Jaffa:
Bride of the Sea
Jaffa, the city of oranges and one of the oldest cities on the Mediterranean.
The Canaanites called it "Yafi," meaning beautiful. In season, the
colors of ripe oranges on the trees filled me with joy, as did the happy
rituals associated with picking and shipping the fruit across the blue
Mediterranean.
by Tamam Al-Akhal, 1997 http://www.palestinecalendar.org/march.html
Jaffa:
Harbor of Abundance
Our home was in the old City of Jaffa; its windows framed the clear blue sea. The bustle of the harbor intertwined with the ancient mellowed stone of the old buildings to form a mosaic of color and beauty. In the late afternoons, when the fishing boats returned home with their catch, the harbor teemed with life and excitement.Tamam Al-Akhal, 1997
Our home was in the old City of Jaffa; its windows framed the clear blue sea. The bustle of the harbor intertwined with the ancient mellowed stone of the old buildings to form a mosaic of color and beauty. In the late afternoons, when the fishing boats returned home with their catch, the harbor teemed with life and excitement.Tamam Al-Akhal, 1997
Uprooting
At dawn on April 28, 1948, armed Zionists over-ran Jaffa, and forced the townspeople out of their homes at gunpoint. The terrorized citizens were forced into boats and driven out to sea, pursued by a hail of Israeli bombs and bullets.Tamam Al-Akhal, 1998
Unholy
Alliance*
The
unconscionable and criminal conspiracy between the Zionists and Britain resulted in a floold of Jewish immigrants to Palestine. Palestinian land was seized and its resistance was brutally suppressed. A racist Israeli state was established on the ruins and destruction of the Palestinian homeland.
Tamam Al-Akhal, 1998
Challenge
We can compare our plight to the age-old sacred evergreen olive tree. Roots dug
deep into rocky land bespeak of our strong attachment to our ancestral country.
It's defiance of elements and time reflects our struggle against greater powers
and huge odds. We both endure, yet in the end we both survive.Tamam Al-Akhal,
2000
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The
Virgin
Jesus, according to the Quran, is believed to be a prophet sent by God. His
Palestinian mother, Virgin Mary, is believed to have delivered Jesus in
Bethlehem; making him a Palestinian also. In this painting, the Virgin Mary is
shown wearing a traditional dress from Bethlehem and Jesus' disciples are
dressed in the traditional Palestinian "qumbaz".Tamam Al-Akhal, 1987
Olives
and Oranges
To the Palestinians, the olive tree is sacred and blessed, and has become a national symbol. But Israel continues to uproot and destroy our olive trees in its ongoing effort to erase our heritage and our connection to the land. The famed Jaffa oranges also had filled European markets long before the creation of the State of Israel. But today, even as our oranges are described as "Israeli," we know that our Palestine will continue to be the source of giving, and our trees will continue to bear fruit, no matter what.Tamam Al-Akhal, 2004
To the Palestinians, the olive tree is sacred and blessed, and has become a national symbol. But Israel continues to uproot and destroy our olive trees in its ongoing effort to erase our heritage and our connection to the land. The famed Jaffa oranges also had filled European markets long before the creation of the State of Israel. But today, even as our oranges are described as "Israeli," we know that our Palestine will continue to be the source of giving, and our trees will continue to bear fruit, no matter what.Tamam Al-Akhal, 2004