Like so many Palestinians, Nadeem Srouji carries a profound family history shaped by displacement, resilience, and loss. Born in Jerusalem but barred from returning, Nadeem’s lineage reflects the broader Palestinian experience under Israeli occupation and ongoing violence.

His maternal grandfather, the prominent lawyer Aziz Shehadeh, was assassinated by an Israeli collaborator in 1985 after years of advocating for Palestinian rights through legal channels. Aziz’s son, Raja Shehadeh—Nadeem’s uncle—carried on that legacy, co-founding the human rights organization Al-Haq in 1979 and documenting their family’s story in award-winning books like Palestinian Walks and We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I.

On his father’s side, the Srouji brothers of West Jerusalem—his grandfather and great-uncle—were well-known businessmen who resisted the expropriation of their land. After the upheavals of 1948 and 1967, much of Nadeem’s family relocated to Amman, where he later lived with host Tim Hartman from 2013 to 2017.

Nadeem now lives in Los Angeles, one of millions in exile, but like so many Palestinians, he holds fast to the dream of return. His story is one thread in a larger tapestry of erasure, resistance, and enduring connection to homeland.