On January 28, Soul of My Soul Exhibit held its first children’s art exhibit in Pleasanton, California
“This did a much better job of striking to the heart without… confusing people with some of the politics. Focusing on the children. It’s huge. I am stunned.”
“I didn’t know about this before [coming to this event]. This is so heartbreaking, it’s so sad. Especially that it’s happening in this century.”
The name of our exhibit is "Soul of My Soul," named after the renowned video of Khaled Nabhan who was bidding his granddaughter farewell after she was killed by an Israeli airstrike. As he gently stroked her face and hair, registering all the details to his memory before he buried her, he said “she was the soul of my soul.”
Gorgeous Mural by the SRVIC Middle School Youth Group (Artists: Omaima Hamood, Aleena Haimor, Hannah Fazih, Zayna, Rosie, Umme Aiman, Amina, Manal Khan, Maria Khan, Sara B., Amal Shine, Amna Shine, Layal Hilal, Hadiya Kudiya, Aizah Mea, Alina Shakir, Hibba, Zaina Jarada, Ayla, Tulay, Fathimah, Eman Gill, Hiba Malik)
The girls who attend the middle school youth group at San Ramon Valley Islamic Center participated in conversations processing what was happening in the war. Several had family in Palestine and Lebanon, and from what they were hearing on the news, all the girls were experiencing many difficult emotions. They decided to express their feelings and commit to promoting peace through a mural, incorporating ideas of honoring Palestinian heritage and geography. Inspiration came from the Oakland to Palestine Solidarity Mural painted on 400 26th Street, between Telegraph and Broadway, back in 2014. The girls understood painting a mural with such size and scale, demanded the awareness of the struggles of the Palestinian peoples and amplified the voice for respect and action. Although the group is still working on 2 more panels of the mural, they are displaying their progress and hope to share the mural as a travelling exhibit at local public spaces and at various mosques in the Bay Area.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says this is the most dangerous situation for journalists they have ever seen, since at least 1992. In a report released on December 21, 2023, CPJ said they are witnessing an apparent pattern of targeting of journalists and their families by the Israeli military.
Art by Izaan, age 13, highlighting the targeting of journalists by the State of Israel.
Display by Damien, age 14, highlighting how Israel is an apartheid state. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem have concluded that Israel is an apartheid state
A clay figure made by Hafsah, age 15, highlighting the estimated 25,000 children who are now orphaned in Gaza, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
The response from the children in our community for artwork was overwhelming. We received over 300 pieces of art to display
Drawings by grade 9 students at Averroes High School
Display by Hafsah, age 15, highlighting how Israel uses starvation as a weapon in their ongoing genocide on Gaza
Painting by Ayah, age 16
Display by Danyah, age 12, paying tribute to Khaled Nabhan and his granddaughter Reem while highlighting the unprecedented civilian death toll in Gaza
Display by Aaron, age 12, highlighting the indiscriminate and non-stop bombing of Gaza.
Display by Hafsah, age 15, showing the injustice of apartheid
Display by Sulayman, age 10, drawing attention to the immense destruction in Gaza due to Israeli bombardment
Make Hummus, Not Walls! Artwork by Isabella, age 16
Artwork by Aleena, age 12 and Zach, age 8
Volunteers setting up the Hope display, We decided to set up the drawings on a clothesline to mimic the clothes of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Over 1.9 million Palestinians have been internally displaced since October 7, according to the United Nations
An attendee looking at the artwork in our "Hope" display. We asked children in our community: What is your hope for the children of Palestine?
Artwork made by child artists in our community
Children were encouraged to create art on site, and express what they were feeling about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It's a living hell for everyone else.” said James Elder, UNICEF chief spokesperson
A banner with the names of 10,000 children who have been murdered by the state of Israel since October 7.
On October 29, 2023, Save the Children stated that “the number of children reported killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world's conflict zones since 2019.” At that point, the number of children killed in Gaza was 3,195. The current number of children killed in Palestine exceeds 10,000. At some point, the Ministry of Health has stopped counting; unable to keep records in the current hostile environment.
Our Hope display with the Graveyard of Martyrs set up in the background.
Our Graveyard of Martyrs display showed some of the children who have been killed by Israel. All these children were full of potential and had hopes and dreams. Each one of these children was someone's everything.
We had over 100 posters for our Graveyard of Martyrs display. The really sad part is that it wasn't difficult at all to find 100 children for this display. Over 10,000 children have been killed since October 7.
Attendees reading the posters in our Graveyard of Martyrs display. Every one of these children who were murdered had hopes, dreams and potential. Every single one of them was someone's everything.
The mothers of Gaza deserve better.
What is the difference between the people of Gaza and you? No one chooses where they are born.
The artwork served as a good start to various conversations. It was beautiful to see people from all sorts of backgrounds engaged in conversation with perfect strangers, as everyone tried to process what their role is within the context of a broader global society.
Soul of My Soul Exhibit Organizer Deana Hsu addressing attendees on what they can do to advocate for Palestine
Children had an opportunity to fill out a postcard to the President, expressing their desire for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza
Attendees filling out postcards to send to their representatives
