Understanding Refugees Through Storytelling: What I Learned at UNRWA USA

Reflection by Eli Greenstein, UNRWA USA Summer Intern

I arrived in Washington for my internship with UNRWA USA on June 3rd. Three days earlier, I was boarding a plane in Amman, Jordan, settling in for the 12-hour journey back to the States after four months of living abroad. Moving from Amman to Washington in such a short time was certainly a shock. It’s fair to say that the two cities are considerably different from one another – especially in terms of discourse surrounding Palestine and the ongoing assault on Gaza since October 7th.

I interviewed with UNRWA USA while abroad and was excited to begin working shortly after my return. I was returning from Jordan after meeting many whose families had fled from Palestine and settled in Jordan after the 1948 Nakba. Hearing their perspectives on US foreign policy and the war on Gaza was illuminating in many ways, and I was looking forward to bringing some of my perspectives into my work with UNRWA USA in the United States. 

As my internship comes to a close this week, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on my time at UNRWA USA, the people I’ve met, and the work I’ve done over the last two months.

Interning at UNRWA USA has been an incredibly unique experience. At this moment, United States funding for UNRWA is suspended until March 2025. There has also been movement in Congress to extend this suspension even longer. Never before has UNRWA faced so much adversity and disinformation. This is the context under which I began my internship, a context that seemed far from ‘normal.’

Working on the communications team with Laila and Lein, I learned that narratives are crucial to running a successful organization. Narratives should be crafted carefully and in a way that is effective in achieving UNRWA USA’s objective: getting the American people to care about Palestine refugees. 

Every week, I attended meetings with UNRWA USA staff and UNRWA’s Representative Offices in Washington and New York to discuss legislative updates and other issues pertaining to UNRWA USA’s work. It was fascinating to see the coordination between the two and to understand better how the two organizations support each other in the different work that they do. It was eye-opening to witness the efforts made on different fronts – UNRWA’s efforts on the Hill and our advocacy and communication ones – to promote support for the UN Agency across different American audiences. 

I also had the opportunity to attend weekly calls with the Ceasefire Now Coalition – a diverse group of civil society organizations working towards a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which UNRWA USA has been a part of since its inception in October. The meeting shared weekly updates from Gaza and other relevant regional and legislative updates. Being able to observe and be a part of these discussions underscored the importance and actual impact of collective action in the pursuit of peace and justice. 

A big part of my internship was helping to pilot UNRWA USA’s Storytelling Initiative, a project that aims to collect the stories of Palestine refugees and their families and share them in meaningful ways, with the ultimate goal of mobilizing grassroots advocates into action. I had the privilege of leading several interviews with storytellers and hearing their stories about how UNRWA impacted their families’ lives. I feel a deep appreciation for the opportunity to hear about the diverse lives of Palestine refugees served by UNRWA and the underlying resilience that characterizes them all.

I know that storytelling provides another dimension to what we hear and read in the news. I believe that our current political moment of polarization has caused us to forget the humanity in others, and that storytelling adds a dimension of empathy to issues that are seemingly political. With these stories, I hope that we can garner more support for UNRWA because supporting the only agency that is capable of serving the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza and Palestine refugees across the Middle East should not be a politically divisive issue. 

Throughout my short time at UNRWA USA, I have been continually motivated by the passion and dedication of my colleagues, most of whom are originally Palestinian and some of whom have lost family members in Gaza. Their unwavering commitment to advocacy and ensuring that the stories of Palestine refugees are heard is honorable and inspiring. 

As I prepare to conclude my internship, I am filled with a sense of gratitude. The experiences I have had, the people I have met, and the stories I have heard have all left an indelible mark on me. I will bring this new perspective to my future endeavors and will remain committed to supporting UNRWA, advocating for its funding, and sharing stories of resilience that I believe have the potential to make the largest impact of all. 

Eli and members of the UNRWA USA team at a welcome lunch, July 2024

Eli and members of the UNRWA USA team out for a walk, July 2024