Ancestral Heritage Trip To The Holy Land, My Birthright

Deena Odelle Hyatt Start Date: Mar 24, 2022 - End Date: Sep 23, 2022
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Palestine
  • Israel

My Travel Story

by: Deena Odelle Hyatt Start Date: Mar 24, 2022 - End Date: Sep 23, 2022
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
My hope for this trip to to connect with my ancestral homeland, document and help educate people about our people, culture and struggle. My mother passed away from cancer four years ago and this will also be an opportunity to connect with her on a deeper level.

I don't know what the solution may be --- but I do know that we Palestinians have experiences so much erasure and prosection that the act of declaring I'm Palestinian and sharing about our heritage is vital.

My Grandmother (Daher of Nazareth) and Grandfather (Hadid of Safad) were violently expelled from their homes in 1948. Although they kept the key to their home, they were never permitted to return. When my mom, Magida, visited with my father, David, it was very painful for her to feel unwelcome and even persecuted in her own native land. I haven't had the connections or resources to visit yet but I feel it in my bones.

I'm half Palestinian and half American and grew up with my Palestinian side of the family. My mom had eight brothers and sisters, so we have a big family and lots of gatherings filled with food and dancing. But the only Palestinians I knew were my own family and many of us hid our identity due to controversy, stereotyping, and prejudice. Recently, in moderating a Clubhouse room called Meet Palestinians & Israelis where half a million people came through, I had the privilege of connecting with more people on the ground (of all differerent ethnicities and opinions) and many fellow Palestinians in the diaspora.

Despite all the trauma, I'm looking forward to being there: for everything I will learn, all the ways in which I will grow, the connections that will be made, and to share all of this with you and the world.

  • Palestine
  • Israel

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