Welcome to another episode of the Willoughby Hills podcast!
On today’s episode, I welcome Farah Assi to the podcast.
Farah was born in Southern Lebanon under Israeli occupation. Her family fled to Canada for some of her childhood, but returned to Lebanon during her teenage years.
Farah eventually settled in the United States. She came onto my radar because her son and my daughter are in the same class in school.
Like many of us, Farah has been active on social media over the last year, sharing gruesome images of the genocide of Palestinians and advocating for Palestinian liberation. That activism turned personal when Israel began increasing fire against Lebanon last month.
Farah’s father and extended family are still living in Southern Lebanon, often a few hundred yards from the sites of bombings. In today’s conversation, she shares about her childhood memories of Lebanon, her experience as a refugee, the emotions that come from watching her people murdered from afar, and the strong desire she has to return home.
If you find this conversation useful, please share it with your friends, family, and social networks.
As Western media has limited access to these stories, I am grateful that I am able to make a space with this podcast to share people’s stories. The terror and trauma of war to do not end simply because someone leaves a war zone or a ceasefire is called. As Farah tells it, the scars and memories are long lasting.
For more, please follow Farah on Instagram and TikTok.
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133. Farah Assi On Being Lebanese During a Genocide