Laila Kassis had never heard of Skip Schiel’s photography before she was asked to talk at the reception in mid-May for the exhibit “The Ongoing and Relentless Nakba, the Palestinian Catastrophe of 1948 to the Present.”

Kassis, a Palestinian-American, said when she did see the 14 or so photos in the show, she noted how underwhelming it all was, given the subject. “It was very simple and innocuous.”

There was no big statement or in-your-face message, just photos of the everyday life of Palestinians and places they once called home.

But one image struck her in particular: It was a picture of two girls, around age 8 or 12, sleeping in the afternoon sunlight.

“The reason I selected the photo is the girls reminded me of my own daughter, who is 1l,” said Kassis, who was set to talk at the reception last month about her life as a Palestinian and what the image meant to her. The photo reminded her of her own family trips to her home town of Al-Rama in upper Galilee – the summer nights – and the love that her daughter felt when visiting.

“But another reason I picked the photo is it was of two girls who didn’t necessarily look Palestinian, but it looked like they could be any two girls from any country around the world. It looked like they could be a Palestinian and a Jew, side-by-side, and for me that was the most important emotion that it evoked,” she said. “I deeply believe in and want us to live together side by side in peace and harmony with everyone having their human rights respected and feeling that they are free.”

So Kassis said she was shocked and saddened when she got up to speak at the show at the Newton Free Library, and it was overwhelmed by protesters.

One man, she said, yelled out “terrorist!” several times at her and the other two Palestinian-Americans who were going to speak, and another person shouted, “rapist!” and she could hear profanities tossed at those who were part of the reception.

“People were booing and hissing and making noise so we couldn’t speak,” said Kassis. “I’m very saddened by the fact that people wanted to shut it down. … It’s not as if we came to make a statement.”

Instead, what they came to discuss was their perspectives as Palestinians, how they related to the photos of people and the places that were their former homes, and their sense of shared trauma: “Palestinians did experience a lot of trauma and continue to do so today.”

And, she said, insults thrown at her during the exhibit and other discriminatory and hateful language she’s heard from politicians and others over the past many months has been disturbing.

“You have to keep in mind some of the core pillars of our democracy. The right to free speech is first and foremost. The reason that our democracy works so well is that people can engage in civil discourse and debate and criticisms of government actions in a civil way. And it is so foundational to our democracy and our freedom that we can practice that right. I do think our leaders have a responsibility in the messages that they are sending to ensure people are able to protest and … express their views in a peaceful and constructive manner. And I do think that some of the rhetoric veers on enticing less-than-peaceful engagement, or entices the kind of discourse that leads to more divisiveness.”

As for Kassis’ children, her daughter and younger son, Kassis said she tries to shield them from some of the “harshest” language and that they were not at the reception. “I do believe my kids have an understanding of what’s going on. They do hear about some of it and see it. But I do believe they are pro-justice oriented.”

She said they know about the number of children killed by the Israeli military since the Oct. 7 attacks, and they are upset that people who try to speak out are shut down.

“I think there are many groups throughout history who have suffered, and I think it’s OK for them to come out and share that … with other people. I don’t think (people) should come out and protest that. … I believe that any group has the right to share their lived experience and their family history, without being protested for doing so.”

Kassis added that just because one group is going up and sharing its suffering, doesn’t mean that group is attacking another group.

“No, that’s not the case. All throughout history, people have suffered, people have been wronged. The only way to to move forward is by sharing and acknowledging that.”