Today is my birthday. I turned 56. Today was also the birthday of a little girl named Reem Ali Badwan — a birthday she shared with her adoring grandfather, Khaled Nabhan. Reem would have turned four today, but last month, she was killed by an Israeli bomb in southern Gaza.
We know her name because Palestinian journalist Ahmed Hisham recorded Nabhan, her grandfather, cradling and kissing Reem’s lifeless body, even opening her eyes to look into them one last time. The “soul of my soul” is what he called her and her brother Tareq, who was killed in the same bombing. In another video, he described how he found one of Reem’s earrings as he prepared her for burial, and kept it as a remembrance of her.
In an interview with Andalou Agency, Nabhan reminisced about living in the same house as Reem and playing games with her every day. She liked to pull his beard. He said: “I always imagined her growing up, going to college and consulting with me when choosing her field of specialization.” Look at them together. If your heart cracks apart, good. As Leonard Cohen wrote, a crack is “how the light gets in.”
WATCH THE STORY ABOUT REEM AND KHALED NABHAN.
My birthday wish for me and for Reem and for Khaled is that you text the word RESIST to 50409 right now, this very second, and use the free, 24/7 Resistbot service to send a single message to Biden, your two senators, and your congressperson. It will take you two minutes, if that. If you’re addressing Democrats across the board and need inspiration, here is my friend Nicole’s latest message for you to repurpose as you wish:
“The relentless attacks on Palestinian people must be stopped. The U.S. is currently complicit in an ongoing genocide, with Democrats at the helm. Not only is this sick and immoral but it’s disastrous for the 2024 election and democracy overall. Please use your power to push for an immediate ceasefire and bring this brutal war on innocent civilians and children to an urgent end.”
Or you can opt for my latest strategy, which is to address the staffers who read the messages. They’ve definitely been cracking. Here’s one of those recent Resistbots for inspiration:
“This note is for the staffer who reads it — not for the elected official who doesn’t care. I’m encouraged to see the resistance to genocide growing among the staff. Please keep organizing with your colleagues to put an end to this one-sided attack on the imprisoned civilians of Gaza. Perhaps remind your boss that attacks in the West Bank were continuous and increasing before October 7, making it clear that the issue isn’t Hamas but ethnic cleansing. This has gone on too long. Every day, more innocents die. You on Capitol Hill have the power to shock the system if you all work together.“
For more inspiration for Resistbot, in-person actions, and more ways of making your voice heard, sign up for my free weekly activism newsletter for Indivisible Activate NYC.
I send the newsletter out late Sunday night/early Monday morning, and it will most likely wind up in your promotions folder, so don’t forget to check there. While many of the in-person actions listed take place in New York City, where I live, I do include actions in other major cities on occasion and I always include virtual actions like Resistbot that are applicable nationwide. Stay busy and remember these words from Linda Sarsour:
Every time you feel despair and wonder where has humanity gone — NEVER give up.
Humanity is in Gaza. Humanity is in YOU.
Don’t ever lose hope in humanity because it requires you to concede your own and that we can never ever do.
As long as our hearts beat — we will love, we will care, we will find empathy for all those hurting.
You, my friend, are protecting humanity. It’s not easy but you are doing it.