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In this podcast we are joined from Gaza by teacher, storyteller and mother, Banyas Abu Harab, who focuses on educating, comforting and inspiring young learners in Gaza, even as the bomb blasts are audible above her voice. This is a very different insight into the reality of the ongoing Genocide in Gaza. Thank you, Banyas

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English Translation of the story Banyas tells in Arabic below

The Woodcutter and the Three Wishes

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a poor woodcutter.

Every day, he went into the forest to cut wood. He sold the wood to people in the village, just so he could feed his children at the end of the day.

One afternoon, while he was chopping wood, he suddenly heard a loud, strange noise.

He stopped, looked around, and saw a big, glowing blue light.

He didn’t know what it was, and he thought maybe it was going to rain.

Then, out of nowhere, he heard a deep, scary voice:

“Ask for anything you wish—I will give you three wishes!”

The woodcutter was surprised, but he quickly made his first wish.

“I want food for my children,” he said.

And just like that, a table full of delicious food appeared!

For his second wish, he said, “I want lots of money!”

The genie brought him piles of gold and coins.

For his third wish, the woodcutter said, “I want a big house for my family.”

In the blink of an eye, a beautiful, large house stood in front of him.

The woodcutter ran home happily and told his children the whole story.

But his children didn’t believe him.

He took them to the forest to show them the genie—but the genie was gone.

The woodcutter felt sad that his children didn’t see the magic.

Still, they all went back to their new home, ate the delicious food, and were very happy.

But as time passed, they spent all the money.

Soon, it was all gone, and the family became poor again.

The woodcutter went back to the forest to look for the genie and ask for more money—but the genie was nowhere to be found.

That day, the woodcutter learned a very important lesson:

Instead of asking for money, he should have wished for a good job, something that could help him earn and care for his family for a long time.

And that’s why we should never depend on magic or other people’s money.

We should work hard, believe in ourselves, and build our future with our own hands.

The woodcutter was kind—but he had been a little greedy.

Next time, he would make wiser choices—not just for himself, but for his children too.