As Muslims prepare to observe Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice that comes with the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Palestinian business owners in Cambridge and Somerville are navigating the holiday with grief and resilience.
The usual joy associated with Eid is clouded by the devastating toll of the ongoing war in Gaza, says Sami Herbawi, who owns Andala Coffee House in Cambridge. He says he hasn’t celebrated in three years.
“It’s not really Eid for us anymore,” Herbawi said on Boston Public Radio on Wednesday. “Some people [celebrate], but it’s not Eid when you see all the massacres of children and women and men, old and young, and it’s happening under the watchful eye of the whole world.”
Pro-Palestinian protests swept across university campuses in the United States and abroad last year. For Herbawi, these protests transcend political labels.
“I call it pro-Palestinian, but in reality ... we’re all human beings and we share the same values,” he said. “Even my fellow Jewish people who come to the cafe and send [Palestinians] sympathy and support, and that means a lot to me.”
Abdulla Awad, owner of Yafa Bakery & Café, echoed that sentiment. “We have neighbors and community members, including but not limited to Jewish as well as Christians, who come and support us. Not just support the business, but support the cause.”
Yet both Awad and Herbawi feel the weight of the conflict in their business operations. Awad spoke about a recent setback over a shipment of olive oil, sourced from the West Bank, which he says was held at U.S. customs because the labels read “Product of Palestine.”
Awad says customs asked him to ship it back, change the labels and re-import it. For his small business, he says that was costly.
But both Herbawi and Awad remain grounded in their roots and remain hopeful.
“I always have hope, and I always believe the best yet to come,” Herbawi said. “And I always believed in my heart that if I don’t have that hope, I don’t have anything.”
For Awad, this Eid is a moment to reflect. “May the season actually deepen our compassion, renew our purposes and hopefully unite our hearts.
“[While] some of us maybe gather in warmth, others are experiencing and going through unimaginable loss,” he said. “So we hope for peace that will prevail — some dignity, some humanity — for all of us to hopefully enjoy and celebrate Eid the way it should be.”
