As one of thefirst girls to surf in Gaza, Palestinian Sabah Rajab paved the way for young women to enter the ocean. In 2014 Sabah starred in ‘Chicks on Boards’, a documentary directed by Dörthe Eickelberg. It is a film about women surfers who claim freedom against all odds, “because it’s more than a sport: It’s a movement.” Shortly after the release of the film Sabah stopped surfing to get married and start a family, before revisiting the ocean in 2022 as a swimming coach, plus getting back on her board once again. Her dream was to set up a swim club for girls, aiming to teach young women how to swim, surf and feel confident in the water.
However, after the horrific attacks on Gaza by Israel, Sabah now finds herself homeless and displaced. Living in tents with their three children, her main goal is to keep everyone stay safe and alive. “I miss my city, my sports, my skateboard, my old life, my home,” she told us, “Everything I dreamed of has been destroyed since the beginning of the war.” Once a month Sabah takes her children to the ocean to swim, but she explained that they cannot go into the deep sea because of the boats. “My children dream of a simple and successful life, where they can feel safe and learn.”
Sheltering from bombs, desperately searching for healthy food to feed her children and constantly waiting to evacuate to another area as the war continues, Sabah is living in fear. Here at Rebel we want to support her dream of once again getting back to the ocean, leaving Gaza and becoming a surf and swim instructor, but for now it’s more important that she has money for food, supplies and hopefully, one day, escape. You can donate to Sabah’s crowdfunding page via the link below.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sabah-and-her-family-in-gaza
Gaza Surf Club
In 2014, Sabah also featured in a documentary called "Gaza Surf Club", a film focusing on the surf scene in Gaza. The Gaza Surf Club was founded in 2008 by Explore Corps to serve as an educational and community development resource for Palestinian surfers in the Gaza Strip. Directed by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine, the film is about surfing in the "the world's largest open-air prison”. In a country ruled by war, a new generation is drawn to the beaches. Sick of occupation and political gridlock, the surfers of Gaza find their own personal freedom in the waves of the Mediterranean.
