I've been wanting to talk about my family history a little on here for a while but it never seemed like the right time. Trudeau's comments this morning really ignited a fire in me, though, so if you're interested you can find a little about that below.
https://twitter.com/elevenverses/status/1401966162003509255
(Pictures from palestineremembered.com)
This is Sireen, where my dad's family is from. My aunt is named after it, and I'm named partially after it (ser-een-a). This graveyard is one of the only things left of it. The orange tips on the gravestones are lichens, an organism
This is Sireen, where my dad's family is from. My aunt is named after it, and I'm named partially after it (ser-een-a). This graveyard is one of the only things left of it. The orange tips on the gravestones are lichens, an organism
between fungus and algae. When I first saw these photos I thought it was paint, but instead it's proof that life endures.
This is the structure that may have been a mosque, and the well. These structures are all that remain in the village of the people of Sireen.
This is the structure that may have been a mosque, and the well. These structures are all that remain in the village of the people of Sireen.
Despite the destruction, it's still beautiful. I'd like to go someday but I don't know if I could handle it. Just watching this video where someone visits it had me overwhelmed:
I haven't been able to find pictures of Sireen from before the occupation. If
I haven't been able to find pictures of Sireen from before the occupation. If
you have any, please pass them on!
Pictures of Aqir are harder to find because the village was completely destroyed and built over. This is one rare picture that was posted to palestineremembered.com:
Pictures of Aqir are harder to find because the village was completely destroyed and built over. This is one rare picture that was posted to palestineremembered.com:
Most of the other pictures are from after the occupation, published by "Prince, Peaceful Israeli," who clearly is extremely critical of the occupation of Palestine and to whom I'm thankful for contributing to preservation efforts of Aqir's history.
I'm still learning. I don't know even close to as much about these histories as I desperately want to. But I know I don't want to see the towns and neighbourhoods of Palestine where their original inhabitants still remain suffer the same fate as Sireen and Aqir.
We need to #SaveSheikhJarrah and #SaveSilwan, and #SaveLifta to stop Israel from destroying what remains of its history.
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