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.

Find alphabetically by first letter of last name

Sami Hadawi

A foremost authority on Palestinian land ownership before 1948 who provided future generations with crucial documentation on the Nakba and Palestinian refugees

Anastasia (Asia) Halaby

A Palestinian Russian woman who worked for the British and Jordanian authorities, demanded political change, and established workshops for destitute women

Sophie Halaby

A pioneering artist of landscape watercolors whose life spanned most of the 20th century and whose work explored “the vision of Jerusalem”

Bayan Nuwayhed al-Hout

A Palestinian historian and researcher who vividly documented the atrocities of the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? Amin al-Husseini

A founder of the Palestinian nationalist movement; a devout, diplomatic, and popular leader who spent much of his career in exile

Hatem Ishaq Husseini

A professor of Islamic literature who returned to his birthplace, Jerusalem, after 25 years of exile to serve as the first president of Al-Quds University

Education Hind Taher al-Husseini

A formidable figure who dedicated her life to the care of orphans, education of girls and women, preservation of Palestinian culture, and social service

Jumana El Husseini

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

Representation Musa Kazim al-Husseini

Musa Kazim al-Husseini, the “undisputed leader of the Palestinian Arabs,” held important political positions in Jerusalem until his death at age 81

Representation Salim al-Husseini

Mayor of Jerusalem at the end of the 19th century who paved the streets and built the city’s public sewage system