Rula Daood: “I no longer wanted to ‘lay low'”
Standing Together’s National Co-Director Rula Daood writes about her journey into political activism.
My name is Rula Daood, the co-director of Standing Together. Today I wanted to tell you about a personal story. Growing up Palestinian in Israel, my father would always tell me to ‘lay low’. I spent my childhood and teens completely uninvolved with politics, and only got involved a lot later.
During the Israel-Gaza war in 2014, I was working as a speech therapist in Ashdod, which is a city near the Gaza border. After the war had been going on for a week, I returned to work and went to the same bakery where I usually get a cup of coffee. While waiting, I picked up the newspaper and saw the faces of children who were killed by Israel’s bombardment in Gaza. An Israeli woman next to me glanced at the newspaper and said, “Let them all burn; they deserve to die.” When I heard those words, I couldn’t stay silent, and responded, “How about you and I go to the rooftop and hear the cries and screams of those babies being burned alive in Gaza? Does that sound okay to you?”
I knew right then and there, I no longer wanted to ‘lay low’.
I quit my job and started actively engaging in politics, determined to make my voice heard. I wanted to speak out not just for myself but for all Palestinians living in Israel, standing against the extreme right-wing government, the ongoing injustices, and the occupation. As a citizen of this country, I felt a deep responsibility to take action. That’s when I found Standing Together. It felt like the place I needed to be in, a community where I could truly contribute to the change I believe in, and a place where people are not afraid of my Palestinian identity. I became a co-director of Standing Together, together with Alon-Lee Green, a Jewish citizen of Israel, in 2019.
Since its founding, but even more since October 7th, Standing Together has given people hope during incredibly turbulent times. We are building a real alternative, centered around the shared interests of all of the people in this land. We are determined to grow and expand our movement even further across the country, and to do so – we need all the support we can get.
Just two weeks ago we launched a fundraising campaign to build a peace camp in Israel, and I’m so glad to share we’ve already reached our goal. Today, an anonymous donor has generously offered to contribute a final $50k in matching, so if you haven’t yet, you have one final chance to get your donation matched and double your impact! Please, join me in our fight for peace, justice and equality for all and donate now.