you can, I believe, to put yourself in this fight for as long as possible. And so I just give that precaution, especially to students in the beginning of their careers. I’m not saying don’t get involved in protests. I’m saying look at your life. Understanding your life, ask what it is that you can do with the resources that are personally available to you, and then try to find a way to live that life to the best of your ability in the service of any cause of justice and serving your brothers and sisters in humanity.” 

Sifri shared his vision of coexistence amongst all in the Middle East he hopes is one day achieved.

“There is a lot more in common [ground] in our history,” he said. “I am a believer in having this land called the Holy Land. It is a land for all of us to be able to live together in one state that is inclusive of all faiths, and being a democratic state that treats its people equally.” 

Mohsin emphasized the importance of unity in the face of injustice.

“By creating this event in collaboration with Lombard for Palestine and by giving a platform to experienced advocates and scholars, there became an emphasis on efficacy and effectiveness, a message that needed to be heard by all. When we as individuals are united against wrongdoing, we become resilient.”