Grief, Grace, and Gratitude
Grief
Across the world, people are grieving the destruction of Gaza and death of civilians in Israel. In our collective grief, we yearn for Salam - peace for all people in Israel. We recognize that time is running out for desperately-needed humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza. Gazans must receive the immediate supplies and medical aid they need and be allowed safety and security to return to their homes.
In Lebanon, on January 2, there was a drone attack by Israel on a Hamas leader in Beirut, just 3 miles from our sponsored school. The ground shook, but no one at the school was injured. The blast killed 6 people and seriously damaged several buildings. Just days ago a strike near the Israeli border killed two Hezbollah leaders. The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 227 on the Lebanese side, including 161 Hezbollah members and 37 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. Fear of the war expanding further between Lebanon and Israel is a constant worry.
Over the last two months, Amine has given many presentations in the community on the subject of "Israel and Hamas War: How Did We Get Here?" Filtered through his lens as a Lebanese American, he briefly recounts the history of the region over the last 100 years, and the current crisis, ending with our hope for peace in the region. These presentations have enabled us to spread the word about Noor to a wider audience.
Gratitude
The generosity of our partners at year-end enabled us to move forward with doubling the number of students at Noor El-Salam Academy. Teachers now have morning and afternoon sessions for 60 students each. The morning session is from 8-11am and the afternoon session is from 2:30-5:30pm. Between sessions we started a pilot class with older children who are unschooled or who have not been in school for many years. We are hoping they will be able to catch up and receive a certificate with their age-mates. This pilot program is dependent on additional grants for which we are applying for in 2024.
