MY VILLAGE: REBUILT FROM THE RUINS OF THE NAKBA
https://tebift.com/my-village-rebui…ins-of-the-nakba/
1.ZIONIST MILITIAS
During the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Israeli army and various Zionist militias forcibly removed over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes, resulting in many deaths. The region witnessed the destruction of 530 towns and villages. Seventy-five years later, Al Jazeera has recreated one of those villages, Bayt Nabala, utilizing the memories of survivors, their descendants, and historical documentation, as well as employing artificial intelligence to portray the extent of the losses.t
2. THE LAST OLIVE SEASON
The first rains began to fall in the Palestinian town of Bayt Nabala around the middle of October in 1947. The rolling landscapes looked alive as they soaked in the cooling rains after a long, hot summer. The hillside residents of the village knew it was time to go out and inspect the stands of ancient, gnarled trees that dotted the landscape. It was time for olive harvest once again.Olives from Bayt Nabala are well-known for their delicious flavour and can even help strengthen your immune system. Camels and mules were used to pull oil presses made of huge stones over the olives. They could distinguish which part of the tree the olives had fallen from based on the aroma of the oil: the olives from the highest branches would have a delicate, sweet aroma.
3. OLIVE HARVEST
However, disaster struck the town of over 2,600 people during the olive harvest that year. Bayt Nabala was, perched atop a hill that, overlooked three, valleys: al-Shami to the north, Kereikah to the east, and Wadi Sarar, to the south. Like clockwork, in November, the valleys filled, and became rivers.Teenage Helmiyya al-Sayed was, picking the last of the, olives from, the trees lining the, cliffs of al-Shami when she, slipped and fell into, the river below. That night, they discovered her body in the nearby town of Deir Tarif. At the time, Helmiyya’s friends were unaware that this incident would create a deep division in the life of Bayt Nabala that could not be mended. In the small town, it seemed like everyone knew each other. The citrus fruits, and vegetables, barley, wheat,
4. TRADE
The farmer would, keep enough for, his family and sell, the rest to his neighbor, in exchange for chickens. A devoted dad, would trade many, cases of oranges for his ,daughter’s dream bike. The local barbershop, located in the heart of the village, used bags of wheat as currency.. People would travel, to the barber for medical help, as the nearest, major clinic, was in Lydda, a town 6 km, (3.7 mi) distant; the barber, would pull out, decaying teeth, and treat various, maladies with, leeches.Houses were, constructed, of stone and mud, and lined large, unpaved pathways. Villagers would, gather at one, another’s homes, sit on rugs and, carpets, and eat bread, cooked over, an open fire. Mattresses were, hidden in the nooks and, crannies of the, home’s walls.
5. VILLAGERS
At first light, the villagers would, leave for the, 12,156 dunams (about 3.5 times the size, of Central Park in, New York City), of farmland, that belonged to, the community. They used the roots of olive trees in Bayt Nabala to craft ploughs, ensuring that every part of the ground was utilized. As the sun set, casting a warm glow, they eagerly planted seeds, eagerly awaiting the first sprouts. At the foot of the hill, to the west of the settlement, the bayara (irrigated orchard) flourished with an abundance of clementines, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges.. The women would wear their traditional thobes (embroidered dresses) and pick fruit together, then pause for lunch and divide the produce among all the families.
