Jerusalem Notebook

Blog Posts

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? Jerusalem Stands Alone

A loving portrait of a city and its people, mindful of a past that isn’t really past. A book review.

Jerusalem’s Public Kitchen: What It Says about Ottoman Governance

Documents setting up a 16th-century public kitchen in Jerusalem reveal much about the city’s social and economic conditions at the time. A book review.

Palestinian Narratives Silenced: The Story behind Israel’s Bookstore Raids

A military censor. Social media threats. Israel’s raid of the Educational Bookshop is just one more effort to silence Palestinian voices.

The West Side Story The Looting of Palestinian Jerusalem in 1948

A thorough historical study based on meticulous archival research debunks founding myths. A book review.

What Is Jerusalem? Uncovering the Other Jerusalem

A view of Jerusalem, not as a symbol of religiosity and conflict, but rather as a living city. A book review.

The West Side Story An “Ecumenical” Friendship in Mandate Palestine, Ruptured by Politics

A fascinating biographical account of an intimate interfaith friendship among five young adults in Mandate Palestine. A book review.

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? In the Presence of Mahmoud Shukair

We pay a visit to a master storyteller in his lifelong Jerusalem home.

Who Are the Palestinians of Jerusalem? Lessons of Our Elders: What They Lost When They Lost Jerusalem

What do Jerusalemites who were forced to leave their homes in 1948 tell their descendants about the place they lost?