What would happen to pro-Palestinian western youth under Hamas? - Syrian American journalist asks

• Published date: 25 March 2024
• Author: OHAD MERLIN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Hayvi Bouzo, a Syrian-born journalist, spoke to The Jerusalem Post from her present home in the US. A co-founder and host of the Yalla Show, Bouzo had a long career in journalism – both in Syria and abroad – before becoming a popular content creator based in the US

"It was only when I moved to the US that I realized how dangerous that 'safe space,' which I had the privilege of enjoying at home. If those conversations we had at home were ever to be discovered by the regime – our entire family would've been in danger, maybe even killed," added Bouzo gloomily.

Bouzo was born and raised in the capital, Damascus, the hometown of her father, but traveled frequently between there and Aleppo, her mother's birthplace. She has mixed ancestry, with grandparents from Arab, Turkish, and Kurdish roots. "Turkish and Kurdish! Can you imagine that today? But this is the core and essence of the Middle East; it's how it used to be, historically. Unfortunately, this diversity was not celebrated by the time I was born. There was one specific dominant identity, and the rest were subjugated to suppression and marginalization."

Interestingly, Bouzo says that her mother was raised with many Syrian Jews nearby. "They were a Muslim family, but they had many friends and neighbors who were Jewish. My mother had witnessed the systematic abuse turned against the Jewish communities by the authorities. She saw how they were made to flee. She would tell me and my siblings how she would cry and sometimes wouldn't sleep at night knowing that when the morning comes, one of her friends or a neighbor may be gone along with their family."

"We grew up hearing those stories about the Jewish neighbors and the crimes against the Jewish community in Aleppo," Bouzo reminisces. "My father used to buy meat at the Jewish butcher's in Damascus because it was known for its good quality. I personally never met any Jews in Damascus; the Ba'ath Party had already taken control of the state by the time I was born, and the Jewish community was already forced out from their ancient home inside the walls," she adds.

'Fired for talking of Jerry Seinfeld's mother.'

Bouzo believes that the diversity and multiculturalism in her background were at the heart of her ability to overcome some of the dominant prejudices of her surroundings. "When you're composed of conflicting cultures, you feel like you're smack in the middle of everything. You understand that everyone is human and that everyone has their own perspectives...