Palestinian culture is beautiful. So familiar. I love how Mayor Mamdani’s official Nakba Day video showcases it.

I’m grateful to have experienced and appreciated Palestinian culture, art, food, and hospitality firsthand in Palestine and Israel.

As for the dispossession, the feelings of longing expressed in the video… also familiar.

My grandmother, who survived the Holocaust, told me about her town in Poland. Her happy life before the war. She knew there was no going back. She didn’t have so much as a key.

Genocide, war, ethnic cleansing, killing, rape, torture… these are not the way. They only breed further suffering. Will we as a species ever figure that out?

Let’s recognize each other’s history, culture, stories, and our shared humanity.