Refaat Alareer 1979-2023 killed by Israel (but not silenced) poet, professor, writer, & one of the co-founders of We Are Not Numbers: We remember him not only for how he died, but for how he lived — teaching and inspiring generations of young Palestinians to write back and tell their stories.

We Are Not Numbers

@WeAreNotNumbers

 

Today, Refaat Alareer should have turned 47. 

 

He should have been here, teaching, writing, mentoring our writers, making jokes, challenging us to think harder, and reminding us again and again that our stories matter. 

 

Refaat was born in Gaza on September 23, 1979. 

 

He was a poet, professor, writer, and one of the co-founders of We Are Not Numbers. 

 

To so many of us, he was also a teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend. 

 

Today, on what would have been his 47th birthday, we remember Refaat, who was killed by Israel on December 6, 2023. 

 

We remember him not only for how he died, but for how he lived — teaching and inspiring generations of young Palestinians to write back and tell their stories.

https://x.com/WeAreNotNumbers/status/2102817110615298221

 https://wearenotnumbers.org/

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies here, there- and everywhere]

Displaced with his family, Sulieman Tarazi sought refuge at Saint Porphyries church, where he extended help to everyone around him. He was killed by Zionists Oct 19, 2023

Sulieman Tarazi with his family

We are not numbers  ·

Sulieman Tarazi, aged 35, held a master's degree in orthodontics from Jordan University of Science & Technology and practiced as an orthodontist at an orthodontic clinic. 

 

Renowned for his professionalism and kindness, his patients regarded him as an exceptional dentist, making him one of the best in Gaza.

 

Displaced with his family, Sulieman sought refuge at Saint Porphyries church, where he extended help to everyone around him.

 

On October 19, 2023, the church became a target for the Zionist Army, resulting in Sulieman's martyrdom. 

 

His wife, Layla, sustained critical injuries, while his children, Jameel and Had, also suffered injuries during the incident.

 

Sources: https://web.facebook.com/soliman.tarazi

 

https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009902027167

#WeAreNotNumbers

The Palestinian poet, writer, literature professor, and activist Dr. Refaat Alareer was killed today in a targeted Israeli airstrike that also killed his brother, his sister, and her four children.

 

Let it be a tale, for Refaat.

Targeted by an Israeli missile, Poet Refaat AlAreer was killed with his family today in Gaza. 

Refaat AlAreer 1979 – 2023 was s a university professor & writer & editor. He cofounded the organization We Are Not Numbers, which matched experienced authors with young writers in Gaza.

Alareer was born in 1979 in Shuja'iyya in Gaza City.  Growing up in Gaza, he said, meant "every move I took and every decision I made were influenced (usually negatively) by the Israeli occupation."

Alareer wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in which he recounted he and his wife had lost more than 30 relatives. During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Alareer made media appearances on the BBC, Democracy Now!, and ABC News.[ 

In the 2014 Gaza War Israel killed his brother Hamada, and his wife Nusayba's grandfather, her brother, her sister and her sister’s three kids.

Following Israel’s offensive on Gaza in 2008-9, Refaat Alareer, a lecturer at the Islamic University of Gaza started requesting that his students write short stories as a means of releasing their anger and frustration. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/story-behind-gaza-writes-back-video/

He and his wife had two daughters, Amal (~8 years), and Linah (~10 years). Alareer was killed, along with his family, by an Israeli airstrike on December 7, 2023.

 

Poet and scholar Refaat Alareer has been killed by an Israeli airstrike.

We are not numbers- Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year-old prodigious musician, aspired to achieve international acclaim as a violinist, proudly representing her homeland #Palestine: Killed by Israeli bombs with her family in Gaza 2023.

We are not numbers

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Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year-old prodigious musician, aspired to achieve international acclaim as a violinist, proudly representing her homeland. #Palestine

 

She devoted herself as a diligent student at The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music-GAZA Branch (ESNCM), showcasing her musical prowess on the violin.

 

On the 21st of November, 2023, Lubna, along with 45 members of her extended family, which included her parents, siblings, and others, became martyrs. Killed by Israeli bombs.

 

Sources: https://web.facebook.com/gazaesncm

https://web.facebook.com/sabreen.alghoul

#WeAreNotNumbers

We Are Not Numbers- Palestinian youth tell their human stories behind the numbers in the news

 

get involved https://wearenotnumbers.org/get-involved/

You too can help the youth of Gaza share their stories by:

• Donating money to help pay a monthly stipend to the three Gaza youth on our project team, transportation expenses for the participating writers (many of whom could not otherwise afford to travel to workshops), rent office space, rent video equipment, etc. Even a donation of $5 helps!
• Publicizing our website by sharing the link with friends and family via social media and email.
• Finding other media willing to re-publish our participants’ stories, such as relevant websites and university or hometown newspapers. If you have a suggestion and/or can introduce us to an appropriate contact, email Pam Bailey (pam@wearenotnumbers.org).

Don’t forget to sign up to receive via email each new story posted to the website!

Meanwhile, other sites that are useful for up-to-date Palestinian news are Palestine Chronicle,  Mondoweiss, AlJazeera, Middle East Eye, The New Arab and Ma’an News. Educate yourself, then:

• Write letters to the editor when you read media coverage that is incorrect or incomplete.
  

.... We Are Not Numbers (WANN) is a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project in the Gaza Strip. It tells the stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news and advocates for their human rights. WANN was founded and conceived in early 2015 by the American journalist Pam Bailey. The project was brought to fruition by Dr Ramy Abdu, chairman of the board of directors at Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor). WANN is registered under the umbrella of Euro-Med and its fiscal sponsor is Nonviolence International, a U.S. organization.

Our Story During the Israeli military attack against Palestinians in the summer of 2014, Ahmed Alnaouq’s 23-year-old brother, Ayman, was killed by an Israeli missile while simply walking on the street near his home in Dir-Al-Balah. Ahmed sunk into depression from which he thought he would never return to normal life again. During this time, he met Pam Bailey, who encouraged him to write his story.

The story resonated with and attracted a great deal of attention from people in the West. As a result, established and aspiring “word artists” from around the world joined with youth in Gaza, and now, West Bank and the diaspora, to create We Are Not Numbers. Through this platform, we share and celebrate the stories, daily personal struggles and triumphs, the tears and the laughter, and the aspirations of Palestinians that are so universal that if it were not for the context, they would immediately resonate with virtually everyone.

 

Statement of solidarity with Palestine from Kenyan artists to WANN writers... 

"... We are outraged by the mainstream media’s continuous complicity in dehumanizing Palestinians and silencing their narrative.

We denounce antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and all acts of violence and terrorism in all forms. We believe every human life matters and every human being deserves to live a life of dignity.

We are moved by the Palestinian people’s resilience, strength, and spirit and the fearlessness of the Jewish people who are speaking up against what the state of the Israel is committing in their name.

We call on all people of conscience to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the safe release of all hostages. We firmly believe lasting peace and security can only be attained through political solutions that bring an end to Israeli military occupation and state violence against Palestinians.... "

Nothing- a poem by Ahmed Dremly of Gaza Palestine

 https://wearenotnumbers.org/nothing/

November 27, 2023

Artist unknown. Courtesy the Palestine Poster Project Archives.

Nothing

Ahmed Dremly

Gaza Strip

 

 

I’m still breathing

but that is not enough

to feel alive.

 

I lost my loved ones.

I lost my power, hope, dreams,

and my last tears.

 

Nothing can express

the pain of losing the people

who were a main part of my life.

 

Nothing can erase

the last look at them

from my eyes.

 

Nothing can stop

replaying our memories

before Israel took them away.

 

And nothing

can let me imagine

moving forward with my life

after them.

 

Editor‘s Note: Ahmed Dremly is from Gaza City. Through its bombing, Israel killed his best friend, nine of his cousins, an uncle, and other friends and family members who are still under the rubble.

---

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Mentor: Zeina Azzam

 

The mission of WANN is to create a new generation of Palestinian writers and thinkers who can bring together a profound change to the Palestinian cause to get their voices heard. WANN provides the world with direct access to the Palestinian narrative without any restrictions and without foreign intermediaries speaking on behalf of the Palestinians. https://wearenotnumbers.org/

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]