March 25, 2024

Ampac

Friendly Interior

House of Palestine open to share culture, traditions with San Diego

From the tiles on the floor, to the backlit mural on the ceiling, to the artifacts hanging on the partitions, each and each and every part of the House of Palestine at Balboa Park tells the tale of its folks and culture.

It was in the summer time of 2002 that a group of volunteers to start with submitted an software to the Household of Pacific Relations so they could a person day establish a home at the park’s worldwide cottages.

Two many years afterwards, the Household of Palestine now sits with 29 other nationwide group cottages at the park, inviting the community in each weekend to understand a lot more about its nation’s culture and traditions.

“It took many decades of challenging perform, labor, volunteer hours and economical aid to complete this monumental milestone,” stated Palestinian Yousef Ghandour, president of the house.

Also, it is the initially actual physical household to characterize the handful of the Arab countries integrated in the House of Pacific Relations, as a some even now do not still have their very own cottages.

“The varieties of discrimination and record that Arab Individuals have experienced from is just one of invisibility — no person appreciates our voices aren’t heard our tales aren’t informed,” explained Doris Bittar, California organizer for the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee.

San Diego has one particular of the greatest Arab American communities in the place, Bittar included, on the other hand, numerous persons really do not come to feel represented.

Now, the Home of Palestine can be a spot, where website visitors can discover about those untold stories, Ghandour included.

“It’s not just about representing the Palestinians, it’s about symbolizing just about every (Arab American) in our tradition,” he said. “We want every person to really feel in some way component of it.”

From notion to creation

Soon after the Household of Palestine was formally recognized into the House of Pacific Relations in 2003, the Palestinian flag began to fly in Balboa Park, as volunteers began exposing San Diegans to their lifestyle on weekends in the Hall of Nations.

Website visitors were being launched to Palestinian cuisines — these as falafels, shwarma and mujadara — alongside with cultural dances and songs and standard arts and crafts, this sort of as Tatreez, a traditional Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery.

Even so, the home dreamed of a single day owning its possess cottage, and the initially board of directors was set up to do the job toward constructing a long term home that would conclude up staying built in the up coming phase of cottages.

On the other hand, things had been not that simple, as they initially had to garner adequate funds — a lot more than $500,000 — to make that probable.

The Residence of Palestine joined the New Global Cottages Committee, a steering committee of 9 cottages who all desired to develop homes of their possess in the park. In December 2016, the Household of Palestine was eventually in a position to split floor, and immediately after yet another series of setbacks, the cottages have been able to get started building in June 2019.

Palestinian Karem Elhams, a civil engineer who represented the committee, took the helm of building and aided with not just the Household of Palestine but all 9 cottages.

“It was an knowledge I would not trade for something else,” Elhams claimed. “It was like offering back to the group with my engineering experience.”

Photos and an instrument called an Oud hangs on the wall of The House of Palestine at Balboa Park

Images and an instrument named an oud hangs on the wall.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

However they did not have a concrete structure, in excess of the a long time the Home of Palestine local community ongoing to increase, and by the time the cottages ultimately celebrated their grand opening 5 several years later on, some 1,500 people today came to celebrate with a flag-boosting ceremony in September.

“It was an indescribable experience to see this sort of a substantial crowd coming together for Palestine,” reported Palestinian Suzan Hamideh, the cultural and events director for Property of Palestine. “It still brings tears to my eyes.”

Palestinians flew in from all over to show up at the momentous function, Ghandour reported, adding, “People wished anything like this that they could be proud to belong to, just to experience that they were portion of their heritage.”

In April, the household formally debuted to the community and is now open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every single Saturday and Sunday.

Showcasing cultural traditions, histories

The tile arrangement in the dwelling represents a ground sample made use of in Jerusalem, the ceiling showcases a lit picture of the “Holy Land” in Jerusalem, and every single artifact shares some of the area’s history.

The House of Palestine at Balboa Park opened in April after more than two decades of planning

The Household of Palestine at Balboa Park opened in April immediately after more than two many years of arranging.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“We needed to use the place ground to ceiling … harkening to society,” mentioned Bittar, who assisted structure the displays with Hamideh.

Some of the abundant culture and heritage of the Palestinian territories are seen as a result of handmade woodcarvings, mosaics and embroidery.

Every single woman’s gown, for case in point, has a certain style of stitching that would explain to onlookers what village they have been from.

Among the artifacts is a image of Widad Salah in Ramallah wearing a commemorative Palestinian gown when she was 19 several years previous in 1939.

“That photograph has an unbelievable response — it keeps popping up in destinations all more than the globe,” explained Salah’s daughter, Sylvia Khuri. “It’s been employed as an expression of common Palestine.”

However Salah died a yr and a half in the past at 100 years aged whilst dwelling in San Diego, Khuri says she is aware of her mother would be happy to see her photo as part of a community illustration of the Palestinian territories.

“It is critical to remain genuine to our roots. It is what shapes us and can make us exclusive in our own methods,” added Hamideh. “It’s also extremely crucial to me to be able to share the cultural heritage and background of Palestine with absolutely everyone who visits.”

Hamideh is building cultural courses for readers that will use artwork, literature, dance, audio, delicacies, clothing and storytelling to enable showcase the Palestinian id. Non-public classes are also accessible for schools and faculties.

“You’d be amazed, a whole lot of folks really do not know where by Palestine is,” Hamideh stated.

A dress is displayed in The House of Palestine at Balboa Park

A gown is displayed in the Property of Palestine. Stitching was exclusive to villages in Palestine and just about every village had their have structure.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“This home really delivers this community jointly, primarily the more youthful generation that get this exposure and expertise about the tradition,” extra Palestinian Hany el-Saidany.

That incorporates his 12-calendar year-outdated daughter, Yafa, who was born in the U.S. and has under no circumstances been to the West Financial institution.

“It’s truly neat to see the artifacts that characterize Palestine … and learn more about my origins,” Yafa extra. “A great deal of individuals never really know about Palestine … and I feel the residence is a truly neat illustration of it.”

Just after the 1948 Palestinian exodus, identified as al-Nakba, Palestinians still left the region and scattered throughout the world, Ghandour said.

Even so, the Palestinian diaspora, or scattered populace, nevertheless share the exact enthusiasm and profound connection to their homeland and society.

“Little by tiny, we’re reconnecting,” Ghandour added. “And which is in which we thrive.”