al-Baq‘a

Blog Post 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?

A Palestinian who remained in West Jerusalem in 1948 recalls life there before and after the war. A book review.

Personal Story Falling Leaves Turn Back to Their Roots

The author reflects on growing up in al-Baq‘a during the British Mandate and her family’s experience of the Nakba.

Personal Story On Wings of Memory: Schmidt’s Girls School—Jerusalem’s Star School

The author recalls her happy years attending Schmidt’s School, before the Nakba, her brief visit years later, and what it meant to her.

Video “What Have I Forgotten to Tell You?” Featuring Abla Dajani

Palestinian Jerusalemite Abla Dajani pays a bittersweet visit to her family home in al-Baq‘a, West Jerusalem, which was seized by Israel in 1948 and given to Jewish ownership.

Feature Story “These Are Our Homes”: Visiting West Jerusalem’s Neighborhoods with Ibrahim Matar

Ibrahim Matar has made it his mission to record the history of the Palestinian properties in West Jerusalem, as he recently shared with friends on a walk there.

Backgrounder The West Side Story, Part 1: Jerusalem before “East” and “West”

Before 1948, Jerusalem was not split between an “East” and a “West.” Rather, a cosmopolitan, multiethnic New City grew organically out of the Old City.

Personal Story The Baq‘a Zone Ghetto: A Memoir of a Palestinian Jerusalemite Who Remained in West Jerusalem after the War

Jacob Nammar, whose family established the al-Nammamreh neighborhood in al-Baq‘a, shares the trauma his family went through in what became West Jerusalem.