the Tasa Muslim Cemetery in Jaffa: the fight isn't over yet

Many of Jaffa's religious Muslims are spending part of their day today at the Tasa cemetery, Jaffa's only active Muslim burial place.

The other, more ancient burial places are full and no longer in use.

The Tasa plot was donated by a wealthy family to the Jaffa Muslim Waqf, in order to serve the Jaffa Muslim community as a burial site. After the establishment of the state of Israel, the ministry appointed yes-men, who would serve the state's needs rather than those of the community. The yes-men sold property to the state without receiving the community's approval or by devious and misleading means, such as making people sign paperwork in Hebrew, which they couldn't read, not telling them WHAT they were actually signing. It appears money has gone into private pockets as well, so i am being told by many of Jaffa's elderly. who still remember those days.

Fact is that, so far, even with the help of "Bagatz" it has not been possible to receive an updated list of the Wafq property in Jaffa, what was sold to whom for how much and when, nor what property is still owned by the waqf.

What IS known, however, is that part of Tasa was sold to Jewishj developers. When the community found out, some 30 years ago, they took the case to court, trying to fight it. About a month ago, according to the High Court of Justice, the community lost. And if they owners will be stupid enough, they will soon start uprooting fresh graves, thereby upsetting the community.

If, while preparing construction anywhere in the country an ancient or not so ancient grave is found, construction is stopped. Graveyards are protected, respected, at least, when they are Jewish.
If anywhere in Europe construction is started on top of an (ancient) Jewish graveyard, it is called "anti-Semitism" in the Israeli media, questions are being asked by the Israeli ambassador in the respective country and much efforts are being put in preventing the construction.

Not so in Jaffa. And we are not talking about an old historical cemetery, but about a place where the Jaffa Muslim community buries its dead today. And they have is no alternative cemetery.

There ARE of course solutions to the problem. The Ministry of Religious Affairs in cooperation with the municipality and the land administration could offer the new owners alternative land. But will they?

If the construction plans will be carried out, they will lead to violence. And listening to what people say, the violence will be worse than what Jaffa has seen since 1949. People feel insulted. They feel this is done specifically to hurt them. Their direct family members are buried at Tasa. Today's murder victim will be buried there perhaps today or at the latest tomorrow. How insensitive to the community's needs can one be?
And if, indeed, the developers WILL select to disregard the feelings of the community, the reaction will be scary.
If they wish it, this violence is completely preventable.


Illustrative photograph

murder & violence, the sequel, as expected

"Bicuray Zion" is one of the silliest street names ever encountered in Jaffa. It's also the location of today's murder.
About a year ago i assisted a movie production team in finding a good location to shoot a certain scene supposed to be taking place in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. "Bicuray Zion" fitted the purpose just perfectly.

Even post delivery people have trouble locating this crooked, graffiti-covered alley somewhere off the Gaza (yeah :) , seriously, that's what it is called ) and Ehrlich Street crossing.
It's where very poor people live, those who have been treated roughly by life, a small alley with rules of its own.
I have friends there, a poor family, with 10 children, robbed of their only source of income; social security child allowance. When the food is finished before the next hand out, the kids go hungry except for their regular school dinner. Holidays and weekends are the worst, as school is closed.
This is poverty as many people think exists only in the third world.
But it's here, right on our doorstep, in Bikuray Zion alley.

And it is also the background of the murder that took place early this morning.
Muhamad Mashrawi, a 23 year old man from Jaffa was killed and two others wounded by shots.
As usual, the media will try to link it to the ongoing family feuds in Jaffa.

But what is really behind the violence on our streets, is poverty, a lack of chance, a lousy public school system, no employment options for the Jaffa's young Palestinian population, no housing options and the alienation and anger triggered by all of those.

Sure, there is tension between the families. But the anger and frustration, the undignified way society relates to Jaffa's young are important factors.
By stating it has to do with the family feuds, society can absolve itself of its responsibility; there probably will be increased border police presence in the streets over the next few weeks. the usual and inefficient reaction.

More money spent on education, creating job-opportunities, cancelling the ethnic transfer and building homes for Jaffa's Palestinians instead of villas for wealthy yuppies make more sense. Is anybody in the municipality listening?

The truly guilty are those making the policies that keep Jaffa's Palestinian population uneducated, poor. Who make people live in inhumane conditions under a constant threat of being evicted.

Stabbing at Jabaliya Beach

A seriously wounded young man was admitted, during the very early morning hours, to Wolfson Hospital. The young man, from East Jerusalem, had been stabbed at Jaffa's Jabaliya ("Givat Aliyah" as it is called in Hebrew) beach.
Especially during the late night hours, the beach is a popular hang out for Jaffa's young men. They like to smoke a water-pipe, have a drink and talk the night away. And sometimes discussions erupt, occasionally leading to fights.
At times, the location is selected to fight out discussions started elsewhere. The police are investigating.

Disease does not discriminate

Two months ago my friend Mariam, a young Palestinian women from the territories, needed urgent medical care.

She does not have a visa to say in Israel and no medical insurance. So she went to the free clinic run by "Doctors for Human Rights" in the area of the central bus station in Tel Aviv.
She received excellent medical care by the very friendly staff.
Over the years i have referred and accompanied more than a few friends in need of medical care to this wonderful clinic.
The clinic is of major importance to some of the most weakened communities in the country: migrant labourers, visa-less and insurance-less people, victims of trafficking in human beings and of course, refugees, many of them , over a hundred per day.

The clinic was closed about 2 weeks ago.
The relatively small clinic, run by a volunteer medical staff can no longer cope with the ever increasing flow of refugees in need of urgent medical care. They do not have the ability to treat so many people per day; there are not enough professional staff, equipment, rooms, medicine etc.
so instead volunteers accompany the ill refugees to the emergency wards of the hospitals in the area.
The health of so many people is not a problem to be taken care of by an NGO, responsibility should be taken by the government.

Yet the ministry of health refused to take the responsibility on itself, even in such cases as are demanded by international conventions signed by the the state of Israel.

The number of people lacking medical care in the country is growing.
This is NOT a matter of money, but of human rights. Diseases can attack anyone, they do not discriminate between skin-colour, race, ethnic group or religion. The ministry of health quite obviously does.
And that scares me. And angers me.

Arrests in Jalal Shakra Murder Attempt Case

Last Saturday evening a volley of shots was heard in the "shem hagdolim" public housing estate in Jaffa.
About a month ago Jalal Shakra's car was set on fire. This time things got more serious:
Jalal Shakra had been sitting with a friend in his car. The shots broke the window and lightly wounded Jalal's friend in his arm.
The friend was taken for medical treatment to nearby Wolfson hospital. Jalal got off with a scare.

The police started their investigation and an arrest was made, a 21 year old man. No other details are available as yet.

Land Day in Jaffa - Yom El Ard, YomHadama

Over one thousand people marched in Jaffa, against the ethnic cleansing carried out by big money in close cooperation with the public housing companies and the municipality. Representatives from all factions in Jaffa and beyond stood together, united. Jaffa's people, women, men and children, marched together for the future of their city, for their own future.
"Together we will stop the bulldozers", "The municipality destroys, the community builds" were some of the slogans carried by the participants.
After the march we convened in the park on Yefet Street, "Gan HaShanyim", where representatives from the various groups making up the Jaffa "popular committee against home demolitions" and political parties spoke about what they believe Jaffa's future should be. From sheikh Raed Salah, through Balad Knesset member Dr. Jamal Zehalka, "City for us all" (עיר לכולנו) representative Dov Khenin and Knesset member sheikh Ibrahim Sarsur to activist Reuven Abergil, of Panther fame, the message was clear: Jaffa is for its people, who will not move.

"I Am Rachel Corrie" at the Arab Hebrew Theatre

The play "I am Rachel Corrie", based on Rachel's diary and letters she sent home and to friends during the period she was in the Gaza strip until she was killed there, was performed by the "Al Midan Theatre" at the Arab Hebrew Theatre in Jaffa tonight.
Rachel, an American citizen, was a peace activist serving as a human shield in order to save people's lives in the Gaza strip during the second intifade.

Rachel's parents were present at the première which took place in the framework of the Women's Festival opened today at the theatre.

In addition, "the Wild West" and "Death Song" will be presented in the framework of the festival.

This Friday at 14.00 in Jaffa: the Land Day Demonstration

The main land-day demo will take place in Jaffa, this friday, at 14.00, starting point in "Toulouse" Park (next to the Arab Jewish community center)

Back to the ma'aberot, one more Nimby in Jaffa

The Tel Aviv municipality has started to construct a tent camp in Jaffa, a refugee camp basically, for the many homeless refugees from Darfur and Eritrea currently staying in the over-crowded and dangerous shelters and the park in the area of Tel Aviv's central bus station.
Yes, it is about time the establishment takes responsibility for care for the many refugees who have come into the country from Egypt.
There is not only a moral obligation to do so, but a legal one as well: the state of Israel signed the various relevant international agreements relating to the rights of refugees and it is about time those rights were fully recognized: visa, health, welfare, adequate housing, employment , education for the children as well as language studies for the adults and perhaps vocational training for those in need of it etc. etc. and of course financial assistance until the refugees find employment and will be able to fend for themselves.

There is no doubt NGO's can no longer take that responsibility: the sheer numbers and depth of distress of the people coming in from the hell that Darfour and Eritrea have become, demand state intervention and responsibility in the form of a well-integrated absorption and assistance plan. The refugees are not a "short term problem" that will go away if you do not think about it. Such a plan should relate to the short, mid and long-term problems and solutions.

The state, instead of what was mentioned in some publications about providing every refugee with 2000 NIS to help him or her with housing and first expenses, is not actually doing anything.
The Tel Aviv municipality, faced with a major humanitarian and health crisis (last week a shelter caught fire and by sheer luck there were no major incidents nor wounded), decided to do something, which is great. To take some responsibility, excellent.
But why build a ma'abera (transit camp)? And if that is the only solution, why in the already weakened south of the city, in Jaffa?
Moreover, those responsible for it, will be the Jaffa welfare department (according to Ha'aretz), who already are over burdened and under staffed. Already their level of functioning is way below what i would call merely adequate.

One more NIMBY in Jaffa. It's unfair both to the refugees and the Jaffa population.

Why not construct the tent camp in north Tel Aviv? I can think of some excellent, large, green locations which already have the necessary basic infrastructure. More over, there are good bus-lines, excellent schools and health clinics in those areas, so why not?
But it is municipal election year and it's the guys in the north who vote for Huldai no? I guess that's why.

When thousands of new migrants from the USSR arrived some 15 years ago, caravan camps were established as a first line of housing solution. Rightfully, this solution was criticised and funny enough the majority of the people sent to those caravan camps were Ethiopian migrants. Now it's a tent camp, they are constructing. Back to the fifties.
Would skin colour have anything to do with it?

Girls in Gaza and Shderot, International Women's Day

The Women for Peace Coalition had planned its main demonstration yesterday in Tel Aviv. Palestinian and Jewish women planned to march together, for peace and equality, along the Tel Aviv beach promenade.
Women from all over the country had planned to participate, buses arriving from all over.
The permit, previously provided by the police, was retracted; the police would not be able to provide protection because of "the situation".

At the the very last moment, unwilling to entirely cancel the event, the march was moved to Nazareth.
Handing out white and red carnations to bystanders some thousand women (and a few men) marched along Nazareth's main street, chanting for a peaceful solution to the conflict as well as for equal rights. Afterwards, a short convention took place in the "Friendship House".

One wonders what the cancellation of the demonstration permit really means. If the police think a peaceful women's demo in Tel Aviv is something they cannot take responsibility for, they have a problem. We have a problem. Of course it might also be that "someone" does not want it to be seen that women, Palestinian and Jewish that is, women cooperate.
After all, a demo like that in a central location would have attracted a lot of attention. The last minute move to Nazareth meant there was little press presence.
Also, many women were unable to attend.


For those unable to read Hebrew, the sign reads "In Gaza and Shderot, girls want to live".

Stop the horror in Gaza!

Peaceful demonstration in Jaffa today at 18.00 at "Gan HaShanayim" against the horror in Gaza

Yes, i am aware rockets are falling in Sderot and Ashkelon and that's awful and horrid, yet NOTHING justifies what the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza strip. there is only one word for what the IDF is doing in the Gaza strip: war-crime.

It's about time we sat down and talked. Yes: talked to Hamas.

Back to the Ottoman Era?

Once upon a time (and for quite a few centuries), Jaffa was the central government town of a peripheral province of the Ottoman empire.
The Turkish leaders had their offices in the "Seraya Building", the government house, just opposite the Mahmoudieh mosque. A special beautifully decorated entrance to the mosque was made opposite the Seraya building, so the governor and his guests only had to cross the market square in order to go and pray in what at the time was Jaffa's main mosque.
Clock-tower square was Jaffa's main square, from which coaches left to all parts of the empire. There were market stalls mostly selling vegetables and cafes, where well to do men would drink their coffee, play sheshbesh and exchange gossip or make business.
Close by were the jewellery stores of the Chelouche family and in the second half of the 19th century Boustrous street (today's Raziel street) was constructed, Jaffa's fancy stores and offices street.
Early in 1905 the clock-tower was constructed.

In 1918, at the end of the Ottoman empire and the beginning of the British Mandate, the Turks left Palestine.
Over time the Seraya building became a soup kitchen for poor children and the municipality moved to its new premises on Nouzha Boulevard (today's Jerusalem Boulevard), whereas the Brits had their offices in the area behind what is now the "Noga" theatre.
During the forties, the lovely Seraya building was bombed by Jewish terrorists and most of it was left in ruins.
Over the last few years the building complex is being renovated and it seems a little of Jaffa's Ottoman past is being resurrected, as the Turkish Cultural Center is about to open in what used to be the Ottoman Seraya Building.

Reuven Abergil released after shabak interrogation

Ron Hulday, the Jaffa - Tel Aviv mayor, is getting worried. In November this year the municipal elections will take place. Hulday serves his wealthy cronies well, yet in the south of the city more and more people are loosing their patience.
After many years of being oppressed and discriminated against, they have had enough. The demolition of several houses in Kfar Shalem some weeks ago and the 495 eviction orders and demolitions in Jaffa are simply too much.

This wednesday Reuven Abergil was questionned by Israel's internal security forces (shabak). After having been questioned and his fingerprint taken, they released him. So much for the freedom of speech. Criticizing Hulday has become a dangerous activity.

Abergil, an educator and life long social activist who was among the founders of the Black Panter movement in Israel, spoke during a demonstration against the evictions and demolitions. Reuven Abergil wants to prevent violence. "It is the municipality who are violent", he said. "And this violence may eventually lead to violent reactions. Children who see their home destroyed, and their parents forcefully evicted, may well become traumatized and this trauma, in combination with prolonged discrimination, may eventually lead to them reacting in a violent way". Abergil's words were taken out of context by a Tel Aviv weekly and Hulday felt threatened and complained Reuven Abergil had threatened him, no less!

The eviction and home demolitions of the homes of tens of families from Kfar Shalem are acts of extreme violence against people who have been forced to give up their strength.
It's the shabak who are using techniques of intimidation to put a stop to certain social activities, thereby limiting free speech .

Murder next to school in Ajami

The children inside the "Hasan Arafe" primary school heard the volley of shots, just when they were supposed to go home. Their teachers decided to keep them inside for a little longer, in order to find out what was going on in the street, just to make sure everything is safe.

Hani Shurafi, aged 19, was killed this afternoon and an elderly bystander wounded in Kedem Street, close to the "Torcina" waterpipe cafe, opposite the Hasan Arafe primary school.

The victims were taken by bystanders to nearby "Wolfson" hospital.

"Please Touch"

Yesterday evening i went with some Jaffa friends to "Not by bread alone", a performance at the "Please Touch (נא לגעת) theatre in the Jaffa harbour.
"Na Lagaat" (please touch) is a theatre group of 11 blind and deaf actors' assisted by translators in sign and touch language.
"Not by bread alone" is a play consisting of a series of sketches based on the actors' dreams, while bread is being made by them on stage.
Some of the actors, as they were born deaf and later became blind have difficulty expressing themselves through regular speech.
Seeing the play one wonders about limits of expression, and how to overcome those. In that sense the actors are amazing and very courageous.
Some scenes from of the play is visually beautiful, but as a whole, it's a problematic performance, suffering from too much nostalgia and an over-romanticised view of a world that perhaps never was. But then, perhaps it is not fair to judge the play using regular critical tools. However, i don't think the actors are the problem. The visually beautiful scenes are prolonged, thereby loosing some of the magic that was present at the first instance. It's the story, the play itself, that doesn't "work". And that is no fault of the actors, whom i admire.

The words spoken at the end by the company's (an NGO) manager were problematic and not necessary.

The derogatory manner in which he expressed himself about the Jaffa harbour, "which will be saved by the throngs of people coming from Tel Aviv, as right now it is a bunch of "jiffa", were insulting to us, all from Jaffa.
No doubt, it's wonderful if and when dance groups and theatres will use some of the unused warehouses in Jaffa's harbour. Yet Jaffa doesn't need "loads of Tel Avivians" to come and save it and "replace the Jiffa with kultura".

At the theatre there are 2 other special culinary experience options: a restaurant "Blackout", where food is served in complete darkness by blind waiters and a cafe, "Capiche" , where service is carried out by deaf waiters and the guests are given the experience to order trying to use sign language (instructions on the menu and the place mats) , which was fun to try and experience.
The food at "Blackout" is by Nir Zook, which is promising, but we haven't tried it as yet.
The theatre-restaurant complex itself is located in a beautifully renovated harbour warehouse.

Wikileaks censored?

Wikileaks was (or is?) a site publishing, well, leaks.
Documents put online by people who thought it important to share materials that NEEDED to be leaked, to safeguard democracy, to show what is really going on.
Information about major bank frauds in Kenya, about what's going on in Guantanamo, about Iraq...

No longer so. Wikileaks appears to be down
By court order , so Alternet informs us. Democracy right?

But, the creators foresaw censorship, so the leaking continues elsewhere

Tension in Jaffa around Desecration of the Muslim Graveyard

Some 35 years ago the waqf of the Muslim graveyard in Abu Qabir sold the land. For a lot of money.
The waqf had been appointed by the Ministry of the Interior and they ofcourse selected people who would serve THEM rather than the Jaffa Muslim community they were supposed to serve.
The sale was made without even asking the community.
But the community was not silent, as expected. they took the sale to court and after a lengthy fight they lost. Last week.
Apparently the developers expected to be able to continue the destruction of Jaffa. Not only the living, but even the dead aren't respected. The only graveyard serving the community is about to be partially destroyed in order to contruct private dwellings on it.
To quote Alain Fleisher "the death of death".
But things in Jaffa have changed. Some 35 years ago the appointed Waqf could, perhaps, do what they wanted. No longer so.
There is extreme anger amongst Jaffa's community. Not only the religious and not only the Muslims. It is one of the first times all of the community are joining in a unified fight.

On the one hand, it makes me a little sad that the struggle for housing did not unify people. After all, viable housing solutions for the living are of a critical importance for the community, for Jaffa.
Yet at the same time it's good to see people from so many different groups and movements, who under normal conditions don't even talk to each other, unified for the good of the community.
Construction on the graveyard land will NOT serve Jaffa's people.

Yet another eviction order...

H. is 88 years old. A very gentle man, but his memory isn't what it used to be. Alzheimer, so they say.
His smile lights up his face and his little grand daughter loves him.

Amidar, the public housing company decided to evict him from his home.
Why? Only hell knows, and apparently Amidar. Or maybe they and hell are more or less the same.

Sick child robbed of life saving electricity

M is 5 years old, a friendly, funny child, rather small for his age.
His mother and brothers and sisters live in a flat they squatted many years ago. M suffers from a severe form of asthma, and needs inhalation every 5-6 hours in order to breathe.

His kindergarten teacher is not able to provide the inhalation and as a result, M is at home all day long. His mother has to take care of him and as a result , she cannot work.
Her ex-husband stopped paying alimony and for reasons of bureaucracy, she has not yet started receiving social security.
Medicine and food are more important than paying the electricity bills, leading to a debt. With as a result she was cut off from the grid half an hour ago.
So was her neighbour, the single mother of a 1 week old baby.
Normally neighbours' lend a hand in these cases, but the whole building has been cut off.

For M this means danger, he cannot survive without inhalation.
His mother asked the electricity company guy to come upstairs and see for himself.
He refused.

The electricity company people were accompanied by two border police goons.

Jaffa, winter 2008

Jaffa Harbour

Jaffa's harbour is ancient. Some say about 5000, others about 4000 years old. Archaeological digs in the area found stone implements, suggesting the ea very early human presence of fishermen.
The riffs that protect the harbour's entrance have been there, well, for ever. Thousands of years.
They protected the developing town and its people.
It used to be one of the main ports in the area.
In ancient times, when navigation tools weren't that developed yet, boats stayed in sight of the Mediterranean shoreline and its harbours were found more or less on a day's shipping distance. Jaffa was part of the eastern Mediterranean port-chain of Gaza, Ashqelon, Jaffa, Apolonia, Caesaria, Acre etc.
Control over a harbour meant control over the surrounding area as well as economic wealth. And Jaffa, with its natural springs and fertile lands around it, became wealthy.
The riffs and rocks made it dangerous to enter for any one who didn't know the entrance of the harbour very well. Jaffa is high, and therefore relatively easy to defend against a sea-faring enemy.
Jaffa became wealthy and the harbour was the center of activities: fishing and the orange trade.
Durng the Ottoman era the harbour was developed.
But already in the early 20th century the natural defence walls of the harbour started to present a problem: as ships grew taller and taller, they could no longer enter the harbour. They used to anchor outside and small boats would come alongside, to carry people and products to and from the shore.
Over time other harbours (Haifa and Ashdod) took its place, although it stayed active as an international and shipping harbour until the late 1950-ies.
Today it still is an active fishermen's harbour. In addition there are activities for Jaffa's children, such as the sea scouts, a sea canoeing business, and some small fish-restaurants.


Yet the municipality wants to turn it into a relaxation and commerce area, like the Tel Aviv harbour.
And that's where the difference lays, the Tel Aviv harbour, constructed in the 1930-ies, was no longer in use. A dead area of rotting empty warehouses and suspicious activities. There wasn't a single boat making use of it.
The Jaffa harbour is still active, used by Jaffa fishermen for whom it is the source of their families' income. By turning it into a fancy harbour for the wealthy, the fishermen will loose their income. Already it is impossible for the young generation t get a new fishing boat licence.

The renovation plans are ready and the development has started. I'm not against renovation and development, on condition it serves the local population first of all.
Archaeological digs stopped the development. That's usual in Jaffa; when you start developing, you find ancient remains and all development has to stop until the archaeology department has defined what needs to be salvaged and how and what may be destroyed.
Ancient harbour constructions were found, but they are being covered again. Apparently cafes and restaurants for the wealthy are more important than saving Jaffa's past and its people's present source of income.
There has been a public outcry, the findings should be kept open, so people can learn about the harbour's history. Supposedly the findings are being covered for safety sake. But exeperience has tought us, the municipal development plans will continue, money is stronger and Ron Huldai, the mayor, first of all serves big money, not the city's people.

More info

The Hamad Family Home in Ajami was Destroyed Today.

They lived in 4 Sarid Street, a "stonethrow" from my home; a family with children. A simple structure with an asbestos roof, the Hamad family home.

That was until tonight, as the Hamads are out on the street. And it isn't too cold right now, but winter wil be returning tomorrow, so the forecast says.

It doesn't really matter, they are homeless now, the Hamad family.

The police arrived around ten this morning. The family had not been given a demolition order (as they should have, by law). A family member who dared to protest was wounded by the police. who cordoned off the area, stating it is closed, due to the presence "dangerous materials" (that's the asbestos, i suppose).
The bulldozers came and the work was carried out quickly. No more home.
Apparently the family had a lawyer, who tried to put up a fight. As the family had not contacted the popular committee against home demolitions, no one knew about it and only few demonstrators managed to come to prevent the demolition.

The police serving big money as usual. Who cares about the people?

Hamad home being demolished now, we need people there

Just received news the Hamad home is being demolished.
People are needed to help the family at Sarid Street in Jaffa

update will follow

Stormy weather

A strange noise and then a very loud bang. Some screams. My neighbours' roof just blew off.
The wind is crazy out there.
Just got home from a meeting, barely able to walk against the direction of the wind. My umbrella joined its many twisted sisters in a garbage can, to be immediately blown out of it.
Not much rain most of the time, but the fierce blasts of wind coming from changing directions play havoc with sub boilers, antennas, and yes, roofs.

Perhaps that better to listen to then the news broadcast on the Winograd commission...

Jaffa, winter 2008

Sedaka Reut Update

Just heard the news: the Sedaka Reut cultural center, located in the bomb shelter in "Gan HaShnaym in Yefet Street will stay open at least until January 2009!!!

During this time, they can apply for another space.

It;s always nice to win a fight :)

And yet another shooting incident in Jaffa

Around 17.00 this afternoon shots were fired from a passing motorcycle into a passing car in Chihatly street into a red Mitsubishi car. Not one quiet day. The police are investigating.

There have been more shooting incidents this week in Jaffa. Does it ever stop? A stupid question apparently with a known answer. No it won't. Until something changes. How? Now that IS a good question.

"System Ali " fighting for their Culture Space Shelter

A bomb shelter, turned cultural center for kids in Jaffa, packed with over a hundred activists of many ages and varied backgrounds. Many people are waiting outside; inside it's standing space only, sardine style, but who cares. The music is great, the sound somewhat less so, it's hot and the atmosphere has turned from angry into hopeful.
Hip hop music in Arabic, Russian and Hebrew, and a young Palestinian girl, an 18 year old Palestinian poet who writes mostly in Hebrew, a Russian kid: all performing under the name "System Ali", playing their own music or that of others (e.g. Yehuda Poliker's song about Jaffa) with their very own twist, giving the song a meaning Poliker probably never intended.

The shelter is located in "Gan HaShnaym", Yefet's little public garden, named for "the Two"; some years ago a terrorist attacked a group of school kids on their way to an activity. A local Palestinian man heard the kids' screams from his work, ran outside and tried to protect the kids. He was killed in doing so. He saved many of the kids, but his help came too late for one young girl. Both she and him were killed, therefore the public garden was named for both: the "Garden of the Two".

Public bomb shelters are kept in good shape, they may be necessary in some near future after all, yet at the same time, many are handed out, in days of relative calm and peace, to artists, social groups etc. by the municipality
The Jaffa-based Arab Jewish youth movement "Sedaka-Reut" turned 'their shelter" which they have rented for over three years, into a cultural centre for Jaffa's young, who come there to make music, theatre, photography, art, graffiti and more.

But if the municipality gets their wish, not for much longer. They have decided to kick out the children: over 150 kids who come to the centre every week to make art together, to talk, to enjoy life. Children from some of Jaffa's less advantageous areas, whose families do not have the means to send them to the art groups and workshops at the very expensive community centre, will be left with no where to go.

Simple. Why?
The truth is, it probably has a lot to do with the fact the municipality does not like the involvement of some of Sedaka Reut's people's involvement in the fight against the home demolitions and evictions.
Ron Hulday never was very subtle.

Last saturday the municipality advertised in Ha'aretz that artists may apply to receive a bomb shelter for studio use. Sp system Ali and Sedaka Reut are kicked out for what?

The Ethnic Cleansing of Jaffa

Oreib's stepson, Nabil, his wife Hayat and their 2 young children were forcefully kicked out from what used to be the family's home at 4 HaEtrog Street in Jaffa.

Their story can be told in dry words or in tearful detail, but little can be done about it now.

What is amazing , is the ease of carrying out the ethnic cleansing of Jaffa, bit by bit, home by home.

Tough words. Yes, indeed.
But all too true.

Earlier this week, Sunday morning, the Tel Aviv peace court. Attending are the judge, Avi Shalev, SH's lawyer and a lawyer representing Amidar, the public housing company, called Amihay. SH is threatened with eviction from his Jaffa home at Yefet street.

After the official part was finished and all of us were gathering our things, about to leave the court, the judge turned -informally- to lawyer Amihay and asked him why Amidar are undertaking all these evictions. After all it is a lot of legal work which costs much money. As most of the evicted people are very poor, after the eviction, that same company Amidar(or the one of the other public huosing companies) will have to provide them with alternative housing or rent subsidy, so what is the point? Moving people from one home into another at great cost, why?

Amihay's answer exposed the ugly truth: "well, we (Amidar) sell the Jaffa home for a lot of money, and with that money we can buy 3-4 flats in Lod, so we can move "them" to Lod."

Right, get rid of Jaffa's poor Palestinian population, said loud and clear.
Wrong, violent racism, (ab)using the law. that's what it is.

Etrog Home Eviction Update

Oreib was forcefully evicted from her home on HaEtrog Street last Thursday. Her husband's son, his wife and their two children were able, so far, to stay in the home as the eviction order didn't mention them.

Oreib moved into a tiny flat lacking hot water, with broken windows. The flat is opposite a methadone hand-out centre for drug-addicts, who hang around in entrance and the staircase leading to her flat. As a result, Oreib is scared going out. She's a widow. living alone. When she needs to leave the house or return to it, she calls one of her late husband's children (she was his second wife, they didn't have any children) to come and be with her as she's scared being by herself in the staircase .

However, her stepson Nabil, his wife Haya and their 2 children are still living in the house, as their names didn't appear on the eviction order. The legal fight for them continues.

Two people killed in traffic accidents on Jaffa's Jerusalem Boulevard

Six-year old Eitan Sinay got with his mother off the bus on Jerusalem Boulevard and slipped, falling underneath the bus. The bus driver didn't notice, closed the doors and started driving, mortally wounding Eitan, who died a short while after.

Ali Azazme, a Jaffa resident in his early fifties, was hit by a bread delivery truck during the early morning hours. in the same street. He died immediately.

Yesterday, Jaffa, winter 2008

During the year 2007 several people were killed in traffic accidents along Jerusalem boulevard, one of Jaffa's main streets. Many, but not all, were pedestrians.

People needed NOW in HaEtrog Street in Ajami

Oreib is about to be kicked out of her home, right now

Those of you willing to help, please go to 4 HaEtrog Street NOW, thursday afternoon, to prevent yet another eviction in Jaffa.

Another home about to be lost in Jaffa

Ajami, 4 HaEtrog Street, Oreib's home, for more than 20 years.
She moved into the home after she married her husband. He died some years ago, and as a widow, she stayed on in her home of over 20 years.
They didn't have children, but her husband had kids from his first marriage.

One of the sons, his wife and young kids moved in with Oreib, altogether 5 people lived in the 5 room apartment, which is in a bad condition, due to a lack of maintenance work by Halamish, the public housing company who officially manage the property.

Originally the family owned another home in Ajami, which they were forced to leave after that home had been declared "dangerous". Halamish, the public housing company, decided the 5 room apartment, in which Oreib resides legally, is too large for a widow, and want her to move into a tiny 1 room apartment on Jerusalem Boulevard.

But Oreib isn't alone, besides, the house is her hme, in ajami, where all other children live as well. Her flat isa family home.

But Halamish don't care about all that. They can make a lot of money on Oreib's flat. After all, ajami is turning into a fancy neighborhood.

Who cares if 5 souls loose their home?

Another murder attempt in Jaffa, about 30 minutes ago

A short burst of machine gun fire. A dog started barking. Everyone ran outside.
Several gun shot holes in the car. The youngest Sakhafi boy, they say.
I don't know his medical condition, but the condition of the car leaves very little to guess.
Jaffa.... Yet another victim of the ongoing violence

The "Jaffa Conference"

Today the "Jaffa Conference" will open at Jaffa's Arab Jewish Community Center, aka our local matnas.
There isn't a real connection between Jaffa and the conference's name, apart from the fact that it takes place in Jaffa. there is almost nothing on the program that has to do anything with Jaffa.
This year's topic is "mixed cities". Right, mixed cities. So how come there was nothing in the original program about what is happening in Jaffa? In the end, under pressure, the organizers agreed to have Sami Bukhari from the popular committee against home demolitions participate in one of the panels. In the light of what happened this week in Kfar shalem, our future looks bleak and scary.
What do they mean when they say "mixed city"? Is that a phase from pre 1948, pre Naqbe Palestinian Jaffa to an all Jewish Jaffa, the future "dream" of the developers and real estate creeps?

Or is it something else?

And in the mean time in Kfar Shalem.... 30 homeless families

Last the night the police arrested the men from Kfar Shalem. I never knew that preventive arrest was legal here. After all, they had (not) yet done a thing. So much for democracy. I alsways thought arrests could only be made after one has been declared a suspect of a crime actually committed!. But i suppose the police wanted to make certain their job would be easy today. After all, in the past when they came to carry out an eviction order, they killed one of the young men, who had climbed on the roof of his home, in order to prevent its destruction. The men was shot by the police. Point blank. I call it murder.
So they arrested the men. To make today's work easier i suppose.

Kfar Shalem is located in today's south Tel Aviv on the ruins of a Palestinian village, Kufr Salame. Kufr Salame was left in 1948 by its original inhabitants who were extradited. The naqbe, the catastrophe.

In the late forties - early fifties poor migrants were told to go there and live in the houses that stood empty. They settled in the houses, planted gardens , had children and slowly Kfar Shalem as it was now called, turned into a neighbourhood. A poor one, but a lively and happy one.

Then real estate developers became interested and, after a long, fruitless legal struggle, the people were ordered to move out. The land had been bought and they should find themselves somewhere else to live.

This morning the bulldozers arrived and thirty families, many with young children, became homeless.

I'm sure Ron the Ratty One is happy!
My heart is with the families of Kfar Shalem.

Carnival censorship, "We must be cheerful, mustn't we?"

Yefet street is pretty much packed. A few local people from Jaffa, the majority from elsewhere, parents, children. The weather 's nice. "Gan HaShenaym" is packed. Kids sit on the grass, watching a theatre performance. The shelter normally operated by Sedaka Reut, a Palestinian Jewish youth movement who use it as a music studio for Jaffa's children, has been turned into a "hapak" the Hebrew acronym for "heder pikud kidmi", the front-line war room, all nicely along the militarized lines of Israel's civil society. Language is a give away. Police men and women run around. There are a few border police men as well and of course loads of employees from private guard companies.

Along Yefet there are stalls on both sides, selling "pitchifkes", small, gaudy and too expensive. The stalls belong to people from elsewhere. Except for one or two, run by stores along the way, none are local. The restaurants are packed. At least they are doing good business.
We didn't want to ruin the festivities for our local business women and men, so decided to put up small posters along the way, reminding the visitors of approaching home destructions in Jaffa. The maps are similar to those handed out by the municipality, only instead of dots showing the locations of the participating restaurants, we put little bulldozers.
Someone took the posters down, systematically. One by one. Only in a few cases, they didn't do their job in a thorough manner. The maps, showing little bulldozers where houses are about to be demolished have been torn down, but not entirely.
We must be cheerful after all; Ron Huldai, the mayor, wishes us all a happy holiday.

So what if 496 families will soon be homeless? Be Happy!!

Carnival, festival or what?

Tomorrow, between 9.30 - 18.00 there is suppsed to be a carnival in Jaffa. In Ajami, to be precise, on Yefet (Hilwe) Street.
In Haifa they have the festival of festivals in Wadi Nisnas, celebrating Eid elAdha, Hanukkah and Christmas. The Tel Aviv municipality apparently thought that what's good for Haifa, is good also for Jaffa, and decided to have a street party. Especially with municipal elections coming closer, Ron Huldai, the major, needs to show he means well, after all, he latest remarks about sustainable housing were less than convincing for Jaffa's less affluent people.
So we're gonna get a party, organised by the municipality.

Quite truthfully, i like parties. And street-parties are even better. Besides, Ajami's businesses can do with some additional income.
But there is something very cynical about this one.
Faced with 496 eviction and demolition orders, we have little reason to be happy in Jaffa. And the municipality is behind much of this. It's part of their policy.

So we'll let the visitors know, we'll use this opportunity to tell them about what is really happening in Jaffa, so they'll look beyond the Christmas trees and children's drawings gracing the streets of Ajami. I hope the visitors will receive at least some understanding of what is truly happening here.

Bread & Tears

Last night i went to buy few things at my local grocery store (yes, in Jaffa they're open most of the night as well). I was chatting with Hussein, the owner.
Hussein only works the night shift now. He spends his days working in a soup kitchen for the poor. Husseins grocery was robbed a few times over the last few years, so Hussein got himself a gun. Someone must have ratted. The police came, found the gun and the court sent Hussein to a few months of "volunteering in the community", instead of a prison sentence.
A woman in her fifties came to pay for a bag of milk and a "standard" bread (lehem ahid). When she heard the price, she was certain there Hussein had a mistake, but no, now that the price of standard bread is no longer controlled, the price has gone up to 6 NIS.
I asked Hussein, as i thought the price of standard bread was still controlled. "No, they demand much more now, i don't make money on it", he answered.
The woman asked if she could buy half a bread. The Ministry of Health doesn't allow that for some reason or other, hygiene apparently. She asked for the price of the bread she was holding close once more. "Six shekel", Hussein said. She put back the bread. "I don't have enough money", she said, "how can they, six shekel for a bread." She paid for the milk and then started crying. Hussein added the bread to her bag and told her to go (Hussein's is like that, he's never refused when i asked for his assistance for this or that family i came across, i guess his grocery store makes money because of his wife and daughter who run it during the daytime hours). The woman left, a bag of bread and milk kept close, into the cold night.

Horace of the Fleas

It's located at the end (or the beginning) of Jaffa's fleamarket area in an old building on 34 "Oley Zion" street.
The renovation of the place is stunning. A small inner courtyard with a little fountain is perfect for a morning coffee, arriving with a nice, tiny, spicy made-on-the-premises-cookie.
The iron work along the stairs is lovely and so is the furniture, the crockery, more or less everything in the place.
But cafes are about drink and food. After all, some of Tel Aviv's more stylish and fashionable places are gorgeous. It's their food and the service that leave much to be wanted. Which make me run away never to return. Horace is different, besides being in Jaffa.

Horace is in a class of its own. Which is why i fee like keeping quiet about it. So not too many people will find out and spoil the fun. But then, this blog has a select group of readers ( as in small) and i'll share it with them, with you, as a small Hanuka/Eid ElAdha/ Christmas gift.

Jaffa has a great new cafe to visit:"Horace". Not only when there is no place at Pua's. It's worth while a special trip, e.g. when you're in the mood to indulge yourself.
Although there isn't much choice for a vegetarian like myself, the small selection is wonderful and of excellent quality as well as nicely served. And yes, i appreciate beautiful plates. Snob or not? I'm not a food critic and totally unable to describe the great tasting salad i had in words.

And NO i'm not being paid for this small article. I simply fell in love with the place, its food and especially the small courtyard. And i like sharing good things with a few friends.
So whoever lives in Jaffa or the close surroundings...

Eid elAdha (as if) by Charles Dickens

Sineal* is in debt. She was arrested yesterday night. Why?

Well, she has debts and she cannot pay them.

Sineal has 10 children. Eight are still at home. The youngest is in kindergarden. Sineal worked as a cleaner until her hands simply gave up one day. She suffered from excruciating pains and became incapable of lifting even light objects. Two complicated hand operations later she became unable to work and therefore applied for social security disability. Ofcourse she didn't have private insurance. That's a luxury not extended to simple workers.

Her disability money-claim has not yet gone through, burocracy, as usual.

In the mean time she started receiving basic welfare. For some reason only 500 NIS a month (that's less than 200$), but with her child-allowance she somehow managed to survive.

Then all of a sudden the social insurance institute stopped paying her at all. The case is pending in court. It may take many months until things will clear up.

She and her 8 kids stuck without money. The electricity was cut off 2 weeks ago. The neighbors assist her with a small cable from their home, so she has some light at least.

Yesterday night the police came and arrested her for debts. The youngest children cried but no one really cared very much. The older girls cried and tried to get help.

With the aid of a lawyer, Sineale managed to go back home today. For the time being. She's been given 30 days to take care of her debts. If not, she will be arrested again.

The judge, a woman, was actually friendly and somewhat understanding. But the law is the law. and debts need to be paid.

I wonder why that doesn't apply to the social security institute. Why don't they pay their debt to Sineal? She always paid them while she could still work.

I have no idea how Sineal will be able to take care of her debts in 30 days. She doesn't have the money to buy food for her large family and herself.

Soon it will be Eid elAdha. But not for Sineal. Neither for her children.

*Sineal is not her real name. The story is true.

Ajami's Welfare Office moving even further

Yesterday i wrote about the bad office conditions of Jaffa's welfare workers (their office is located in a petrol station). They were supposed to move back to their old office.
I support the social workers in this case. Their conditions WERE horrid. But the old building (which was designed for its purpose, a welfare office, has become dilapidated in the few months it stood empty.
So in reality they will move this week to the Yafo Daled quarter, Rubinstein Street. They think they will not have telephones, but only "mirs" cellphones.

That may sound trivial, but in reality it will make them even less available to Ajami's elderly, handicapped and large families. there is no direct public transport to Yafo Daled form Ajami and it is rather far to walk for the elderly or small children.
Many of the poor have no phone or a prepaid-card cell phone on which they often can only receive calls. Calling "mirs" is expensive. In all of Ajami there is one working public phone. And it is on Yefet.
So the welfare office will be even less available to Ajami's most needy of its services.
Brilliant.

Ajami's welfare office moving out of Ajami

Jaffa has 2 municipal welfare offices, the main one located on Jerusalem boulevard in what once was Jaffa's municipality building (prior to 1948), the other one, serving the Ajami area, in the "Talal" building on Yefet Street.

The building, also housing Jaffa's Sharia (Islamic) court and the "Mishlama", our local governance (not my word, that's what they call themselves in English) is a drab office building constructed on top of a petrol station.
The conditions in the building are far from satisfying: crowded, with little privacy and terrible air-conditioning, leading to petrol fumes in many of the rooms facing the street. No doubt unhealthy for both the employees and their clients). The rooms of the management face the sea (a lovely view, by the way, also of some of Jaffa's graveyards). I agree with the employees the building is simply not fitting. Indeed. a poor building for a poor service.
The municipality intends to send the employees in the course of this week to various municipal offices. The previous building (in nice 2-floor structure with a wonderful inner courtyard, planned for its function as welfare office) will be renovated at a cost of some 4.3 million $.
And Ajami's residents in need of the office's services? Well, they'll have to walk all the way to Jerusalem Boulevard (Nouzha) or take 2 buses, as there is no direct bus line connecting the two areas. Especially women with young children and the elderly (the majority of the office's clients) will have a hard time getting there.
There must be a better alternative. In Ajami.
It appears the municipality's economic interests are top of the list, rather than serving Jaffa's community's needs. What else is new?

Mother earth took me for a ride.

The truth? I didn't feel this one. That is, not when it happened, which was apparently sometime very early this morning, just after midnight, when yours truly was asleep.
However when i woke up there was something faintly disturbing: my bed, which was located, when i went to sleep last night, next to the southern wall of my bedroom, was right in the middle of my room when i woke up....
My bed consists out of a big, fairly heavy, wooden platform, placed on large industrial type wheels instead of legs (my design). When not on its breaks, it rides very smoothly, e.g. to the balcony when it's too hot to sleep inside.
But still, the earthquake did its thing and there i was, waking up in the centre of my bedroom, having been taken for a ride by mother earth, in my sleep.

Earthquake?

Oops, so this wasn't a heavy truck passing by after all.
The epic centre was north of the Dead Sea, on the Syro African rift.

Small one. This time.

I guess we're counting on our luck more than anything else. But at some point luck tends to run out and quake-resistant construction standards exist (for new building projects, that is), but are not checked as very few local councils and municipalities employ specialists in the field.

So when the big one comes (according to geologists and sysmologists this is not an "if", but a "when") there will of course be a lot of damage and then an official investigation committee to investigate why the standards were not adhered to.

Wonderful as usual.

Intissar

Intissar* is 20 years old. When she's in a good mood, there's a big smile on her round face. But she's hardly ever happy.
She's been homeless for most of the last two years. Living on the streets, occasionally staying with families who feel sorry for her and try to help her.
Intissar has no family. Her father died, 2 years and 2 months ago, as she told me yesterday, Intissar has a very good memory for dates. Her mother suffers from mental retardation and lives in a special home by court order. She cannot take care of Intissar, who herself is lightly retarded as well. Intissar suffers from a personality disorder and is supposed to take psychiatric medicine.
Due to her many suicide attempts, the doctor doesn't want to give Intissar all her of medicine in one go. But there's no one who can take the responsibility of giving her her daily dose. As a result, Intissar suffers badly and occasionally becomes very violent. Which makes it even more difficult (for help providers) to assist her as they are the first Intissar selects as victims. In a simple sense Intissar is right about that selection: no one has really helped her (although, to be honest, people have tried over the last 2 years), so she is right to feel very frustrated.
Intissar receives monthly social security payments, which she spends on cigarettes and candies, two things she cannot live without. She spends the monthly money she receives (1800 NIS, about 420$) ) very quickly, within a few days. After that she has to survive the rest of the month on nothing...
Intissar doesn't have the skills for living a normal life independently. She she's left to suffer on Jaffa's streets.
Until about a year ago, Intissar who grew up in total institutions (for people mental retardation), was recognised as a woman with mental retardation. In spite of professional recommendations and psychological testing, Intissar was declared "not retarded" by a committee. As a result she lost her right to a large number of services for mentally challenged people. She was also declared, by implication, mentally competent to independently live her own life. The only problem: she doesn't have the skills to do so.
And there is no one in her family to assist her. Her sisters are all minors, living in boarding schools and with foster families.
Over the last 2 years Intissar was out on the streets for most of the time. She also spent a few days in a mental hospital, from which she was released as she is not mentally ill, in a regular hospital (both after suicide attempts), a hostel for mentally ill people (from which she was kicked out after 2 months, after she attacked someone of the staff) , in prison after she was arrested, for violence.
Yes, Intissar has problems and sometimes her behaviour is VERY problematic.
However, the prolonged total lack of care is responsible for most of that behaviour. She's frustrated, helpless and very very angry.
Over the last year or so, 5 cars and a business have been registered in her name by people wishing to abuse her. They do so by not paying taxes and insurance, driving on toll road nr. 6, not paying parking tickets etc. One of the cars was caught smuggling workers from the occupied territories. The police questioned Intissar and that is how we found out about the cars. The problem is that the social security payments may be stopped as a result of those cars and the business.
Truthfully, some people have tried to assist her. But there is no one, except the official welfare system, who cab take the responsibility for Intissar. And they simply refuse to do so, stating she is just like any other young woman. She should take a job, rent a room and help herself.
They forget, that she IS mentally challenged and doesn't have the skills to do so unaided.
Intissar is a big woman. She's very strong. And very angry.

I contacted BiZhut, the Israel Human Rights Center for People with Disabilities. Their spokesperson tried to interest the media in Intissar's story. But there was little interest. It appears they know of no other way to assist her.

One day things could go very wrong, someone might be seriously hurt and Intissar might find herself in prison. This did can be prevented.
If social services will do their job. If...


* Not her real name, the story is true however.

Jaffa Housing Rights - Another site dedicated to the struggle

The Popular Committee for Housing Rights in Jaffa opened its official blog at YaffaStruggle

I'm happy i'm not the only one :)

Jaffa Architecture Revisited

This week's Ha'aretz property weekly supplement carries and article about that infamous Jaffa abomination the "Givat Andromeda" gated community.

This week's Arab language weekly "Al Medina" carries a front page article about the Jaffa H. Family, titled "Save Us". They are fighting to continue living in their home, the home the H. family has owned literally for over a century.
A sad coincidence; Ahmed H. used to be a guard at the Andromeda Compound, safeguarding the property of its wealthy inhabitants. He personally knows many of Andromeda's wealthy inhabitants, but i wonder if even one of them will be willing to assist him and his family in their legal fight against Amidar.

The housing & property weekly of Ha'aretz is usually rather capitalist in its outlook. Property value, how to make money out of your property, how to receive more rent, raising young property tycoons to the status of cultural heroes etc. characterizes its writing. The paper hardly ever carries an article in which housing is seen as a basic human right. Nor it is ever suggested society as a whole has a responsibility to provide decent sustainable housing to its members. The point of view is always that of the owner, the tycoon, the guy (hardly ever there's a woman involved, gender is another weak point of this particular rag) who's making the bucks. Never that of the people paying over 50% of their income for a shitty little room in a sub-standard housing estate about to fall down.

The Andromeda article is different. It tries to critically approach the social meaning of the gated communities.
Architect Sharon Rotbard (author of "Black City White City", when will that important book be translated into English?) is quoted towards the end of the article. He wonders if it is at all possible for a Jewish architect to design and construct any property in Jaffa without being unjust, without feeling at least quite uneasy.
Rotbard is both right and wrong. (I do not know, of course, if he was quoted correctly). The problem is not the ethnic origin of the architect, but rather a question of true ownership of the particular piece of land, as well as who is the client.

If in each new complex constructed in Jaffa, 30% of the flats would go towards sustainable housing at a reasonable price for Jaffa's Palestinian and Jewish poor population the situation would look very differently.
If property developers would, in order to receive their building permits, (in addition to the 30% social housing) have to donate to the community in the form of constructing a youth club, a school, a day-centre for the elderly or a clinic for drug addicts, i wouldn't feel very bad about new constructions, designed by Chinese, Jews or Iranian architects or who ever.
Ofcourse only on land truly owned by the developer, not on land confiscated frmo its original owners in 1948 or after that.
An something else, the developers should be made to actually carry out their social obligations: until now the Andromeda developers have not constructed the children's playground they are supposed to develop. Nor is the compound open to the public the way it is supposed to be according to court order.

When you are rich, maybe the law doesn't apply to you..

Jaffa's Garbage Mountain revisited

Jaffa's garbage mountain is continually changing. About to be turned into a park, "Midron Yafo", huge quantities of dumped building rubble are ground into smaller stones and then into sand, to be used in the construction of the Tel Aviv local train rail road.Tens of thousands of truck loads are being carried off. The mountain's surface keeps changing literally from day to day.

The garbage mountain covers much of what used to be Jaffa's beach. Jaffa's thousands of destroyed buildings were simply dumped into to sea to create and artificial piece of land on which villa's for the wealthy were to be constructed. That plan didn't work out as the Jaffa population took the municipality to court and won.
The mountain consists of rubble, garbage and a plethora of nasty stuff, such as asbestos. The grinding process releases particles into the air and the nice sea breeze carries it into our homes and lungs. Even dusting twice a day is useless. A thin layer of the nasty stuff covers the furniture before you're done dusting.

Yet the mountain also has a strange and dramatic beauty to it. An ever changing wasteland high baove what used to be our beach.
They are turning back part of the mountain into a beach once more. The waves and the sea sand grind the bits and pieces, creating a dazzling colourful mosaic of what once were the the floor tiles of Jaffa's houses.

The Garbage Mountain Today:


The Garbage Mountain about a year ago:

Ahmad was released from prison 2 days ago

Ahmad is 20 years old. A bit stocky. Always smiling. The neighbourhood's prankster. Playing practical jokes on everybody, all the time.

I have slightly known Ahmad for many years. "Hyperactive", they said about him at school. Always on the move, always doing something, always causing everybody to laugh. The neighbourhood's clown.
And then a joke went wrong. Very wrong.
Had Ahmad lived in north Tel Aviv, the fancy lawyer his parents would have taken for him, would have gotten him off. Perhaps a few hours of volunteering somewhere, as an educational punishment.

No one could believe it, when Ahmad was sent to jail for playing a practical joke on a taxi driver. The least of all, Ahmad himself.
But Ahmad, with no previous criminal record, a good boy from a nice Jaffa family, was sent to jail. For playing a practical joke. Ahmad, the innocent clowning kid with the smile on his face. Playing football in Rifat Turk's soccer school, participating in educational camps, in spite of his learning disability. A good and positive boy, growing up under difficult conditions.

Not to an "easy" jail, for first-time offenders, but to one of the tougher places of Israel's prison system, Atlit (or Carmel Prison as it is called these days, as if a fancy name can hide the misery behind the high white-washed concrete, barbed wire covered walls).

Why? Hell knows, or perhaps the shabak.
i wonder what prison has done to him. He looks older, more grown up. He's become religious. But he still has that same smile, that makes you laugh, the minute you see him.

This evening there will be a party for him. Mabruk, kid. I hope i can still call you "kid".

One street in Ajami

I'm slowly, very slowly, getting used to my new home and street.
The view: wonderful, in all directions. My direct neighbors: lovely people. The house-owner: dunno yet. A little strange, but much less worse than the creepy couple from the previous place in Shapira, my two-hour event outside of Jaffa (for those following my legal battle with said couple: no i still have not received back the rent - their lawyer tries to make me pay for the renovvations. The appartment was declared dangerous to live in and in "danger of collapse", while i had the keys, ergo "it's my problem & responsibility"). But then, it would be difficult to actually be worse. And believe me, i'have met some horrid landlords over the year.
The scarcity of housing in Jaffa has led to the worst profiteering in the field. There apparently is a never-ending collection of worms trying to make some quick money.

What else about the new place? OK, the water is a mere trickle, the electricity more than a little shaky. The doors of the kitchen-cupboards keep falling off and opening spontaneously due to the strange angle of said cupboards (or perhaps a poltergeist?).
The previous inhabitant had airconditioning in what is now my very large and airy, well-lighted bedroom. He took the airco with him and there is a huge gap in the wall. The current owner is in no hurry of repairing it. Oops. It might rain tomorrow. The blessed "yore" is about to arrive.

My street: There is no pedestrian pavement. The are several large and smaller and smallish holes everywhere in the thin layer of tarmack covering part of the street's surface, true third world style. Thanks municipality! I wonder if it will turn into a muddy torrent when the first rain will come down. We are always "surprised" by the first rain and the damage it does to our streets.

My street: there are two drugdealers, operating openly. Everybody knows. Nobody talks. Jaffa.

My street: While walking home, i'm offered two plates of food to take with me, by my neighbors. "Take it Yudit, i just made it, "kusa mahshi". Mine is the best, so they say in the family. Eat it quickly, for it is still hot." "We got oil from the village. It's the first of the year. Here, taste some, it's the best. There is no better oil than this".

I taste it all. It cannot get any better.

Ajami, ajami, what's in a name

"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over an Ajami nor an Ajami has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action."

Muhammad, from his last speech to the Muslims

Ajami is the name of my neighbourhood. Names of Jaffa's old neighbourhoods are often derived of the names of the tribal families who first built their homes, or owned the lands on which they were constructed. No one actually decided to provide the neighbourhoods to be given those names, or they somehow developed over time.

Many streets in Jaffa did not have names. There were simply known, as often happens in villages and small towns, "next to the orange grove of e.g. the El Abid tribe or of the "AlMasris" or of the "Boukharys". The names point to the origin of the families: the El Abids were black Bedouin apparently brought over as slaves (abid) from Soudan in much earlier ages, the Masris came from Egypt, the Bukharys from Boukhara, many centuries ago.

During the 19th century Jaffa developed very quickly not only due to natural births and immigration from abroad (especially from Egypt), but mostly due to internal migration, when whole families from Nablous, Jerusalem, Um Al Fakhm and other places in the north of the country and Bedouin families from its southern regions moved to Jaffa.
Each family acquired lands, or rented them for many years from the owners, and settled as a tribal family on those lands, which then received the family's name; "the neighbourhood of so & so". Usually families married "within" according to the custom of the land, and the sons settled with their brides in the family compound or close to it. Over the time the neighbourhood developed which was then named for the named family.

Al Ajami started to be constructed as a neighbourhood for wealthy Muslim families in that time. In Arabic, "ajami" is someone who's silent, doesn't speak Arabic well or a stranger. In early times it was used to indicate a Muslim of non Arabic speaking origin, e.g. from Persia.

Over time it developed as a family name. I suspect the ElAjamis were the owners of the land or perhaps one of the first families who started to construct their homes on it. Thus the neighbourhood received its name.

However,

Back in Ajami

So i left for about two hours. Yes, for two whole hours, 120 minutes, i lived in Shapira neighbourhood. I moved 50 very heavy crates of books, all my camera gear and very little furniture to a new place in Shapira.
On my way into that neighbourhood i met a funeral on the street.

Then we carried my stuff up to the third floor, to a tiny flat. And that is when the balcony started falling of the wall and the ceiling, well, caving in.

So i moved out. Lived with my friends Daoud and Liza in Jaffa, until i found my new flat, in Ajami, some 100 meters from the previous one. 2 large rooms, a very big balcony, nice neighbours. In Ajami. Even the price is reasonable.
OK, the bathroom is small, very small, as in "sit on the toilet while showering". In addition, there is no light in the kitchen, nor in the bathroom. And there is exactly one electricity point in all of the place. But hey, i'm back in Ajami, next to the sea.
I have a great view.

NOW i need to concentrate on getting the rent back from the owner of the Shapira flat. So what if the municipality declared that flat unsafe and dangerous. He doesn't think he has to reimburse me.
But hey, i'm back in Jaffa!!!

Yaffawiye Blues

No posts for almost a month. I'm in real distress. Yes, me. I'm losing my home.

The owner of my apartment is selling the place. It's the second time this happens to me in less than two years. Loosing my home to the Jaffa real estate market. To the sharks.
The owner of my home works in a lawyers office and has been known to sue people for very little reason. (My neighbours for instance have been sued by the lady), so i have to be careful about what i write here. I cannot really afford to write about what i truly feel about her. But you guys can guess it, i suppose.

I CAN write however, about what it means to look for a reasonable flat on the housing market. Nothing fancy, just a simple place to live in, which will not cost more than half my monthly income.

And while looking for a place for myself, i also run around with the "H" family (about whome i have written) and with the "K" family, who received eviction and demolition orders concerning the homes they have lived in since birth. I run around with them from layer to layer, to the courts, tracing and finding ancient documents in archives, in order to find proof they and their families have lived in the house from before 1948.
It takes up much time and energy. But what makes it more difficult, is that i am, on the practical level, in the same boat. Until now, i myself never felt like a victim. But the huge real estate monster is devouring me, piece by piece.

So, here goes, "looking for an apartment in south Tel Aviv Jaffa".

There are various websites dedicated to finding rental apartments and on first sight they don't look bad: check the right parameters and a whole list of flats in the selected area appears on screen in milliseconds. However, more than half of the flats are rented out within a few hours of being published.
All owners insist during the initial phone talk, their flats are beautiful, with lots of light, good airflow etc. Prices are up in the sky, in comparison to a few years ago.
So i make an appointment to come and view the flat , on X-day, between 10 and 10.30. Arriving a few minutes early, a group of about 20 (sometimes 30) prospective tenants wait for the owner. Everybody is friendly and polite, but the truth is, we are in a run against each other.
The owner shows the place. True, there IS an air-conditioner, but it is ancient and has not worked for a few years now. Yes, it used to be a three room apartment, but now it has been cut up into a 2 tiny two-room ones, a thin prefab wall functioning as border between the two housing units.
OK, the kitchen is really a kitchenette and there is no room nor tap for a washing machine. No, the old cupboard MUST stay in the flat, it's a heritage from the owner's great grandmother and cannot be throw out. The new thin paint layer does little to hide the huge humidity spots. The paint is already flaking. Two windows cannot be opened, because the neighbor built an addition so close to it, that the walls simply block the window. There is still a 5-cm space for some fresh air though between that wall and the window, but, no way to open it.

But, people are desperate, so the bidding starts. The ad said the rent is 500$ a month, but someone offers 550$. Someone else 575$. Then the current tenant (who is still living there but will leave in a few days) states, that the flat will go to who buys his furniture from him for a mere 2000 NIS. Stuff he probably found on the street, by the looks of it. I am all for recycling, but this is outrageous. Someone agrees. The "lucky" new inhabitant has agreed to pay $570 for a tiny square meters flat, one bedroom, a small living room with kitchenette, a tiny shower and toilet combo. It's dingy, it's hot and stuffy as well as quite dark. There is no airflow as 2 windows cannot be opened. Another shark is very happy.
The new tenant has also paid 2000 NIS for stuff she'll probably put out in the street prior to moving in. She visibly pregnant and urgently needs a place for herself and her baby, she will be paying more than 60% of her monthly income to the happy shark

Once upon a time most of the flats on the rental market, would be places people inherited from a grandparent who died. Until deciding what to do with it, they would rent it out for a few years. the price would be reasonable. Everybody knows that people aren't rich. There was no feeling of abuse.
Today's rental market is completely different. Wealthy rats buy up every house on the market. they sub-divide it into tiny units making use of the cheapest building materials available. Then they rent the flats out for the highest price they can possibly get. Prices have sky-rocketed while salaries have stayed the same. Electricity, water and municipal taxes have gone up as well, so people pay more than 50% of their small income just to have a roof above their heads. There is little money for food and other basics, and no money for any small luxuries, which once were occasional treats. Even buying a new pair of glasses or going to the dentist no longer belong to things one can afford.
In the mean time, the rats are getting richer and richer.

There is no-rent control. There is no protection. Contracts are draconian. I have met rats who demand a 4000 NIS cash payment in addition to the rent as "security". for what? Only hell knows, after all, the bills (electricity, municipality etc.) are in the inhabitant's names and the flat is empty. Just another way of making quick money. Oh, the wonders of the free economy.
Today is Yom Kipur, a day of fasting and of repentance . But i feel very angry and frustrated.

Ha'aretz newspaper continues its stories of the great new option of the Jaffa real estate market and the tons of money to be made on it. The greedy rats are all over the place in their fancy SUV jeeps and Mercedes Benz cars. Happy and pleased with themselves. "Such excellent business opportunities", while toasting once more over their fancy dinners at "Rafael's" or in the "Kantina", or maybe even over a plate of humus at "Abu Hassan's" in order to feel "local".
No one mentions the underside. No one.