Personal Story

Personal Story The End of Arab Qatamon—A Memoir

A vivid memoir attesting to what it was like to live through the violent transformation of the New City of Jerusalem into West Jerusalem in 1947–48

Personal Story “We Are All Mikey”

A Palestinian Jerusalemite shares his experience leaving the country through Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Personal Story For Karam, a Blue ID Is All He Needs—Israeli Citizenship “Is a Behavior-Controlling Tool” That He Eschews

For one young man, the permanent residency that eluded him in his youth is more than enough.

Personal Story Sitti’s Story

An innocent question posed in good faith changes a family’s legal status and that of all its descendants.

Personal Story Mai and Her Israeli Citizenship

Mai reflects on her reasons for applying for Israeli citizenship and the psychological and emotional cost of that decision.

Personal Story “How Can I Belong?”

Zayna finally sought Israeli citizenship so that she could live in her city without constant threat of deportation. But she still does not feel safe.

Personal Story “It’s Not My Village Any More”

A survivor of the Deir Yasin massacre tells her haunting story.

Personal Story A War without Chocolate

Betty Majaj, a nurse in Jerusalem, lived through the demise of the New City and its reincarnation into West Jerusalem. This is her story. 

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 as one of the few Palestinian families who remained.