now voyager by walt whitman

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The Untold Want

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The untold want by life and land ne’er granted, Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find.

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When lilacs last in the door-yard bloom’d.

When lilacs last in the door-yard bloom’d, And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night, I mourn’d—and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring. O ever-returning spring! trinity sure to me you bring; Lilac blooming perennial, and drooping star in the west, And thought of him I love.  

O Captain! My Captain!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;        But O heart! heart! heart!          O the bleeding drops of red,

Song of Myself, V

I believe in you my soul, the other I am must not abase itself to you, And you must not be abased to the other.

Loafe with me on the grass,  loose the stop from your throat, Not words, not music or rhyme I want, not custom or lecture, not even the best, Only the lull I like, the hum of your valvèd voice.

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Walt Whitman

The untold want.

THE untold want, by life and land ne’er granted, Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.

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• Untold Want, The.
• Walt Whitman

THE untold want, by life and land ne’er granted, Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.

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The Untold Want

Walt whitman 1819 (west hills) – 1892 (camden).

THE untold want, by life and land ne'er granted,    Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

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Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist.  more…

All Walt Whitman poems | Walt Whitman Books

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Walt Whitman

Book xxxiii. songs of parting: the untold want.

#1855 #AmericanWriters #LeavesOfGrass

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Aboard at a ship’s helm, A young steersman steering with ca… Through fog on a sea-coast doleful… An ocean-bell—O a warning bell, r… O you give good notice indeed, you…

Suddenly out of its stale and drow… Like lightning it le’pt forth half… Its feet upon the ashes and the ra… O hope and faith! O aching close of exiled patriots’…

What hurrying human tides, or day… What passions, winnings, losses, a… What whirls of evil, bliss and sor… What curious questioning glances… Leer, envy, scorn, contempt, hope,…

To The States, or any one of them… Resist much, obey little; Once unquestioning obedience, once… Once fully enslaved, no nation, st…

THITHER, as I look, I see each… nestling close, always obligated; Thither hours, months, years—thith… establishments, even the most minu… Thither every-day life, speech, ut…

Houses and rooms are full of perfu… I breathe the fragrance myself and… The distillation would intoxicate… The atmosphere is not a perfume, i… It is for my mouth forever, I am…

Many things to absorb I teach to… Yet if blood like mine circle not… If you be not silently selected by…

City of orgies, walks and joys! City whom that I have lived and s… you illustrious, Not the pageants of you—not your s… repay me;

I see before me now a traveling ar… Below a fertile valley spread, wit… Behind, the terraced sides of a mo… Broken, with rocks, with clinging… The numerous camp-fires scatter’d…

Shut not your doors to me proud li… For that which was lacking on all… most, I bring, Forth from the war emerging, a boo… The words of my book nothing, the…

What think you I take my pen in h… The battle-ship, perfect-model’d,… offing to-day under full sail? The splendors of the past day? Or… envelopes me?

O sight of shame, and pain, and do… O fearful thought—a convict Soul! Rang the refrain along the hall, t… Rose to the roof, the vaults of he… Pouring in floods of melody in ton…

You lingering sparse leaves of me… And I some well-shorn tree of fie… You tokens diminute and lorn—(not… clover-bloom—no grain of August no… You pallid banner-staves—you penna…

Thou Mother with thy equal brood, Thou varied chain of different St… A special song before I go I’d si… For thee, the future. I’d sow a seed for thee of endless…

Who has gone farthest? for I woul… And who has been just? for I woul… And who most cautious? for I woul… And who has been happiest? O I th… happier than I,

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The Untold Want by Walt Whitman

"The Untold Want" is a poem written by Walt Whitman. This poem is about the author wanting something in his life and he could never receive it. So instead of giving up, he's going out on his own voyage to find it himself.

This poem is written as a couplet.

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Untold Want, The.

By walt whitman.

THE untold want, by life and land ne’er granted, Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.

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All the World's a Set

Literary reviews; movie reviews; play reviews; travel experiences; museum exhibition reviews, the memorialization of walt whitman’s “the untold want” in now, voyager.

Rapper, through this film, shows us how life can be dampened when one is not allowed the freedom of self-expression, self-actualization, and when one is made to feel like an ugly goose. Irving Rapper, the director, interprets Whitman’s poem through the illustration of Charlotte Vale. She, with the help of a psychiatrist, is treated away from her home and from her family. After the near completion of her treatment, she takes a trip that results in her character blossoming and transforming into the person that she longs to become. She sets sail to seek and to find all that her mother had heretofore denied her. Previously, all of her desires for love and for adventure had always been discouraged, and she had no access to romance and to life.  Formerly, her mother, had always looked at her disdainfully, and forced her to live a staid life. Vehemently, her mother forced her to wear unattractive glasses! Charlotte Vale takes a stand and realizes that she must voyage, seek, and find. And, she does!

When one is allowed to sail by experiencing life, one can see a person’s comeliness instead of his or her imperfection. Much to Charlotte’s family’s shock and her mother’s eventual chagrin, at the end of her trip, Charlotte “comes out and wants the world to know it.” She has found both temporal romance and friendship on the cruise. She finds everything that she is seeking.The scene in which Charlotte, after transformation, disembarks from the ship, illuminates Bette Davis at her best. Bette Davis, as Charlotte, confidently, not diffidently, walks off the ship. People are now attracted to her. She is not only beautiful, but she is interesting! Others are attracted to her character and to her style. She neither looks, nor talks the same. Furthermore, she now has a coterie, although in theory. She wears fashionable clothing, her eyebrows are arched, she has lost twenty-five pounds, she wears makeup, and most of all, she now is armed with both less docility and greater confidence to face her mother. We are able to see Charlotte through the eyes of her friends and through her own eyes. Charlotte learns to free herself of her mother’s shackles, and the limitations that others have placed on her. Best of all, Charlotte realizes that she too has the opportunity to help someone, a child, who is now in the same predicament that she previously faced. She helps the daughter of the man whom she loves, but knows that she can not be reconciled to him.

Thematically this film shines. It was relevant in 1942, and is ever more relevant today. Like Whitman said in his classic poem, “I Sing the Body Electric.” We see that everyone should be celebrated and respected without constraints, regardless of exterior features. Because of images that bombard us on television, women, young girls, men and young boys often struggle with self-image, often confusing it with body-image. A classic film, Now, Voyager , can aid many women and children who struggle to fit in society because they are not deemed classically beautiful.Through this film, both adults and children can see that they need not be bound by a family’s limitations, and despite these negative limitations, they can set sail, seek, and find that which seems out of their reach. Now, voyage r, preserved by The National Film Registry, was selected by the Library of Congress in 2007 for its cultural, aesthetic and historical importance.

Study some of Whitman’s poems in Leaves of Grass , and show the film alongside it to help teach some of the concepts in Whitman’s poems. Engage students in small group discussions. Additionally, a novel that can thematically foster a discussion on beauty image is Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye . It’s a bit complex, but if it’s taught children will grow and develop positively.

Personal Note

 I have had this film for two years. I have a collection of Bette Davis’s films, but I had not watched this one, until it was on Turner Classic Movies on September 5, 2015. I wish that it had not taken me so long to see it. I did not realize the significance of the title, until I watched the film!

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2 thoughts on “ the memorialization of walt whitman’s “the untold want” in now, voyager ”.

Very interesting and helpful connection of the movie and the poem. Thanks.

Amazingly, I hadn’t ever seen the movie until a recent airing on TCM. I could not believe that I somehow missed it. It left me moved to the point of tears. Great performances from all.

I’ve just (March 2023) watched the film for the first time, when it was shown on TV (in England). I hadn’t previously realised the connection to Walt Whitman; your excellent review will now make me explore his poetry, thank you.

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Now, Voyager

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Joseph Cornell American, 1903-1972

About this artwork

The title of this collage originally derives from a two-line poem by Walt Whitman: “The untold want by life and land ne’er granted,/ Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find” (“The Untold Want” [I87l), in Walt Whitman, Complete Poetry and Collected Prose , New York, 1982, p. 608). Now Voyager was also the name of a 1941 novel by Olive Higgins Prouty and of a 1942 movie, based on the novel, starring Bette Davis. The title’s attraction for Cornell, given the voyage theme in so many of his works, is obvious. Here, though, the combination of title and image suggests a journey of a more interior kind, which is indeed evoked by Whitman‘s poem, and is a theme developed in both the novel and movie: these focus on the growth of the main protagonist, Charlotte Vale, from repressive childhood into mature adulthood. In Cornell‘s collage a child of uncertain gender is shown riding a merry-go-round horse, but the child’s distant gaze and the planets above hint at an imagined voyage of much grander dimensions.

— Entry, Dawn Ades, Surrealist Art: The Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago , 1997, p. 91.

Date   Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Credit line, reference number, extended information about this artwork, exhibition history.

• Possibly, New York, Robert Schoelkopf, “Joseph Cornell: Collages,” 1966, not in cat.
• Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, “Cornell in Chicago,” 1973-74, n.p..
• New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, “Twentieth-Century American Drawings: Three Avant-Garde Generations,” 1976, cat. 154; also Baden-Baden and Bremen, Germany.
• New York, Museum of Modern Art, “Joseph Cornell,” 1980-1982, no. S-39; also London, Düsseldorf, Florence, Paris, and Chicago.
• Art Institute of Chicago, “Joseph Cornell and Twentieth-Century Collage,” 1985, no cat.

Sold by Robert Schoelkopf, New York, to Lindy and Edwin Bergman, Chicago, 1966; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1982.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here .

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Now, Voyager

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Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, irving rapper, bette davis, paul henreid, claude rains, gladys cooper, bonita granville, photos & videos, technical specs.

Dowdy, thirtyish Charlotte Vale lives with her dictatorial, aristocratic mother in a Boston mansion. Fearing that Charlotte is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, her sister-in-law Lisa brings psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith to the Vale home to examine her unobtrusively. Jaquith's observations and conversation with Charlotte convince him that she is, in fact, very ill, and he recommends that she visit his sanitarium, Cascade. Away from her domineering mother, Charlotte recovers quickly, but does not feel ready to return home and accepts Lisa's proposal of a long cruise as an alternative. On board the ship, a newly chic Charlotte is introduced to Jerry Durrance, who is also traveling alone. The two spend a day sight-seeing together, during which time the married Jerry asks Charlotte to help him choose gifts for his two daughters. Charlotte is touched when Jerry thanks her with a small bottle of perfume. Subsequently, Charlotte tells Jerry about her family and her breakdown and learns from his good friends, Deb and Frank McIntyre, that Jerry is unhappily married but will never leave his family. After the ship docks in Rio de Janeiro, Jerry and Charlotte become stranded on Sugarloaf Mountain and spend the night together. Having missed her boat, Charlotte stays with Jerry in Rio for five days before flying to Buenos Aires to rejoin the cruise. Although they have fallen in love, they promise not to see each other again. Back in Boston, Charlotte's family is stunned by her transformation. Her mother, however, is determined to regain control over her daughter. Charlotte's resolve to remain independent is strengthened by the timely arrival of some camellias. Although there is no card, Charlotte knows the flowers are from Jerry because he had called her by the nickname "Camille," and, reminded of his love, she is able to forge a new relationship with her mother. Charlotte eventually becomes engaged to eligible widower Elliot Livingston. One night, at a party, Charlotte encounters Jerry, who is now working as an architect, a profession he had renounced years before in deference to his wife's wishes. His youngest daughter Tina is now seeing Dr. Jaquith for her own emotional problems. Charlotte asks Jerry not to blame himself for their affair as she gained much from knowing that he loved her. This chance encounter forces Charlotte to realize that she does not love Elliot passionately, and they break their engagement, so angering Mrs. Vale that during an argument with Charlotte, she has a heart attack and dies. Guilty and distraught, Charlotte returns to Cascade, where she meets Tina. Seeing herself in the girl, Charlotte takes charge of her, with Jaquith's tentative approval. When Tina improves enough, Charlotte takes her home to Boston. Later, Jerry and Jaquith visit the Vale home, and Jerry is delighted by the change in Tina. Charlotte warns him, however, that she is only able to keep Tina with her on condition that she and Jerry end their affair. Jerry believes that he is responsible for her decision not to marry Elliot, but Charlotte reassures him otherwise, saying that Tina is his gift to her and her way of being close to him. Jerry then asks if Charlotte is happy and she responds, "Well, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon; we have the stars."

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Pop Culture 101 - Now, Voyager

Trivia - now, voyager - trivia & fun facts about now, voyager, trivia - now, voyager - trivia & fun facts about now, voyager, the big idea - now, voyager, behind the camera - now, voyager, critics' corner - now, voyager, critics' corner - now, voyager.

No member of the Vale family has ever had a nervous breakdown. - Mrs. Henry Windle Vale

Well there's one having one now. - Dr. Jasquith

Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars. - Charlotte Vale

Remember what it says in the Bible, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." - Dr. Jasquith

How does it feel to be the Lord? - Charlotte Vale

Not so very wonderful, since the Free Will Bill was passed. Too little power. - Dr. Jasquith

I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid, mother. I'm not afraid. - Charlotte Vale

A maiden aunt is an ideal person to select presents for young girls. - Charlotte

Producer Hal B. Wallis originally wanted Irene Dunne for the lead role, but Bette Davis convinced him otherwise.

The Walt Whitman poem Bette Davis reads (just before leaving Cascades) is "The Untold Want" from Songs of Parting (just 2 lines): "The untold want by life and land ne'er granted / Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find."

Bette Davis complained about 'Max Steiner' 's Academy Award-winning musical score, saying that it was too intrusive on her performance.

The film is remembered for the scene in which Paul Henreid places two cigarettes in his mouth, lights them, and then passes one to Bette Davis, but it wasn't an original idea - a similar exchange occurred ten years earlier between Davis and 'George Brent' in _Rich Are Always With Us, The (1932)_ .

The title of Olive Higgins Prouty's novel was taken from Walt Whitman's poem "The Untold Want." In a letter to literary agent Harold Ober included in the Warner Bros. Collection at the USC Cinema-Television Library, Prouty made the following suggestions about the novel's adaptation: "...In my novel I tell my story by the method of frequent flashbacks....It has occurred to me, however, that by employing the silent picture for the flashbacks, in combination with the talking picture, similar results can be accomplished, and with much interest to an audience because of the novelty of the technique....I am one of those who believe the silent picture had artistic potentialities which the talking picture lacks. The acting, facial expressions, every move and gesture is more significant....Of course the silent picture has 'gone out' now, but I believe it has a place, for depicting what goes on in the mind of a character...."        Various contemporary sources add the following information about the production: Mary Astor was first signed as the second female lead and Norma Shearer and Irene Dunne were approached to play the role of "Charlotte." Producer Hal Wallis sent Ginger Rogers a copy of Olive Higgins Prouty's novel, hoping to interest her in the film. Juanita Quigley tested for the role of "Tina." Director Edmund Goulding wrote a treatment for the film and, at that time, was scheduled to direct; later Michael Curtiz was assigned to direct the film. Some scenes were filmed on location in Laguna Beach, CA and the Cascade scenes were filmed at Lake Arrowhead, CA. Although Frank Puglia's character is called "Giovanni" in the film, contemporary reviews, the screenplay and the CBCS list it as "Manoel."        According to modern sources, Prouty had written an elaborate cigarette-lighting ceremony for her characters, which proved too awkward to complete on film. In its place, Henreid invented a romantic gesture which has since become famous. He lit two cigarettes at the same time and handed one of the cigarettes to "Charlotte." Modern feminist critics have described Now Voyager as an "initiation" or "coming of age" film in which a psychologically immature woman becomes a self-determining adult and comment favorably on the accurate depiction of the mother-daughter relationship. Although contemporary critics derided the film as contrived and melodramatic, it was Warner Bros. fourth-highest grossing film in 1942 and has enjoyed an enduring popularity. Max Steiner won an Oscar for Best Score, and both Gladys Cooper and Bette Davis were nominated for Academy Awards. The film was adapted for radio and, starring Bette Davis and Gregory Peck, was broadcast on The Lux Radio Theatre on February 11, 1946 and May 24, 1955.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1942

Released in United States on Video April 5, 1988

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Review: ‘Now, Voyager’ Remastered

The untold want by life and land ne’er granted, Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find.

                                                         Walt Whitman

One of the phrases that us cinephiles were longing to hear over the course of these torturous last 18 months was “In cinemas now!” Seeing a film on the big screen with an audience, even if one has used up the DVD copy, is a treasured and often unparalleled experience. Therein lies the magic of the cinema.

I often feel that I’m playing catch-up on new releases, often distracted and dazzled by old rereleases. It feels to me that a portal to the past has been opened and I must take advantage of stepping through to the other side. What a joy it is to walk the sacred ground of the movie theatre aisle, sit on the plush red velvet seat, and imagine that, for the next two hours, I am part of an audience who has possibly not seen this film, and I can enjoy their reactions and enjoy the same experience.

An opportunity for such an experience has arisen again. In one of their better decisions of late, Warner Bros have released a 2k restoration of a 1942 film called Now, Voyager . Faithfully based on a novel by Olive Higgins Prouty, the film, directed by Warner Bros. stock director Irving Rapper, has been often pigeon-holed as a melodrama (a woman’s picture) , a makeover movie , or just another Bette Davis vehicle. Now, Voyager can be all those things, but for it to entice excitement almost 80 years since its first release, it has to be something more than a product of its time.

First of all, let’s get the melodrama part out of the way. One of the definitions of melodrama is “a work (such as a movie or play) characterized by extravagant theatricality and by the predominance of plot and physical action over characterization.” The melodramatic plot can be read as such: 30-something Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is on an ocean liner recovering from a bout of nerves. She meets and falls in love with a married man, Jerry (Paul Henreid), who, despite reciprocating, cannot leave his wife for her. Heartbreak ensues. 

While this can be perceived as the usual forbidden love trope, there is more to the relationship than passionate glances between Charlotte and Jerry while sharing a sensual cigarette. As undeniable as the chemistry between the two leads is, successfully and tastefully sidestepping the Production Code, what Jerry signifies to Charlotte is first and foremost friendship and emotional support in the face of a state of mental fragility. Charlotte has lived most of her life being controlled by her overbearing mother (Gladys Cooper at her best), starved of the independence she needs in order to function in society. Her mother has been policing everything around Charlotte, everything but her thoughts and inner passions. Teased and tortured by her family, “poor aunt Charlotte” finally explodes into a nervous breakdown, from which she emerges a different, albeit still fragile and self-conscious, person. The possibility of stirring the interest of a handsome and intelligent man like Jerry makes Charlotte almost return to her previous self, a fragile, frightened ugly duckling . She needs a friend and a friend she gets. The melodrama factor lies in the almost unbelievable romance that unravels once Charlotte has accepted Jerry’s friendship and trust. And yet, what can be more believable than a pure expression of the untold want we, as romantic creatures, must strive to seek and find?

Now, Voyager has often been labelled as a makeover movie , and one not too believable. The story begins with a seemingly overweight, unibrowed, badly dressed Charlotte, teased and tortured by various members of her family. She is mousy in her demeanour, afraid to open her mouth in the presence of strangers, accepting the jibes of her relatives almost without incident. Davis’ appearance at the start of the film might prompt a snigger from the audience. Personally, I feel that with the restored version, certain details pertaining to her appearance make the performance as dowdy, frumpy Charlotte more convincing. While the padding under the badly cut dress is evident, the excess of facial hair is also more apparent and thus the “before” image is more effective (the radiance Davis exudes during her love scenes with Henreid, once her mind is settled, is palpable). Rumour has it that, ever so consummate an artist and so devoid of vanity, Davis had wanted even more padding under her dress to make her Charlotte truly the overweight aunt Charlotte, not the “rather plump” Aunt Charlotte that Warner Bros. producer, Hall B. Wallis, opted for. For all the excellence of Now, Voyager , one must remember that it is a product of its time, a time when film producers (i.e. the studio) had much more of a say on the look of the finished film than the director. There are exceptions of course, and truly great directors were able to shine through the assembly-line style of work that was imposed on them.

There are glimpses of that in Now, Voyager , making it more than a makeover movie . Rapper manages to make us understand that Charlotte’s transformation is more than just the physical aspects. Even with the physical transformation on the cruiser, Charlotte feels insecure and ready to snap back into her old self because she has no trust in her own power. She feels alone. She is alone. She is used to being laughed at by her closest family members so it would make sense for her not to trust a complete stranger like Jerry. Thus, her post-breakdown radiance appears as a light from within, showing how it takes all the strength in the world to finally be able to say “I am not afraid!”, to look and feel like a sane and healthy person, almost unrecognisable from the anxious 30-something spinster aunt Charlotte Vale who has lived most of her life in the shadow of her tyrannical mother. Indeed, the film is more than a romance. In a time when mental health issues were solved with electric shocks, the understanding that mental health could be seen as truly an illness that requires patience and understanding was revolutionary.

Finally, this film is a Bette Davis vehicle, there is no doubt about it. For those who aren’t familiar with her work, it is a good introduction. Her Charlotte is vulnerable, mentally frail, but possesses a passion and strength that were not unfamiliar to Davis herself. Known in Hollywood for playing strong, willful ( Jezebel , Dark Victory , The Petrified Forest ), at times despicable ( The Letter ) and even evil characters ( The Little Foxes ), Davis adds a layer of latent independence that makes audiences root for Charlotte from the first scene. We don’t pity poor aunt Charlotte; we believe in her.

You might go in for Davis, but you will stay rooted to your seat for the other stellar performances in this film: Gladys Cooper (also nominated for an Oscar alongside Davis) is exquisitely wicked as the autocratic mother who has enslaved her only daughter. Paul Henreid is as smooth as a summer breeze, aptly cast as the love interest (audiences will know him as Victor Laszlo from Casablanca , released the same year). Claude Rains also shines, as the good doctor that throws Charlotte a lifeline, aiding her to find her trust in human interaction once again.

For a film made during the much-constricting Production Code, Now, Voyager is almost as sexy as a Pre-Code film, unveiling Charlotte’s inner fire and the complex relationship with Jerry through a set of extremely sensual glances between the two leads while they share a cigarette. Their understanding is complete, transcending sex but not excluding it. Smoking has never been or will ever be sexier. 

Now, Voyager is being released in UK cinemas nationwide. The BFI has also scheduled a full month of Bette Davis films, so if you’re in London in August, check it out. There are over 20 films spanning the 50+ year career of a Hollywood legend.

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Walt Whitman HS Day of Unity brings Muslims, Jews together

Jana Eizarkawy, 17, a junior from Walt Whitman High School, asks a question of Rabbi Lina Zerbarini, left, and Dr. Sara Siddiqui during the Day of Unity Friday. Credit: Rick Kopstein

As the two speakers, a Jewish rabbi and a Muslim pediatrician, wrapped up their presentation Friday, they asked the students gathered at Walt Whitman High School how they have met the challenges this year.

Kehillath Shalom Synagogue Rabbi Lina Zerbarini had just told the roughly 100 students from seven schools on Long Island attending the third annual Day of Unity conference that Dr. Sara Siddiqui, a pediatrician and Elwood school board member, reached out to her after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

“Sara was the first person outside of the Jewish community to call me and say, ‘I'm thinking about you. And I know this must be really difficult,’” Zerbarini recalled.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel responded with one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history; at least 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Neither the speakers nor the students shied away from talking about the conflict in the Middle East and its impact in the synagogues, mosques and schools here on the Island.

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In response to the speakers’ question, Rayan Afzal, 17, president of the Muslim Student Association at Half Hollow Hills High School West, said he and others noticed tensions among students after October. The teen said he could see how people eyed one another in the hallway.

So his organization reached out to the school’s Jewish heritage club, he said. In November, they held a vigil in the school courtyard for the innocent dead on both sides. Tension eased afterward, he said.

“We wanted to show that these people are your classmates, these people are your friends regardless of what's happening [thousands of] miles away,” he said. “You people are the same.”

When asking a question, Jana Elzarkawy, 17, a junior at Walt Whitman High School and a member of the Muslim Student Association, noted the starvation in Gaza. International experts have warned of imminent famine in northern Gaza.

“The first conversation you have … as a family when you break your fast on Ramadan is how there’s people in Palestine right now who can’t even break their fast,” she said. “They are eating grass” to survive.

As the Jewish community prepares for Passover, which begins Monday, Zerbarini said that is on the mind of many.

“One of the first things we say at the beginning of the Passover Seder is let all who are hungry come and eat,” the rabbi said. “Many people are saying, ‘How can we say that when there are so many hungry people? When one of the consequences of this situation is starvation?’ Many, many of us are feeling that.”

The Friday event was hosted by the Muslim Student Association of Walt Whitman High School, led by students Hawa Halimi, Shiza Rehman and Shaiza Cheema. This year’s theme is inclusivity, and the organizers said the event is to embrace diversity and build connections.

Principal John Murphy, who sent out invitations to high schools across the Island to participate, said he was glad to see the event grow with more schools attending. Even if students disagree, he thinks it's better to have that conversation in a structured, safe space.

“We can't run from conflicts that are going on in the world,” he said. In school, “it's in a place where we can support it.”

In recent months, relationships between Muslims and Jews — in some cases, friendships decades in the making — have been tested.

“It’s one of the hardest things — that sometimes we have to remember that we’re friends,” said Dr. Siddiqui, who met Zerbarini at a gathering of solidarity in 2019 in the wake of the shootings where 51 Muslim worshippers were killed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“Our shared humanity makes us feel pain whenever there's any pain,” Siddiqui said, turning to the rabbi before she continued. “You also reached out to me back. I think, you know, it's a two-way conversation.”

With The Associated Press

Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.

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