The National Arab American Medical Association of Birmingham held a fundraising dinner entitled “Gaza: The Aftermath” on Feb. 21, with all proceeds going to humanitarian assistance organizations for food and emergency medical relief in the Gaza Strip.

The dining room was packed almost to capacity at Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn as silent (and one live) auctions of artwork and memorabilia took place, speeches were given by NAAMA dignitaries, and dinner was served.

NAAMA board member Adnan Hammoud lamented the need for the dinner in the first place considering the situation in Gaza.

“I sometimes wonder how many of these events we will have to do,” he said.

Hammoud said that the situation in Gaza is deplorable, as over 60% of the population is unemployed and over 80% are below the poverty line, and that’s not even counting the thousands of injured civilians, poor sanitation conditions and the food and medicine shortages.

Dr. Thomas Neu, the Middle East representative for the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) organization, gave his own take on the Gaza situation and the need to donate.

“It is truly for the children that we gather here this evening,” he said.

“My favorite part of the constitution is ‘Liberty and justice for all’; I did not interpret this phrase specifically to mean America.

“This is a global tragedy that has somehow been silenced and desensitized to stats and numbers. If this is not a human tragedy then we have truly lost the meaning of humanity.”

A short film called “Live from Gaza” was shown to drive home just how bad the conditions have become in Gaza. It showed relief agencies’ vehicles riddled with bullet holes from the Israeli army among other disturbing imagery from the war.

A live auction of recreated painting entitled “Palestinian Girl” by Dutch painter William Halewjh saw a great deal of participation from guests and epitomized the spirit of giving during the night.

Local dentist Dr. Malik Hider won the auction and talked about the importance of giving to the Gaza cause.

“I don’t know who painted this, all I know is that it goes to a good cause, that’s the key,” he said.

“I have two kids and I can’t even begin to imagine them being in the shoes of the children of Gaza. I’m proud that my achievements have allowed me to fulfill what I can do for other people.”

The total amount of money raised wasn’t available as of press time but Hammoud said that the entire organization raised almost a half-million dollars in the past month for Gaza, including $174,000 by the Houston chapter alone.

To learn more about the organization or to join or donate, go to //naamami.com or call 248.646.3661.