Lost homes of West Jerusalem

Silent March of Nakba Survivors, their family and supporters: May 11th, 2008

Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Nakba (the Palestinian 'catastrophe' when at least 800 000 people were forced out of their land), 200 people marched through the West Jerusalem neighborhoods of Talbiyeh to the Lower Baq'a - stopping along the way for families to talk about the histories of their homes; how they were built (often times by the grandfather or uncle), the memories of the neighbourhood before 1948, and how people fled after a massacre in a nearby hotel, or were slowly pushed out. Like most families in 1948 Palestine during the Nakba, their property was then deemed 'absentee property' by the new Israeli state and claimed as Israeli. Now these homes are part of an up-scale Israeli neighbourhood next to the Jerusalem Theatre, with very little being known about the history of this area by the new inhabitants. One of the homes still had the Arabic writing of the initials of the family, but the woman who came out to yell at us for being on her porch claimed to have always lived there.

Some of the people marching wore black t-shirts that said on one side 'Nakba Survivor' and on the other 'This is Our Home'. The organizers also handed out fliers with information about the Nakba, a map of the area including were the lost homes are, and the stories of families (i will try to scan and post this soon, it is a really beautiful flier). It was obviously a very emotional and sad day, but also very powerful marching through those neighbourhoods and ending with a speech by the daughter of a man that lost his house in the Lower Baq'a about how Palestinian refugees hold firm to their right to return to their land and homes - and that this was in the name of all those who are kept out of Jerusalem whether in the West Bank, Sabra and Shatila (Lebanon), Jordan, Europe or elsewhere (like Toronto)....