Jerusalem Notebook

Rediscover Jerusalem through a Palestinian lens.
Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? A Visit to Bassem’s Gallery & Café: Celebrating and Preserving Palestinian Culture

Bassem’s Gallery & Café is filled with Palestinian artifacts curated by Issam Bayan and his uncle, Bassem Hallak, both of the Palestinian African community.

The Palestine Festival of Literature Hosts a Unique Conversation on “Surviving Colonialism” in Jerusalem

The Palestine Festival of Literature returns after a four-year hiatus.

“Double Panopticon”: Amnesty International Slams Israeli Facial Recognition Surveillance

Amnesty International says Israel’s use of biometric and facial recognition surveillance supports apartheid.

Blog Posts

The West Side Story The Nakba as Experienced by a Jerusalem Child

The trauma of losing home and familiar ways of being in the world lingered with author Nina Bazouzi Cullers for decades after her family left Qatamon for the Old City. A book review.

The West Side Story An Israeli Prime Minister Now Lives in the Villa Salameh in West Jerusalem

Yair Lapid, Israel’s 14th prime minister, controversially moved into Villa Salameh in Talbiyya, the former home of exiled Arab Jerusalemite businessman Hanna Salameh.

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? Creator of Long-Beloved Children’s Puppet among Hundreds Facing Expulsion in Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood

Music educator and puppeteer Yacoub Abu Arafeh uses creative education to serve society and confront challenges, including those facing his own neighborhood, targeted for forcible expulsions. 

Book Review: Determined to Stay—A Deep Dive into the Nightmare That Is Childhood in Silwan

Silwan’s children are systematically attacked and terrorized to pressure families to leave the area, but the community is rallying to protect them.

The West Side Story Book Review: Karmi Memoir Tells Jerusalem Story of Loss and Rediscovery

A woman’s attempt to reconcile her English and Palestinian identities leads her to Jerusalem to search for the Qatamon home her family left in 1948.

Khazaaen Archive Celebrates Its Five-Year Anniversary

No piece of memorabilia is too trivial.

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? “I Wasn’t Born There; I Never Lived There, but I Was from There”

A Palestinian woman returns to Jerusalem to rediscover and reclaim her mother’s city for her.

Through a Child’s Eyes

The bulldozer arrived without warning and proceeded to demolish the home. A Photo Story