Bios

Palestinian Jerusalemites have made myriad and diverse contributions to their city’s history and community fabric. Here we profile some of those people—past and present; famous and obscure—whose lives and work and stories have helped shape the larger Jerusalem Story over time.
Jumana El Husseini

A Jerusalem artist in exile whose predominant themes revolved around depicting the city of her birth

Samia Halaby

A pioneer of abstract painting whose art has been exhibited in museums, galleries, and art fairs throughout the world

Mahmoud Shukair

A prolific novelist who was exiled from Jerusalem for almost two decades, yet says “Jerusalem is a part of me and I am part of Jerusalem.”

Find alphabetically by first letter of last name

Tawfiq Canaan

An epidemiologist, ethnographer, and institution builder who made foundational contributions to medicine and health care in Jerusalem and Palestine

Henry Cattan

A Jerusalemite jurist and lawyer who wrote widely on the status of Jerusalem and the Palestinian claim to Palestine