Help Weavers in Gaza to Safety

Nol Collective works with family owned businesses, artisan workshops, and women's cooperatives in Palestine –from the villages in the hills of Jerusalam to Gaza, Ramallah, and Bethlehem– produce beautiful collectively created clothing, rooted in story telling. Over the last months, Nol has shared updates from the weavers we work with in Gaza. Although we received countless requests via Instagram to donate to them, the weavers declined as money was useless while bombs rained down over Gaza. Two weavers, however, have finally reached out with the request that we help them and their families find safety in Egypt.

Hussam and his brother are both weavers; they learned from their father and are originally from the village of Al Majdal which was de-populated and destroyed in 1948; the Israeli city of Ashkelon is built on its ruins and the Palestinians from al-Majdal largely fled to what is now Gaza. Some time in the ‘90s Husam and his brother were able to return to the practice through a government program which aimed to foster traditional Palestinian crafts. Today they are amongst only a handful of weavers who keep the tradition of weaving Majdalawi fabric alive, a fabric which is a critical part of traditional Palestinian dress and heritage.

Nol Collective has been working with Husam and his brother since March 2021, nearly three years ago now. In three years we have never met face to face as the occupation and apartheid makes it virtually impossible for Gazans to leave the open-air prison. Holding the Majdalawi fabric in my hand is the closest we’ve have ever come to him and the other weavers. On the phone call in which he asked for help in getting him and his family to safety, Husam told us he looks forward to the day we finally meet in a free and united Palestine. Knowing Husam and his brother and sharing the story of traditional Palestinian weaving, an act of resistance in the face of erasure, have been amongst the proudest opportunities of our lives.

Since October 7th, they’ve been displaced multiple times trying to find safe places to stay: Husam’s home and weaving workshop were completely destroyed. They moved from Khan Younes to Deir al-Balah where they are now, living with 31 other people in a small space. This includes Husam’s four children, who are all under the age of 14; his 9 year old son, Mohammad, has Down’s Syndrome and is more vulnerable to disease. Currently, infectious diseases are running rampant in Gaza as winter rains fall and sewage runs through the street. Food is extremely hard to come by and when it is available, it is extremely expensive. Hussam’s wife lost her sister, sister’s husband, and their 6 children in an airstrike. They remain under the rubble.

Husam has now asked for help: He has specifically asked to be moved to Egypt where we have managed . It currently costs 10,000 dollars to get one person out of Gaza. Husam and his brother are both married and each have four children, a total of 12 people and 120,000 dollars. These funds would help get him, his brother and their families over the border and provide them with support as they wait till the assault on Gaza is over so they can return home. We're collaborating with N.A Mansour, a Palestinian historian and culture worker, to help us get the funds to Husam and his family. Any additional funds will be used to support Husam and his family rebuild their homes and workshops in Gaza.

We are calling on you now to help if you can. To those of you who are unable to donate, we ask that you engage with and share this post with your communities.