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.
Khalil Raad

A prolific photographer whose body of work documented daily life in Jerusalem over six decades

Nahil Bishara

One of the few female artists who depicted Jerusalem in the mid-20th century

The West Side Story Hanna Safieh

Among the first Jerusalemites to use a camera professionally to document key historical events as well as everyday life in pre-1948 Palestine and beyond

Find alphabetically by first letter of last name

Health and Health Care Amin Majaj

A Palestinian physician and public servant who was the “father of pediatrics in Jerusalem”

The West Side Story Betty Dagher Majaj

A nurse from Lebanon who married a Jerusalemite and moved to the city right before the Nakba and embraced the responsibilities thrust upon her for caring for the sick, wounded, and disabled of the city over decades

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? Sliman Mansour

Sliman Mansour’s art symbolizes Palestinian resistance and identity.

Said Murad

Composer, oud player, and founder of the band Sabreen, which revolutionized Arab music and the Jerusalem music scene