SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco fundraiser led by two recent graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, brought in over $18,000 for the Lebanese Red Cross.
Held at a commercial office space in San Francisco’s Mission Bay, attendees contributed a suggested $20 minimum donation for a home-style Lebanese dinner.
Around 50 attendees, most in their twenties, filtered in from their workdays, quickly filling the office space. A generous selection of Middle Eastern dishes lined the tables donated by La Mediterranee, a Lebanese-Armenian restaurant in Pacific Heights.
As the RSVP list continued to grow hours before the event, the organizers reached out to another local restaurant. In less than one hour, Beit Rima, a Jordanian-Palestinian restaurant in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle, ensured there was enough food.
Near the entrance, a table was set up where guests could write letters of support for those in Lebanon affected by the ongoing conflict.
Throughout the evening, attendees reconnected with old friends and made new ones. Midway, the lively buzz quieted as the hosts led a presentation on Lebanon’s history, culture and language. The chatter resumed shortly after, flowing late into the night.
Ashley Wen, 25, and Brigitte Jaramillo, 26, first crossed paths at UC Berkeley as undergraduates. Living near Berkeley’s International House, a multicultural student residence, they explained that they developed close ties with students from Lebanon. After graduating, they stay connected with their friends in Lebanon through a group chat.
After Hamas’ deadly incursions into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia group, increased its strikes on northern Israel. Over the past 13 months, thousands of civilians in both northern Israel and southern Lebanon were forced to evacuate their homes along the border. In mid-September, Israel launched military strikes on southern Lebanon and the capital, Beirut, including an attack that killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel announced on Oct. 1, 2024, that its troops had crossed into southern Lebanon for the first time since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Lebanese health authorities say more than 3,000 have been killed and over 1.2 million displaced since Oct. 2023.
“This all stemmed from one phone call,” Jaramillo recalled.
Troubled by reading their friends’ updates from Lebanon in their group chat, Wen and Jaramillo decided to tap into their community in San Francisco to rally tangible support for those impacted by the crisis.
“We have been floored by the amount of support,” Wen said.
Jaramillo added, “It just shows the power of community and holding on to hope.”
Omar Itani, who grew up in Beirut, graduated from the American University of Beirut in 2021 and met Wen and Jaramillo during his time as a visiting student at UC Berkeley. He is currently working as an electrical engineer in San Jose.
“My mom came a few days before things happened and then thankfully, she was still here. She is staying here with me for now until we see what is going to happen,” he said with his mom by his side.
“I want peace to happen between people. I don’t think any segregation between people of different religions or races, or anything is useful in life. There’s no point to it,” Itani continued.
Reflecting on what he would write at the Letters to Lebanon writing station, Itani shared, “I guess I would write that I hope for peace to happen everywhere so that people can live their lives.”
Nadim Khairallah, a 2020 graduate of the American University of Beirut, grew up just outside of Beirut before moving to Southern California three years ago to pursue a master’s in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Also commuting from San Jose, he is working as a navigation systems engineer, while his family splits their time between Lebanon and the United States.
Khairallah reflected on the resilience of the Lebanese people, noting that despite the ongoing crisis, there is a sense of hope that things will improve.
“Everything gets better in Lebanon. I guess that is the Lebanese mindset,” he said, urging those affected by the crisis to stay strong and remain hopeful for an eventual return to peace.
In partnership with their friends in Lebanon, Wen and Jaramillo secured a company willing to match each donation fivefold, raising a total of $18,270 after the match.
Highlighting the generosity that transformed the bare office tables into a vibrant spread of Middle Eastern dishes, Wen added, “We weren’t expecting restaurants to donate.”
With just two weeks notice, Wen and Jaramillo reached out to La Mediterranee, a popular Lebanese-Armenian restaurant in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, which quickly organized a large donation to cater the event despite its own ongoing struggle.
After nearly four decades serving the Bay Area, La Mediterranee’s flagship location in Fillmore faces eviction as its new landlord refuses to negotiate the lease, according to current owner Vanick Der Bedrossian. Der Bedrossian, whose Beirut-born father Levon, opened La Mediterranee’s first location in Fillmore in 1979, said the restaurant’s own challenges deepen their empathy for others. “Our struggle makes us more sensitive to the struggles of others, and the need to bring light,” he said.
Speaking to their friends in Lebanon and all those impacted by the escalating violence across the region, Jaramillo and Wen emphasized their message: “We’re hearing them. We’re here for them. We want them to know that we care and that they are one of us.”
