“Know their names” event memorializes dead Gazan children

Many of the several dozen people gathered at the Santa Cruz County Government Center Friday afternoon were in tears as Rolla Alaydi described her numerous family members who have been killed or injured in the war in Gaza.

Alaydi was one of several speakers for the first-of-its-kind event titled “Know Their Names—Honoring Martyred Gazan Children.” 

The event was created to honor the more than 18,000 children under 18 who have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, in which the indigenous people of Gaza have been targeted. 

It was also a time to unveil a 15×15-foot quilt, titled “Babies in Gaza Who Never Made It To Their First Birthday.” 

The quilt is composed of 36 smaller quilts sewn by mostly thirty-six Monterey Bay community members, each containing 20 names

Alaydi, who was born in Gaza, said she was speaking as a mother, an aunt, sister and a daughter who is desperately trying to save her family members trapped in Gaza, who are unable to leave because of U.S. policy restricting Palestinian people from entering the U.S.

Since the war in Gaza began, Alaydi  said, her family has been forced to evacuate more than 20 times, and has lost more than 200 family members.

Fighting tears, Alaydi said her dead relatives include her sister-in-law, who left behind six children, one of them only 4.

“Imagine a little girl asking, ‘where is my mother,’ and there’s no answer,” she said. 

Her brother has been missing since 2023, “and we don’t know if he’s alive or dead,” she said. 

Another brother has cancer and cannot get treatment because Israel is blocking humanitarian aid, and her niece has untreated epilepsy, Alaydi said.

Two other relatives—a 4- and a 6-year-old boy—were killed inside their home.

“(They) should be in a school, not buried in the rubble,” she said. 

Her family has been unable to find the body of a 3-month-old relative killed by a bomb, Alaydi said. 

Israeli blockades also include food aid, she said. 

“Bombs are not the only weapons,” she said. “Starvation has become the deadliest weapon of all.”

Alaydi’s  young relatives, ranging from 3 months to 11, are among more than 18,000 children under 18 who have been killed in the war.

UC Santa Cruz student Josephine Kim, a volunteer, said they were in charge of printing the names of the children who were killed, which volunteers read throughout the hours-long event.

“We’re here to commemorate, honor and name the over 18,000 Palestinian children under 18 who have been martyred because of Israel’s 2-year-long war,” Kim said. 

UC Santa Cruz ethnic studies professor Christine Hong said that the U.S., and its residents, are complicit in the deaths. She explained that millions in tax dollars go to fund the war.

“Through our tax dollars, we are materially complicit in Israeli and U.S. state terrorism,” she said.

And local politicians refuse to speak out against the war, Hong said. 

She criticized the Santa Cruz City Council for a 5-2 vote in January 2024 against a “bare-bones” resolution that called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, the return of Israeli hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. That was despite a majority of speakers supporting it during more than 9 hours of public comment.

Instead, the council passed a different resolution calling for “peaceful dialogue among all parties involved.”

“Gaza has been laid waste,” Hong said. “Instead of one ancestor having thousands of descendants, entire families have been blasted and starved off the face of the earth.”

San Francisco-based Rabbi Chel Mandell said that, with Yom Kippur approaching—which includes a Day of Atonement—it is time to apologize to the people the Jewish people have wronged. 

“Some of our community has not gotten there yet, and they don’t realize their role in a system of harm and genocide,” Mandell said. “I pray that those people—those Jews in my community wake up.”

Mandell also said they pray daily for the 2.3 million people in Gaza that have gone without food.

“Jews are commanded to speak up on behalf of our neighbors who are suffering,” They said. 

“We know that Israel’s government is not rooted in Jewish law or Jewish values, but is a twisted and perverted version of our religion,” Mandell said. “It should not be political to want to save starving children. Every rabbi should be here today.”

After the event in front of the courthouse, the group moved to the Town Clock in downtown Santa Cruz, and continued the name reading. 

Then the group of about 50 walked a short distance to the corner of Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street, where dozens of community members continued reading the names, while others shared speeches or waved large banners and signs. 

They also hung sections of the quilt for public view alongside large photos of children that were killed in Gaza. The name reading continued well into the night.

To help Rolla Alaydi in her efforts to bring her family to safety—and see photos—visit bit.ly/46eC8zV