Space Coast, FL commemorates Nakba Day
Rockledge, FL – On May 15, around 20 community members and activists commemorated the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, also known as “The Catastrophe,” in which more than 750,000 Palestinians were violently forced out of their homeland. The event was held at the local Unitarian Universalist church and was organized by the Space Coast Progress Hub, a weekly gathering of local progressive activists.
Partners for Palestine set up a poster gallery around the church’s main hall for attendees to browse as they entered, depicting Palestinian artwork and daily life, as well as statistics regarding life under occupation. Attendees shared food potluck-style which included catering from Oasis Cafe, a local Palestinian restaurant, paid for by the uncle of Mohammed Ibrahim. Last year, 16-year-old Ibrahim was kidnapped and illegally detained in an Israeli prison under torturous conditions. He has since been released.
Community activist Luann Roseberry gave a presentation on the history and significance of the Nakba. Caroline Abidin, member of the Space Coast Immigrant Rights Alliance, followed with a lesson on the Palestinian cultural traditions of tatreez and dabke.
Many in attendance had come to know the history of the Nakba after the great Palestinian uprising on October 7, 2023.
When asked what the Nakba and Palestine meant to her, Abidin said, “Palestine became deeply personal to me because the genocide didn't just inform my views, it broke my old world apart and rebuilt me from the inside out. Watching it happen in real time, with undeniable proof, shifted something fundamental. I could no longer believe that justice would come from institutions I once trusted, or that silence was neutral. That realization was world-shifting.”
Abidin added, “I stopped waiting for others to act. That shift pushed me to organize, to use whatever platform or energy I had to bring attention to Palestine because looking away was no longer an option.”
Throughout the event, several calls to action were shared, including a number to call to demand justice for Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian from Tampa killed by settlers in the occupied West Bank in July of 2025.