The owner of Temo’s Cafe at 24th and Harrison streets is afraid to check her phone at work. She worries that she’ll hear bad news from her family in Gaza and start crying behind the register — again.
She has already lost her brother-in-law, who was shot and killed, and dozens of other relatives have become stuck in Gaza since Israel’s assault on the enclave.
To avoid grieving alone, Lamea Abuelrous has tried to focus on helping 10 of her remaining relatives escape. The community has rallied around her and, on July 19, The Ruby, a volunteer-run creative arts collective in the Mission, will host a fundraiser for Abuelrous’ in-laws and their six young children. Local performers, artists, and businesses have already donated their time and products to the cause.
The Temo’s owner is asking for $80,000 to get her family to safety. Although Gaza’s border with Egypt is currently closed, Palestinians can pay an Egyptian company $10,000 per adult and $5,000 per child to add their name to an Egyptian list of travelers approved for entry from Gaza. When the border opens, the company will facilitate their departure. Abuelrous’ mother is already in Egypt, ready to help coordinate.
“Without the GoFundMe pages people have been doing for their families, nobody [would] leave Gaza,” said Abuelrous, who moved to the United States when she was 18 and has been living in the Bay Area for the last 33 years. Abuelrous put up a GoFundMe page two months ago and has raised $2,500 so far — far short of her goal. She is not revealing the names of her relatives, fearing for their safety.
Abuelrous’ routine still looks the same as it did before the war. She commutes from San Mateo to open Temo’s by 6:30 a.m. every morning. Her days are filled with the smell of coffee beans and the sound of customers’ chatter swirling around the dusty-pink walls of her cozy cafe, which her late husband inspired her to open 10 years ago. At home, she sometimes listens to the news and prays.
The 12-hour shifts at Temo’s have always been tiring, but rewarding. But now, by closing, Abuelrous says she is weary both from her work and her constant panic about her family. In her sunny coffee shop on the other side of the world from Gaza, she grows somber as she softly describes how she wishes she could do more.
“I don’t have the money to help them, but I need to raise the money to help them,” she sighed on a recent weekday, wringing her hands as her eyes grew wide.
She said she had a simple message: “If you can, help them. Help me. Please, help us.”
Like so many Palestinians, Abuelrous’ relatives have “lost everything.” When the war started, they left their homes in Gaza City, fleeing south, she said. After seeking refuge in Rafah for almost six months, they were told to leave again in May to Khan Younis after Israel ordered a mass evacuation to commence a ground invasion.
Abuelrous’ family has been displaced twice since Oct. 7
Israel on Tuesday ordered an evacuation of Khan Younis
The family, originally from Gaza,
first traveled south to Rafah.
They stayed six months
before evacuating to
Khan Younis last month.
The family, originally from Gaza,
first traveled south to Rafah.
They stayed six months before evacuating
to Khan Younis last month.
Map by Abigail Neely. Basemap from Mapbox.
The families now share two tents squeezed in next to other makeshift shelters on the street in Khan Younis. They spend their days searching for clean food and water, and the children, who range in age from two to 10, are often sick, the Temo’s owner said.
On Tuesday, Israel again ordered an evacuation of the eastern half of Khan Younis, meaning a quarter million people could be forced to leave. It is unclear if Abuelrous’ family will be affected by the latest displacement.
Because Abuelrous only receives an update from her family every two to three weeks, when their internet connection is strong enough, she can never predict what the day will hold. Abuelrous was at Temo’s when she learned that her 40-year-old brother-in-law had been shot three months ago. She says he bled to death because no medical care was allowed near him.
“This is what makes me so scared when I answer my phone. I don’t want to hear bad news. And I even told my mom, I said, ‘Don’t call me [at] midnight. Don’t call me early [in the] morning and say something bad happened. I don’t want to hear it,’” she said.
But it is news Abuelrous says she has to hear. Over two dozen of her family members remain in Gaza.
And, even though her thoughts are often with them, Abuelrous still greets every customer who walks into Temo’s with a smile. She chats with young kids who stop by just to say good morning before school, and asks regulars to tell her about their day.
As a result, Temo’s has become a second home for many local customers who are eager to give back, like Felicia Chang. After moving away from the Mission, Chang still regularly takes a 45-minute bus ride from her home in the Inner Sunset to Temo’s Cafe. She’s even written an essay about the place.
“When we learned that Lamea’s family was affected by the war, I felt like everyone in the cafe felt very compelled to help because she’s done so much for the community here,” Chang said.
Salina Isaq, a member of The Ruby collective was having coffee at Temo’s when Abuelrous asked for help setting up a GoFundMe. She immediately obliged.
“Once Lamea voiced a request for support, I’m not surprised that so many people came so willingly and so lovingly to provide that for her,” Isaq said.
Around 100 people are expected to attend the Temo’s Family Fundraiser organized by members of The Ruby, director Peggy Lee said. The event will include a poetry reading by friends of Abuelrous and bottles of wine donated by Palestinian-American winemaker Terah Bajjalieh.
“The fundraiser would be a chance for us to not only be able to raise funds, but also to create a safe [space] for the community to come together supporting Lamea and also supporting each other,” Lee added.
In response, Abuelrous repeatedly expresses her gratitude: “Everybody is trying to stand up for me and my family, and they [are] all willing to help and support in a different way.”
Temo’s lowkey has the best espresso in the Mission. Donating now!
This is such a beautiful piece, thank you Abigail, thank you Mission Local. I’m donating.
So sad to read about the losses her family has already suffered. Happy to support them, and the event sounds fun! RSVP’d.