Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2008, page 17

In Memoriam

Riad Elsolh Hamad (1952-2008)

By Greta Berlin

Thanks for your work and support for the children of Palestine Salamat Riad

	Riad Hamad (c) in Washington, DC last year (Courtesy Greta Berlin.)

THAT WAS always the way Riad signed his e-mails to us—words that many of us felt we should be saying to him. But the founder of the Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund (PCWF) was so modest about his accomplishments, he was often embarrassed if we gushed over his dedication and his work.

Riad, a Lebanese-American schoolteacher, was a force of nature when he decided to do something for the Palestinians. “No” wasn’t in his vocabulary. One time he called and said he’d sent me four boxes of honey and olive oil.

“But, Riad, I’m moving. What am I going to do with them?”

“Habibti, you’ll sell everything,” he assured me, “it’s wonderful honey. You know how hard it is to get it out of the West Bank. People will pay for the privilege of having Palestinian honey. Don’t worry about paying me. Send me the money after you’ve sold everything.”

What could I say? What could any of us say who were caught in the embrace of Riad’s charm and determination? Most of us took the books, the flags, the banners, the jewelry, the embroidery, and the honey and olive oil. We couldn’t stand to disappoint him, and we didn’t know how to say “no” and make it stick.

When he was found drowned in Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas on April 15, those of us who knew and loved him wouldn’t believe it. Many of us chose to believe that something happened to him because of the work he did for the Palestinians, but Riad was as deliberate about his death as he was about his activism. Unfortunately, he never realized how much he was admired, and the outpouring of tributes and remembrances are overwhelming. Here are just two.

One man, Mike, wrote that he knew Riad because he’d gone to the PCWF website in search of a child to sponsor. There was a photo of a little boy, Mohamed, with tragic eyes. Everything had been taken from his family by the Israeli forces in Gaza. All he wanted was a bike, because his had been destroyed. When Mike contacted Riad and asked if he could somehow get a bike to the little boy, Riad, ever the optimist, said he’d certainly try and, by the way, why not have a party for all the children as well, and would Mike help fund the party? Of course he would—it was impossible to say “no.”

A couple of weeks later, Riad forwarded an e-mail with a picture. The note said that Mohamed wished to thank “Mr. Mike” for his generosity and wish his family a blessed Eid. Along with the note was a picture of a little boy sitting atop a shiny red bicycle, smiling from ear to ear. How Riad got that bike, no one knows.

A woman wrote, “The time I spent in Lebanon in 2006, I became his liaison with a Palestinian family in Saida, south of Beirut, as he was supporting them. I was deeply moved by the effort he put in to help improve the life of this family who had two disabled children. The only assistance they received was from Riad, who gave them educational needs and equipment vital in caring for the disabled children.

“I’d send him pictures of the family, who always spoke about Riad as if he were a father to them. And he’d always cheerily e-mail me back and say, ‘What else do you think they might need?’”

Riad found physicians to go to the occupied territories, dentists to fix children’s teeth; he got visas for wounded children when it wasn’t possible to get them. One time he sent a child to Madrid, Spain for eye treatment, then actually talked a stranger into taking the child and his mother into his home for six weeks. It wasn’t possible to say “no” to Riad.

Last year he showed up in Washington, DC with his favorite pink shirt on, the one he wrote about to Attorney General John Ashcroft, saying it put him in touch with his feminine side (<http://blog.myslantedview.org>). We were there for the 40th year of the occupation, and Riad decided to print 100,000 bumper stickers that said FREE PALESTINE, END THE OCCUPATION. We’re still looking for homes for 30,000 of them, but Riad was convinced that they’d all be sold, and cars around the world would have them displayed. When they found his body, he was wearing his pink shirt.

His spirit, his sense of humor, his biting off large chunks of life and devouring without chewing was an inspiration to those of us tackling such an enormous battle as justice for the Palestinians.

I’m honored to have known him, to call him my friend. There’s a large hole in the world with his leaving, and it won’t soon be filled. We’ll miss his laugh and his optimism, and the Palestinians have lost a champion that will never be replaced.

Dr. Mona Al-Farra of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, one of Riad’s friends and colleagues, wrote from Gaza: “I feel that we’ve lost a great friend and longtime supporter for Palestine and humanitarian causes. The new Horizon for Children and Women in Gaza has named its English and computer club in his loving memory. I still cannot surrender to the idea of Riad’s loss, and feel that I’ll meet him someday in Gaza, as he always said.”

His work will continue. We’ll pick up the pieces and do our best to keep PCWF alive and well in his honor. Donations (visit <www.pcwf.org>) will continue to be sent to Palestine in his name. It’s the best memorial we could give him.

Thanks Riad, for your work and support for the children of Palestine. Salamat.

Greta Berlin is an activist with the Free Gaza Movement.

< Prev		Next >