Uncertain Empire considers this intricate interplay between British imperialism, Zionism, and anticolonial movements from the 1917 British conquest of Palestine to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.My guest highlights diverse and sometimes conflicting visions of Jewish political futures, offering detailed case studies of key figures including Chaim Arlosoroff, Moshe Shertok, Helen Bentwich, Rachel Ezra, and Hermann Kallenbach. She explores a “politics of uncertainty” in which Jews engaged with both imperial stability and the rise of anticolonial mobilization, when many were likewise forced to reconsider Palestine as a viable refuge and political solution.

A year he encounters the tragic complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. A year that begins a four-decade-long love affair, as complicated and heartbreaking as the political conflict with which it’s intertwined. As Daniel moves through life-through marriage and divorce, career and travel-he returns periodically to Jerusalem, where his heart faithfully remains.Philip is the author of Here There is No Why: Did Chaim Lerner, acclaimed Israeli author and Holocaust survivor, kill himself in 1983, thirty-eight years after surviving Auschwitz? If so, was it traumatic memories finally catching up to him? Or despair over Holocaust denialism? Or ordinary, difficult health issues-an aching hip, a damaged knee? Or simply a deadly episode of depression?Enjoy the conversation.Or was it murder?In 2005, Judah Loeb, Lerner’s former student and now a struggling American journalist and single father, travels to Jerusalem to investigate Lerner’s death. He drags along his fifteen-year-old daughter, Hannah, and they team up with Charlie, Judah’s former Hebrew University roommate, now a Jerusalem homicide detective. Their investigation takes them through the darker corners of the Israeli psyche, where they uncover secrets that threaten to destroy Lerner’s reputation and alter Jewish history. While probing the mysteries of Israel’s past, they encounter personal betrayal, heartbreak, and the fragile possibilities of forgiveness and redemption.

Within the Church of the Anastasis, complex interplays emerge, as fragile legal agreements intermingle with ethnic and theological considerations, resulting in a complex reality of shared spaces and coexistence. A materialist lens is employed to study these dynamics, suggesting that the material aspects of religious practices play a crucial role in shaping borders and influencing perceptions of similarities and differences across them. Outside the Church’s confines, in the Old City of Jerusalem, lay Christians, especially the local Palestinian Orthodox, engage in ‘border-crossing practices’, which often deviate from the Orthodox Church’s approved practice. These practices reflect the flexible strategies local Christians adopt in their everyday lives in Israel, challenging established norms and boundaries. By capturing these dynamics, the book provides valuable insights into shared sacred spaces and offers a significant contribution to debates in the anthropology of Christianity and its material culture.

Fixing her gaze on moments, places and objects – from the streets of Bethlehem to the Palestinian neighbourhoods of the New Jerusalem – Micaela Sahhar assembles a story of Palestinian diaspora. Find Me at the Jaffa Gate is a book about the gaps and blank spaces that cannot be easily recounted, but which insists on the vibrant reality of chance, fragments and memory to reclaim a place called home.

Problems of Palestinian school life are shown from the perspective of teachers and students. Against the background of Israeli occupation and settlement building, the intricacies of Palestinian culture in its daily rhythms and domestic spaces come to life. Throughout the pages, the key Palestinian concept of sumud, or steadfastness, is explored. The memoir details acts of creative nonviolent resistance, individual protests, affirmations of cultural identity, and inspiring examples of Muslim-Christian community. The book also reveals unexpected connections between Palestinian culture in the Bethlehem area and broader Christian values and traditions. An afterword reflects upon implications of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Today it has become a tourist hotspot, but its drying basin is increasingly under threat. In this panoramic account, Nir Arielli explores the history of the Dead Sea from the first Neolithic settlements to the present day. Moving through the ages, Arielli reveals the religious, economic, military, and scientific importance of the lake, which has been both a source of great wealth and a site of war. *The Dead Sea *weaves together a tapestry of the lake’s human stories—and amidst environmental degradation and renewed conflict, makes a powerful case for why it should be saved. Originally published on 04/03/2025.

More than being a history of Palestine’s Christian Arabs, the book focuses on Palestine’s Christians during the formative period of Palestinian Arab national identity, attentive to the broader topic of the relationship between nationalism and religion–in this case, between Arab identity and Islam. Whereas until recently historians have tended to assume that national and religious identities are distinct and mostly mutually exclusive things, more recent scholarship has addressed the fact that often there exists considerable overlap between the two, though it should be noted, often in ways that are not by any means inherently exclusive of those not belonging to the majority faith, as is the case here. Originally published on 02/13/2025.

Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs’ perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor’s interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs’ approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs’ personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment.Originally published on 01/30/2025.

Oren identifies three key social movement strategies employed by these activists: targeting mainstream Jewish American institutions, participating in co-resistance efforts in Palestine/Israel, and engaging in Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. He argues that these young people perceive their commitment to ending the occupation and Israeli apartheid as a Jewish value, deeply rooted in the changing dynamics of Jewish life in the twenty-first century. By associating social justice activism with Jewish traditions and values, these activists establish a connection between their Jewishness and their pursuit of justice for Palestinians.In a time of internal Jewish tensions and uncertainty about “&”peace prospects between Palestine and Israel, the book provides hope that the efforts of these young Jews in the United States are pushing the political pendulum in a new direction, potentially leading to a more balanced and nuanced conversation. Originally published on 08/31/2024.

Her own childhood in Beirut was shaped by regional tensions, the Lebanese Civil War and the 1982 Israeli invasion, which led to her mother’s death. Thirteen years later, the family made an unexpected return to Fassouta, their village of origin in the Galilee. But Fida, twenty-two years old and full of love for her country, had no idea what she was getting into.Stranger in My Own Land chronicles a desperate, at times surreal, search for a homeland between the Galilee, the West Bank and the diaspora, asking difficult questions about what the right of return would mean for the millions of Palestinians waiting to come ‘home’. Originally published on 07/18/2024.

On the political front, Israel’s government is currently led by one of the most right-wing coalitions in the country’s history, igniting concerns over the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, minority rights, and the preservation of democratic norms. We’ll analyze the key players, policy positions, and controversies surrounding the current administration. As we navigate this complex landscape, it’s important to remember that this is just one part of a larger, multi-faceted issue. In upcoming episodes, we’ll turn our focus to Palestinian society from the voices and perspectives of those living under Israeli occupation. We’ll also examine the stances and roles of the so-called “”international community”” of nations in relation to this conflict. Originally published on 05/07/2024.

Their histories and divergent ideological leanings foreshadowed the fissures that emerged within the Zionist movement after 1948. From there, Professor Dubnov will guide us through the critical periods of the late 1940s following independence and the transformative 1967 Six-Day War. His nuanced perspectives shed light on how Zionist thought and praxis continuously evolved in response to changing regional realities.Finally, we’ll bring the conversation into the present as Professor Dubnov examines the multifaceted manifestations and ongoing debates surrounding Zionism’s place in contemporary Israeli society and the world at large.Drawing from his extensive scholarship, including his current work on the interwar ties between Zionist and British imperial thinkers, this second part promises to be a masterclass on the rich histories and reverberations of one of modern history’s most influential nationalist ideologies. Originally published on 04/18/2024.

This first part lays the essential groundwork for understanding Zionist thought and praxis. But the journey is far from over. In the forthcoming second episode, Professor Dubnov will pick up the thread in 1948, tracing how Zionism evolved and manifested in different forms over subsequent decades up to the present.Preparing listeners for a thought-provoking exploration, this two-part series promises to provide an illuminating episode on the multifaceted ideas, events, and ongoing impact of Zionisms. Stay tuned for part two of this comprehensive analysis. Originally published on 04/12/202.

Bibliography suggested: Lorenzo Kamel, Imperial Perceptions of Palestine (IB Tauris, 2020)Gabriel Polley, Palestine in the Victorian Age (IB Tauris, 2022)Lawrence Davidson, ‘The past as prelude: Zionism and the Betrayal of American Democratic Principles, 1917-1948’ (2002)Jehuda Reinharz, ‘Zionism in the USA on the eve of the Balfour Declaration’ (1988)James Renton, The Zionist Masquerade (Palgrave, 2004)James Renton, ‘Flawed Foundations: the Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate’ (2016)Jonathan Schneer, The Balfour Declaration: the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (2010)Avi Shlaim, ‘The Balfour Declaration and its Consequences’ (2005)Leonard Stein, The Balfour Declaration (1961). Originally published on 02/09/2024.

They sometimes worked with mainstream American Jewish leaders who feared that ignoring Palestinian rights could foster antisemitism, leading them to press Israeli officials for reform. But Israeli diplomats viewed any American Jewish interest in Palestinian affairs with deep suspicion, provoking a series of quiet confrontations that ultimately kept Palestinian rights off the American Jewish agenda up to the present era. Originally published on 01/13/2024.

He recently released the Hebrew podcast series “”Hesket Oslo,”” examining the Oslo Accords, and is currently working on the English adaptation, “”Still Processing.”” His doctoral research focused on the integration of Palestinian Arabs into Israeli society from 1948 to 1967, as revealed through daily encounters with Israeli officials, and his upcoming manuscript titled ‘Our Arabs”” explores this topic in depth. He is contributor to the scholarly and intellectual debate on if and how the settler-colonialism comparative framework benefits the study of Israel and Palestine. We hope you will enjoy this conversation. Originally published on 11/16/2023.

There’s a twist to today’s presentation. After the talk, I conducted a Q&A session with Professor Fishman, and although the questions were intriguing, a technical hiccup rendered the audience questions inaudible. However, fear not! We’ve preserved Professor Fishman’s answers for your listening pleasure, ensuring you don’t miss out on his invaluable wisdom.So, stay tuned for a journey through history and geopolitics as we explore the past, present, and future of Israel, Palestine, and Turkey in the ever-shifting post-Oct. 7th reality. Originally published on 11/09/2023.

I choose not to look the other way, but to keep giving the listeners crumbs of the history of Palestine and all the people that live there. With my good friend Vincent Lemire we discussed his latest book which presents the history of the Mughrabi Quarter, the one you can no longer see as it was demolished right after the conquest of the Old City by Israeli troops in 1967. In this fascinating discussion we talk about the history of the quarter, its destruction and its ‘resurrection’ through contemporary archaeology. Originally published on 11/01/2023.

Durante questa sessione di 50 minuti, approfondiremo le origini del conflitto, i cambiamenti politici e sociali avvenuti nel corso degli anni e il ruolo chiave svolto da Hamas. Sono ansioso di condividere questa esperienza di apprendimento con voi e di esplorare insieme il contesto storico di questa complessa questione che in tanti modi diversi riguarda anche me e la mia famiglia direttamente. Originally published on 10/27/2023.

With a focus on the city of Jaffa and its displaced Palestinian population, Noa argues that the Israeli state ‘buried’ histories of mass expulsions and spatial appropriations. Based on a wide-variety of sources, this book brings together archival, literary, ethnographic and oral research to engage with ideas of settler colonialism and the production of history, violence and memory, refugee-hood and diaspora. Before all of this we exchanged view about current events, a possibility for Jerusalem Unplugged to clarify its position. Originally published on 10/18/2023.

This three year project offers new approaches to the history of 20th century medico-legal borders and puts (im)(e)migrants’ voices at its centre. These migrants include the forcibly displaced, refugees, and labour migrants from across Asia and Africa who attempted to enter Great Britain by sea, and Palestine and Egypt overland. The second project is a monograph about licit and illicit Mobility along the Borders of Palestine between 1920 and 1950. Lastly I asked Lauren a reflection on the 30 years since the Oslo accords. Originally published on 09/13/2023.

Fada’il al-Quds texts informed Muslim pilgrims of the blessings (fada’il) of Christian holy sites by citing Islamic traditions, such as Qur’anic verses, hadith literature, and Companions’ sayings (athar), to sanctify each Christian site and to command Muslims to perform certain Islamic prayers there. While fada’il al-Quds texts extolled Christian holy sites, they simultaneously debated whether Muslims were permitted to enter churches in the Holy Land. Despite the debate on the legality of Muslim pilgrimage to churches and protestations against the practice by some conservative *‘ulama’*, the fada’il al-Quds corpus, along withtravelogue literature,reveals that Muslims increasingly visited churches, shared sacred spaces, and even participated in Christian ceremonies into the Ottoman period. Fadi in this interview and his work provides a broad historical sketch of Islamic pilgrimage to Christian holy sites and demonstrates that Muslims in the Holy Land shared sacred spaces with Christians in Jerusalem for centuries before the onset of the modern era. Originally published on 08/09/2023.

This appointment proved crucial for the development of the city in the interwar period. In the early days of British rule, Storrs was immediately involved with the delivery of supplies for the city and, in a fashion that would characterize his governorship, he placed the distribution of food and medicine in the hands of the municipality, under the supervision of the representatives of all religious communities. In this episode I discuss the establishment of the Pro-Jerusalem Society in 1918, its composition, and its aims. In presenting the society’s activities, I will focus on a particular decision first proposed by the society and later adopted by the Town Planning Commission: the adoption of Jerusalem – white – stone as the only visible building material allowed. This decision changed the way the city would look and develop. Originally published on 07/12/2023.

Although the civil administration of the city after 1920 has been studied extensively, the military administration has been reviewed as a transitional period. Indeed, military rule forced the renegotiation of several aspects of Jerusalem: politics, urban geography, language and the economy, amongst other things, were all reshaped according to the requirements and values of the new rulers. The military establishment was generally reluctant to engage with the complexities of high politics, so how did their rule affect the city of Jerusalem? To answer this question, attention should be paid to one of the key characters of the British administration: the military governor Ronald Storrs. Military rule did not create a complex structure of government in Jerusalem, but was based upon a high concentration of power in the hands of Storrs. As military governor Storrs ruled the city almost undisturbed between 1917 and 1920, de facto reshaping the city according to his sense of aesthetics and his own values.BibliographyR. Mazza. From the Ottomans to the British (IB Tauris, 2011)R. Mazza ‘“The Preservation and Safeguarding of the Amenities of the Holy “&”City without Favour or Prejudice to Race or Creed”: The Pro-Jerusalem Society and Ronald Storrs, 1917–1926’. Originally published on 06/18/2023.

Since the late 1970s, the state aimed to expand the heavily populated coastal area eastwards into the occupied Palestinian territories, granting favoured groups of individuals, developers and entrepreneurs the ability to influence the formation of built space as a means to continuously develop and settle national frontiers. As these settlements developed, they became a physical manifestation of the relationship between the political interest to control space and the ability to form it. Telling a socio-political and economic story from an architectural and urban history perspective, Gabriel Schwake tells us how this production of space can be seen not only as a cultural phenomenon, but also as one that is deeply entangled with geopolitical agendas. Lastly we discussed the red roofs, today associated with the settlements in the West Bank, but with a longer and unexpected history. Originally published on 06/14/2023.

It was then that he discovered cooking as a form of meditation, through which he could lose himself and connect to the world around him. This experience was transformative, allowing him to mindfully contemplate the world around him and inspiring his vision for SacredCuisine. He began to notice where his ingredients came from, how they were grown, and what impact the dual processes of their production and consumption had on the ecosystem. Upon returning to Palestine, he decided to take Palestinian food, which is traditionally mostly plant-based, back to its roots of simplicity, versatility, and inclusiveness. https://sacred-cuisine.com/

Originally published on 05/31/2023.

Looking at the riots that took place in the city in April 1920, this episode will explore the emergence of structured urban violence in Jerusalem and the ways it superseded communal violence. The context is provided by the political framework set by the British with the Balfour Declaration, the largescale arrival of Zionists in Palestine and the reshaping of the urban fabric of Jerusalem.BibliographyMazza, Roberto (2013). *Jerusalem: From the Ottomans to the British*. Mazza, Roberto (2015) Transforming the Holy City From Communal Clashes to Urban Violence, the Nebi Musa Riots in 1920.Halabi, Awad (2023), *Palestinian Rituals of Identity. The Prophet Moses Festival in Jerusalem, 1850-1948*(Short video on the riots including original footage). Originally published 05/24/2023.

Awad discussed not just the celebrations but the participants and the rituals associated with the festival itself. In conclusion with Awad we looked at the contemporary and the possibilities for the festival to become once again a unifying factors for Palestinians in and around Jerusalem.In 1920 the Nabi Musa festival was transformed into the stage of large riots that occurred in Jerusalem: the so-called Nabi Musa Riots will be the focus of the next episode of Jerusalem Unplugged leading to the conclusion of this short series dedicated to the Nabi Musa Festival. Originally publishe don 05/10/2023.

With Chandler we discussed his work as archaeologist focusing on the Iron Age period, we also discussed questions related various digging and structures of that historical period. Since Chandler was stuck in Jerusalem during Covid, it was very interesting to hear a different view of how to use that time for some new discoveries. Chandler is the author of Approaching Jerusalem which aims to be a trove of accessible writing about ancient and living Jerusalem, including its geographical setting, early exploration, archaeological excavations, architecture, history, people, and more. This newsletter is both an extension of the modern quest to uncover ancient Jerusalem and a self-reflection of how the drive to study Jerusalem has influenced the city we experience today. Originally published 05/03/2023.

They returned with news of mysterious lands and strange inventions—clocks, trains, and other devices that both befuddled and bewitched the Bethlehemites. With newfound wealth, these merchants built shimmering pink mansions that transformed Bethlehem from a rural village into Palestine’s wealthiest and most cosmopolitan town. At the center of these extraordinary occurrences lived Jubrail Dabdoub.The Lives and Deaths of Jubrail Dabdoub tells the story of Jubrail’s encounters, offering a version of Palestinian history rarely acknowledged. From his childhood in rural Bethlehem to later voyages across Europe, East Asia, and the Americas, Jubrail’s story culminates in a recorded miracle: in 1909, he was brought back from the dead. To tell such a tale is to delve into the realms of the fantastic and improbable. Through the story of Jubrail’s life, Jacob Norris explores the porous lines between history and fiction, the normal and the paranormal, the everyday and the extraordinary. Originally published on 03/29/2023.

Given the long history of the city, the possibility to discuss many historical periods, ethnic and religious groups, politics, diplomacy, religion, eschatology, cuisine, art and even medicine, it is quite puzzling that not many scholars have offered in the past and are offering in the present courses making Jerusalem their centre. Is it a pedagogical question? How to structure a course on such a monumental history? Or is it a political issue: the fear of delving into a divisive and complex topic? Whatever the answer, the problem is that lack of teaching equals to great ignorance about the city, its history and its people, but more importantly it fuels the perpetuation of old stereotypes and the creation of new ones. Originally published on 03/22/2023.

Hamas’s armed wing and rockets carry the name of the fighter-preacher whose death sparked the 1936 rebellion. When Israel builds security barriers, sets up checkpoints, or razes homes, it is evoking laws and methods inherited from its British predecessor. And when Washington promotes a “two-state solution,” it is invoking a plan with roots in this same pivotal period. This is an extremely engaging conversation with different point of views which may leave the listeners to wanting to know more. More info here. Originally published on 03/15/2023.

The plans and projects discussed were the result of governmental initiatives at various levels. Some plans, such as the British Mandate scheme to build a parliamentary building in the city, point to the vivid contradictions of the colonial political structure. By contrast, it is important to remember that in the case of the Ottoman and the Jordanian administrations of the city, Palestinians were key political actors on the local level, something that was less the case during the Mandate period. You can all articles for free here. Originally published on 03/01/2023.

The more engaging the stories, the more likely we are to identify with places like Palestine. In our discussion we talked about his controversial PhD thesis and other material published in relation to Palestine during WW1. Lastly, we discussed his trip to Gaza where he collected documents and material now available here. Originally published on 02/22/2023.

Such style is exemplified in a large variety of monuments which would come to influence the magnificent Medieval Islamic architecture of Jerusalem. After unpacking Ayyubid Jerusalem we also discussed the question of the Citadel and the Tower of David, its archaeological appropriation and transformations. We ended the conversation with a virtual tour of Ayyubid Jerusalem where visitors can still see the visible signs of this almost forgotten dynasty. Originally published on 02/02/2023.

One particular brand of Christianity, dangerous to the indigenous Palestinian Christian population is Christian-Zionism. With John we discussed this particular brand of Christianity, their beliefs and the threats raised. Lastly we discussed the question of interreligious dialogue in Palestine and the upcoming new Palestinian Christianity Journal. Originally published on 01/25/2023.

UNRWA is the only organization in the world that has continuously collected and maintained data about Palestinian refugees since the Nakba. Anne Irfan and Jo Kelcey, authors of an upcoming article for the Jerusalem Quarterly talk about UNRWA as an organization but also as an archive, a source for Palestinian history. Originally published on 01/18/2023.

Along with his colleagues at Terrestrial Jerusalem, an NGO that he founded, Mr. Seidemann is frequently consulted by senior decision-makers and governmental bodies in Israel, Palestine, and in the international community on matters pertaining both to unfolding developments in Jerusalem and to broader issues relating to a permanent status agreement. Originally published on 12/14/2022.

Yet, they have been subjected to unrelenting efforts to erase their presence in, and potential claim to, the city—past, present, and future—in the service of cementing Israel’s imperative of claiming sole sovereignty in perpetuity over a “united Jewish Jerusalem. This effort, targeted through an overriding demographic imperative to maintain a Jewish majority to ensure control over the city, started decades ago and has taken myriad highly destructive forms, continuing to the present day, as is openly acknowledged by Israeli officials and decision-makers, and as the website and many other sources amply document. Originally published on 12/07/2022.

Nowadays, you can find him on a jogging trail, deep in the forest, at an airport, or in a coffee shop. For his next titles, he is finishing a romantic novella and a collection of essays. In this episode we talked about his book ‘Fugitive Dreams. Chronicles of Occupation and Resistance’. Fugitive Dreams is a personal documentary depicting the last half-century of the Palestinian experience through the life of Sameer, who finds his way to America from the “wrong” side of the border. Originally published 11/16/2022.

More specifically, Joel talked about the case study of the Jewish-Israeli-run City of David archaeological site and tourist centre, and the Palestinian Village of Silwan, both of which are situated in East Jerusalem. We also talked about the more than 150 years history of Palestinian workers and diggers employed by a variety of archaeologists up to the current day with the controversial digging led by Elad which also aims at displacing Palestinians from Silwan. Originally published on 11/09/2022.

In this interview, Harris Ford discusses the United Nations’ vision of internationalization and the supranational sovereignty it imagined for itself over Jerusalem, as well as local Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli residents within the city. Notwithstanding the creation of a commission, local consultations, international conferences, and two draft statutes, the UN plan to internationalize the area encompassing the Holy City failed by the mid-1950s. As we delved into the plan Harris argues that the plan to internationalize Jerusalem failed because it only pleased the United Nations. His work has been published as a Master Thesis and it is available in the link below; Harris has also published an article in the Jerusalem Quarterly focusing on the past-future, in other words, what could have been, but didn’t happen. Originally published on 11/02/2022.

Today the Dome and the Haram al-Sharif at large have become a key feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the target of Israeli-Jewish right wing organizations who seek to regain the area in order to build a new Temple; however after the destruction of the Temple in 70AD by the Romans, the site had become a quarry and while it was known to many that the area was sacred, it did not serve any particular purpose until the arrival of the Arab armies in the 7th Century.Beatrice, in her work and in this episode, has challenged many of the common views and histories of the Dome of the Rock, an excellent way to think about one’s next visit to Jerusalem. Originally published on 10/26/2022.

In this final episode of Jerusalem in World War One, I will bring to you the stories of Leah Tannenbaum and Abcarius Bey. Leah was know in Jerusalem as a beauty queen but also as the mistress of Cemal Pasha during the war. In this episode I will try to make sense of their stories, what we know and their legacy which is encapsulated in Villa Leah, one of the finest examples of Bauhouse in Jerusalem still today. Originally published on 09/14/2022.

In this final episode of Jerusalem in World War One, I will bring to you the stories of Leah Tannenbaum and Abcarius Bey. Leah was know in Jerusalem as a beauty queen but also as the mistress of Cemal Pasha during the war. In this episode I will try to make sense of their stories, what we know and their legacy which is encapsulated in Villa Leah, one of the finest examples of Bauhouse in Jerusalem still today. Originally published on 09/14/2022.

As we discussed his early work on the Husayni family we delved into the politics of Jerusalem and the growing criticism against segregation and apartheid. We also discussed 1948, particularly in relation to the ways in which this historical period is taught in Israeli schools and the perpetuation of myths and stereotypes: a fitting episode for a season finale. Originally published on 09/21/2022.

Central to Ballobar’s mission in Jerusalem was the protection and support of the Spanish clergy and properties in the region: in particular, of the Custody of the Holy Land that had jurisdiction over the Catholics in Palestine, parts of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and Rhodes. During his stay in the Holy City Ballobar wrote a diary recording events, feelings, impressions and opinions, proving to be a very attentive observer of war-time Jerusalem. In this episode we will learn about Jerusalem through the entries of Ballobar’s diary, a unique view of the city and Palestine during the war. Originally published on 09/07/2022.

In this episode I scrutinize the agency of U.S. consul Otis Glazebrook and show the fundamental role he played in this shift. Individual aid was superseded by institutional help and the shift was embodied in the aid and relief sent to the Jews. Eventually U.S. institutional aid during the war paved the way for formal support for Zionism and the notion that only Jews (and especially American Jews, who thought of themselves as agents of innovation) could lead Palestine into modernity. While Glazebrook was arguably not a supporter of political Zionism, his agency led America and Zionism to meet each other and initiate a lasting relationship. Originally published on 07/27/2022.

With the author we explored explored the radicalisation of Beitar and the fight for the soul of the club between the racists and open-minded fans. Founded in 1936, the club took its name from a Zionist organization set up in 1923 by students in the capital of Latvia, Riga, following a visit by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the Zionist Revisionist and founder of the para­military group Irgun. For thirty years, under the British Mandate, impoverished young Mizrahim (Jews from Arab countries) had kicked a ball around Jerusalem’s Musrara neighbourhood with Arab friends. The war of 1948 radically changed that. Subsequent events sharpened the divide, leading to the unrepentant racism of La Familia, Beitar “ultras” who began by making monkey noises at a player from Cameroon and graduated to chants threatening death to Arabs. Employing violence and intimi­dation, they ensured no Muslim could play for Beitar. Originally published on 07/20/2022.

Located in Woodbridge, Connecticut, USA, the museum opened its doors on April 22, 2018. Recently, through the idea of Preserving Palestinian history & culture telling the Palestinian story through the arts, they were able to exhibit Palestinian works at the Venice Biennale. https://www.palestinemuseum.us/

Originally published 06/15/2022.

In this episode we talked about the magazine and how East Jerusalem became a hub of cultural production and consumption during the so-called Jordanian era. As we are looking forward to read the full article, this episode, we hope, will add an important element to the history of Jerusalem. Originally published on 06/08/2022.

Members of the organization view heritage site as resources for building bridges and strengthening bonds between peoples and cultures and believe that archaeological sites cannot constitute proof of precedence or ownership by any one nation, ethnic group or religion over a given place. In this episode Alon describes with plenty of details how members of Emek Shaveh work and towards the of the episode he takes the listeners through a virtual tour of Silwan and the City of David providing critical elements in order to understand the relevance of archaeology for the daily lives of those who live in Jerusalem.

https://emekshaveh.org/

Originally published on 06/01/2022.

The conquest of Palestine and Jerusalem occurred as part of the First World War, however as many previous guests have pointed out the British had already plans set in motion for one day securing the region in one way or another. 1917 proved to be a crucial year in the long history of Jerusalem as Ottoman rule ended the British established their own rule which dramatically changed the fabric of the city. Originally published on 05/25/2022.

In the century and a half since the Frenchman broke ground, Jerusalem has drawn a global cast of fortune seekers and missionaries, archaeologists and zealots, all of them eager to extract the biblical past from beneath the city’s streets and shrines. Their efforts have had profound effects, not only on our understanding of Jerusalem’s history, but on its hotly disputed present. The quest to retrieve ancient Jewish heritage has sparked bloody riots and thwarted international peace agreements. It has served as a cudgel, a way to stake a claim to the most contested city on the planet. Today, the earth below Jerusalem remains a battleground in the struggle to control the city above.

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Originally published on 04/27/2022.

Quite fascinating is the story of two Indian women who unfortunately were killed in Jericho,  nevertheless their presence there is revealing of the vast network into which Jerusalem and Palestine were placed into as part of the British Empire leaving historians with still plenty of uncharted historical territory to explore. Originally published 04/20/2022.

he fascinating story of the American Colony was also told by Abigail Jacobson  who has published extensively on their humanitarian work. Julia, as well told, us about a key humanitarian work provided by members of the colony and under the British by a multiplicity of individuals. Nurses are another invisible category, often neglected in historical narratives, they played a key role in Jerusalem helping Jerusalemites of all faiths and ethnicities. Originally published on 04/13/2022.

As Suleiman has been involved in a number of documentaries, we discussed the potential and difficulties to tell the story of Jerusalem through this medium, one that can spread easily information around the world, but also simplify the complex history of the city. Originally published 04/06/2022.

In this episode Awad Halabi tells us everything about Nabi Musa and the festival, its origin, development and sadly its end. With Awad, we also discussed his family history and how important will be in the future to develop a strong family history of Palestine, a way of preserving Palestinian heritage and celebrate life. In the end we also discussed the question of the podcast as a public history tool, one that can discuss the complex history of Jerusalem and its people without making it simplistic. Originally published on 02/23/2022.

In this podcast I will recount the story of the offer and the subsequent debates amongst the member of the Zionist organization. While the money to complete the purchase was collected, many in the Zionist camp were not so eager to move forward and eventually the combination of this factor with a change of mind by Cemal Pasha, the affair did not materialize. Zionist leaders swore to keep the story secret and the story did indeed remain buried in the archives for a long time. While the documents were available, no historian of Zionism ever reported this. It is hard to speculate ‘what if’ the Western Wall had been sold during the war, what would have happened may not have an easy answer, but if anything else this event tells us that there is a lot more we don’t know. Originally published on 02/16/2022.

Their legacy is particularly visible in the city outside the walls where they had been able to accommodate various ideas, their own, the desire of the British administrators and finally of the Zionists – local Arabs were essentially excluded from the process. With Dr Rubin, we then discussed the question of the Jerusalem Municipal Archives, a rather neglected, underfunded and hard to access institution that could provide invaluable material in order to write a more comprehensive history of modern Jerusalem. In the end Dr Rubin hopes that her work will help many to understand the various layers of Jerusalem and began to be more inclusive and remember those who have been excluded in the past. Originally published on 02/09/2022.

Felicity Cobbing, Chief Executive and Curator of the PEF, takes us through the history and archives of the PEF discussing its origins, functioning and legacy. With the Felicity we have unpacked several issues, including the role of women and of the colonial connections between the PEF and the British government. The first Ordnance Survey of 1865 which fostered the establishment of the PEF and later the production of a general survey of Palestine, it can be safely said that it change the way the city of Jerusalem was understood and portrayed. 

https://www.pef.org.uk/

Originally published on 02/02/2022.

The women who shaped Jerusalem’s architectural legacy. The artists at work today. Tailors. Coffee-roasters. Social activists. Sellers of silk, books or onions. Jerusalem is not my city, but it’s a privilege for me to be able to amplify Jerusalemite voices, help them to be heard above the clamour.’Matthew is writing a book of stories to help illuminate a walk – on foot, or in the mind – through the Old City of Jerusalem. The *Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City*, it uses individual voices from the communities who live – and have lived – inside Jerusalem’s walls to explore the city’s sense of itself, challenge prevailing narratives and paint a new, intimately personal picture of social and cultural diversity. Originally published on 01/26/2022.

Back to history, Kostas recalled the beginning of the clash between the Greek hierarchy and the Arab laity which dates back 1872 and in some form continues today. In the second part of the interview we brought back to life the Greek Colony of Jerusalem which eventually disappeared as a result of the 1948 war. Lastly we talked about the famous Holy Fire tradition that takes place on Easter day in Jerusalem inside the Holy Sepulchre. Originally published on 01/19/2022.

This work by Nadi has been published by the Jerusalem Quarterly and it is a fascinating research into an event that has received very little attention. We moved to discuss a recent article published in the Architectural Review looking at the battle that is taking place underground as Israeli archaeologists are trying to use historical claims in order to make territorial gains in East Jerusalem. Lastly, we talked about the agency of architects and their role in the future of the city. Originally published 01/12/2022.

Criticizing the conventional chronology based on violent events, Klein told us that is way more important to focus on the gaps, the years that separated those events in order to understand how people lived their daily lives. Concluding the interview, Prof. Klein looked back at his ideas about the future Jerusalem that he wrote in the 1990s and tried to look a what the future may bring given the current context. Originally published on 01/05/2022.

While jobs in construction are generally well paid, these jobs are often associated with Palestinians with a racist undertone, and are often dangerous and do not provide stability. As mentioned by Ben Zeev, modern Israel and Jerusalem have been build by Palestinians, yet this is not acknowledged at any level. Jerusalem has seen a rapid cementification process with the expansion of neighborhoods in the West and the vertical development in the East in order to accommodate Palestinian Jerusalemites who do not want to lose their residency. Originally published on 12/22/2021.

Valentina reminded us that Franciscans created the Via Crucis which so much has influenced the topography and understanding of Jerusalem in Christian thought; not to mention that Franciscans elaborated their perceptions of Jerusalem and exported them around Europe. We then moved to talk about processions, while forbidden by the Mamluk rulers, these became part of Jerusalem and its daily life. Some processions occurred within churches – like the daily Latin procession within the Holy Sepulchre- but others took place and brought European pilgrims to Jerusalem. Valentina told us about these pilgrims, who they were and how they travelled, how they related to the city and what brought back. Lastly we discussed liturgy and how this aspect of religion influenced Jerusalem, but also the famous question of the graffiti at the Holy Sepulchre. Originally published 12/15/2021.

One the most fascinating discoveries by Maria Chiara was business cards printed in the late 19th and early 20th century by the Franciscan Printing Press, a unique way to look at Jerusalemites, their businesses and the services available to the local population. We then moved to discuss the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem first at large, then focusing on the very important and controversial period between 1946 and 1956. The work of Maria Chiara adds plenty of new material related to 1948 and the Palestinian refugees. Lastly, we discussed the very little known Saint James association, a group that emerged within the Patriarchate and produced a new Catholic liturgy in Hebrew. Originally published on 12/08/2021.

While Nazareth played a major role in the relationship between Palestinians in Israel and in the West Bank, since Oslo, Nazareth lost its political role. Lastly we discussed historiography and the reasons why Nazareth is prominent in literature related to antiquity but both Israeli, Palestinian and international scholars seem to have forgotten the city in the 20th century. Originally published on 11/17/2021.

We then talked about the evacuation of Gaza during the First World War, a little known event in history, but very important for the city of Gaza as it took a number of years for Gaza and its inhabitants to recover. We also talked about the intriguing figure of Alexander Knesevich (Dotan published an article on Jerusalem Quarterly 81) a consular agent working for different people, lastly for the British. Drawing some conclusions on Gaza during the British Mandate, the damage done by the war relegated Gaza at the margins of the emerging Palestinian nationalist movement and of other trends unfolding in Palestine. Originally published on 11/10/201.

Merav had been involved in a very famous exhibition hosted at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, “Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven.” From here we moved to discuss libraries and their books in Jerusalem. Libraries are one of the most secret and well protected locations in Jerusalem, they preserved the heritage and history of the communities and families that built them. A city without a library is a city with no history and Merav tells us the history of Jerusalem through its libraries. We talked about access to libraries and their contents, particularly for women; this eventually brought us to discuss the amazing Mar Saba Monastery located just in the outskirts of Jerusalem. Originally published 11/03/2021.

We also talked about the Templers and the stories that emerged after the abolition on the order in 1312.The conversation then moved to discuss the lasting legacy of the Crusader presence in Palestine after the end of the Crusader Kingdoms. Lastly Adrian presented his latest professional work related to the excavations around the Montfort Castle. Last but not least, Adrian has recently written a historical novel taking place in Crusader Palestine: The Sulphur Priest. Originally published 10/27/2021.

We then discussed the question of redemption as a founding ideology of Zionism. Lastly we discussed the Rise and Fall of Arab Jerusalem, a fascinating work, a short but powerful narrative about the last 60 years of history of Jerusalem. After 1967, despite the occupation of East Jerusalem, the city became the hub of Palestinian politics and culture. The aftermath of the Oslo process pushed the Palestinians away emptying East Jerusalem of Palestinian political and cultural leadership. Once again we discussed the question of the Blue ID for Palestinians, & something the largest majority of Israeli and audiences abroad are not aware of. While we did not talk about the future, we discussed his views about Jerusalem in 2021. Originally published 10/20/2021.

Storytelling took us then into family history showing how one who knows Jerusalem may not really belong to it, but as a previous guest said, no one owns Jerusalem, people are owned by the city. Given Jalal profession, inevitably, we talked about Sheik Jarrah and shared views about this. Last but not least, as Jalal is a marathon runner, we talked about running around Jerusalem.

https://www.jalalabukhater.com/

Originally published on 09/29/2021.

We focused on the history of the municipality of Jerusalem which was established in the late 19th century by the Ottomans and survived the First World War and the British Mandate but changed in nature and functions. Falestin told us how under the British a process of de-municipalization occurred as the British privileged other institutions de-facto taking away a political space where Palestinians and Zionists could have interacted. We also talked about the relationship between Jerusalem and its surrounding, in particular with the village of Artas which will be the focus of the upcoming by Falestin Naili *La Palestine entre Patrimoine et Providence : régimes d’historicité et mémoire au village d’Artâs* *au XIX et XX siècles.* Originally published on 0922/2021.

We discussed the very controversial and sensitive is sue related to groups who want to rebuild the Jewish Temple on the Haram al-Sharif. With Prof. Dumper we talked about the question of the Trump administration that moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the consequences of this move. It is not easy to see what the trends are and what the future may bring, says Prof. Dumper and we agree that the current situation it is just too unpredictable. We then talked about holy cities and the conflicts that are generated in order to control them, but first what does make a city holy? Originally published 09/14/2021.

Thom has ample opportunity to encourage such interaction as a teacher of theology and one of the chaplains.A member of the American Academy of Religion and the Conference of Anglican Theologians, Thom also teaches graduate classes at Virginia Theological Seminary. He has written one monograph on pilgrimage, contributed to seven books on the history of Jerusalem, and is a senior fellow of the Christian Heritage Research Institute in Jerusalem.His most recent published work, “La Méditerranée des Arméniens” edited by Professor Claude Mutafian, came out last summer and he is currently writing “”A Theology of Christian Pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”” He spends his summers in Jerusalem, Oxford, England, and Paris when he and his wife Ruth are not enjoying their garden in Old Town Alexandria. Originally published on 02/17/2021.