Dear Friends, Family and Colleagues,

In late November of this year three college students were walking to Thanksgiving dinner in Burlington, Vermont when they were approached by a stranger and shot, targeted because they were speaking in Arabic and wearing Palestinian keffiyehs. The three victims were Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, friends since elementary school. They were rushed to the hospital and all three survived but Awartani is expected to lose the ability to walk. They were victims of an unthinkable hate crime in a country where unthinkable hate crimes are now predictably common. 

When I learned that all three students were graduates of Ramallah Friends School I felt a connection to them that compelled me to action. As a graduate of Wilmington Friends School I experienced the positive effects of a Quaker education, values like service to the community as well as a commitment to non-violence and equity have shaped me into the person I am today. 

Ramallah Friends, or RFS, has been in operation for over 150 years in the West Bank, serving as a school, meeting house and a refugee center during the 1948 expulsion. The school has grown from 15 students in 1889 when it began to now over 1,600 girls and boys from Pre-Kg to the 12th grade regardless of their faith, culture or social status.

Despite prolonged political unrest, Israeli military occupation and economic hardships, the Ramallah Friends School continues to demonstrate the resilience and fortitude of the Palestinian community.  The promise of an education is an invaluable asset and the RSF is keeping alive the hope and vision of a better future.

So, our mission is to support the Ramallah Friends School through a scholarship fund that will assist any student facing economic uncertainty and ensure their access to a quality education. Our goal is to raise as much as we can for these students, particularly as life has been disrupted throughout much of the West Bank leaving students unsure of their education and future.

By donating through the link below you can help support students in need. All donations are tax deductible and will go straight to a designated RFS scholarship fund. 

While all donations are deeply appreciated, individuals donating $250 or more will also receive a special Ramallah Friends School hoodie. We will keep the fundraiser open until January 31st.  If you’re unable to make a donation, please consider sharing this message with your friends and family. I hope you will be moved by this season of love and charity to bring some comfort to those who are facing unbearable conditions in Gaza, the West Bank and throughout the Palestinian diaspora.

Thank you again for your consideration and support.

Sincerely,

Daniel Nolan