Haidar Ataya grew up in the beautiful coastal village of Al Zeeb, eight miles north of Akka, known for its lush citrus groves and olive trees. He proudly shares that his village had “the best fruits” on the coast, and he recalls the strong fishermen with iconic, large mustaches that provided fish to the village. He lived an affluent life in Al Zeeb, with acres of farmland, watered by streams gushing from the mountains.

This all changed in 1948, when Haidar, his family, and his entire village were forcibly expelled from Palestine. The Haganah were attacking villages across Palestine, and out of fear of being killed, Al Zeeb village elders decided that it was safer for children and mothers to leave Palestine until the fighting quelled. 

Haidar was only 9 years old when he fled with his uncle to Qana, Lebanon. A month later, his mother and three of his siblings, including his two-month-old sister, followed with all the women in the family in a Studebaker limousine, which he recalls as being one of few in Palestine at the time. 

The assumption was that they would only be away for a few weeks, and then return to their home in Al Zeeb, so his family left behind all of their possessions and business assets. His father had 20 tanks of olive oil, each weighing 15L, sent to Lebanon earlier. The family had merchandise they were trading with Lebanon that was to be transported by boat, but at the time, Haifa was falling and these boats made more money transferring people rather than goods, so they refused to take the merchandise — his family lost everything. 

To this day, the only remains of the village are his family’s home which is now a museum, ironically and tragically inaccessible to Haidar’s family, and a mosque. “Palestine is in our blood and in our hearts. The love passes from one generation to another. We will always want to go back to our homeland; that will not go away,” says Haidar as he recalls historic Palestine and the home he has not been able to return to. 

A stark contrast to their abundant life in Palestine, the Ataya family found themselves penniless in Qana. They lived in a village with no electricity and leeches in the water. Milk and eggs were in short supply, so these once basic items felt like delicacies. 

As a refugee child, Haidar carried responsibilities that went beyond his age. At the age of nine, he was in charge of collecting water from the well and would go down a hill with a donkey balancing two clay jars. After filling up the water he’d guide the donkey back up the hill. Often spilling water as he trotted up the rocky path, the ground became slippery, and the donkey once fell on the wet rocks. The jars broke and he had no money to replace the jars. That day he had no water to bring back to his family. 

In Qana, there was only one elementary school, and it only taught up to third grade. Having already completed his third year in Palestine, he was sent to Tyre to live with a family friend in order to attend Al Jafariya School, which offered more classes. Haidar and his 10-year-old cousin traveled alone by bus -- an intimidating and scary journey for two young children -- so much so that his cousin cried the whole journey there. As a result, Haidar put him on the bus back home. He ended up staying alone with the family for a year to attend school. Within a year, an UNRWA school in Qana was opened. Joyfully, Haidar was able to return to his family. 

He has strong memories from his time at UNRWA schools, starting each day with a spoonful of fish oil, intended to supplement his and other children’s diets. UNRWA wasn’t just there for him to provide his education; he remembers weekly visits from the traveling UNRWA doctor, who would make his rounds and check up on the sick and elderly. On Christmas every year, there would be a present delivered to students. He and his classmates would excitedly open up their boxes, containing yo-yos, marbles, pencils, and notebooks. “It was as if they were giving you a Rolls-Royce!” Haidar recalls. Even the students who had poor attendance would show up on this day, in anticipation of these small tokens. 

Haidar did very well in his primary exam, passing with high marks. Thanks to support from UNRWA, he went on to attend a prestigious secondary school called the Evangelical College, located along the idyllic Beirut Corniche. Early in the year, the headmaster came into his class, calling him to his office. He was overcome with relief when he learned that he was doing so well that he was allowed to skip a year. This happened once again, and ultimately, he finished secondary school in four years instead of six.  

At the end of secondary school, 19 top students were selected by the headmaster to take the baccalaureate exam, which they all passed. Beyond paying for this exam, Haidar said he didn’t pay a single lira (Lebanese currency) for his education, thanks to UNRWA. He went onto university at the American University of Beirut (AUB), with a scholarship provided by UNRWA, which included a stipend for boarding, food, books, and other expenses. 

Fast forward a few years later, Haidar became a successful civil engineer, going on to live in Aden, Kuwait City, Washington, DC, and Dubai. “Palestinians, given a chance, excel. When you look at my generation and look at who got an education, you see that they all excelled. This is thanks to their education. Ultimately, Palestine refugees gave back to all the economies where they worked, whether that was in Lebanon, Jordan, the Gulf, or wherever they ended up,” Haidar says. 

He credits his education for his success and it’s a value he’s passed along to his five children, who have all attended prestigious universities in the US and UK. He beams with pride as he shares that “they are pioneers in every aspect of their lives and careers.”

Haidar stresses the importance of UNRWA in providing valuable education to the next generation of Palestine refugees: “The opportunity I had to attend school was provided by UNRWA. Unfortunately, 73 years later, the refugee issue has not gone away and there are fewer opportunities, especially in places like Gaza or the camps in Jordan and Lebanon. These people need help from UNRWA and from society to move up in life, and we must ensure they achieve that.” 

Do you have a father figure or a member of your family who has always pushed you to be the best version of you, celebrated your achievements, and lovingly taken care of you?

You can pay tribute to him this Father’s Day and World Refugee Day, which both fall on June 20, with a gift in his honor that sustains UNRWA USA’s work and provides the same life-changing education, health, and protection services for refugees that Haidar benefited from as a kid.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating both refugees and fathers today and for choosing to make a gift that honors their resilience and love.