Pottery & Glass, Falafel & Hummus and Arab Houses

Sunday morning we drove to Khalil, or Hebron, the putative site of Abraham's - known to Muslims as Ibrahim - near-sacrifice of Issac.  That site is holy to Islam, Christianity and Judaism and part of the old city is occupied by Israeli settlers who often threaten and attack Palestinian residents.  I remember Hebron as an open city with an old section that I wandered through several times, both in the 1960's and ten or fifteen years ago.  Today, the old section has been mostly closed down by the settlers and you move about carefully.

With the potter

Khitam and I had not come to explore the old city this time or do a workshop there.  We had come to buy pottery and probably have some falafel and hummus before heading back to her place in Adahya.  We drove to Hebron Glassworks and Ceramics, which I wrote about a few years ago.  Begun in the 19th century by the Natsheh family, the glass and pottery workshop continues to turn out lovely work that is displayed on shelves in a show room next to the workshop.

Many have worked there for a long time.  The potter who was working at a wheel during our visit has been there over twenty years and has been at the wheel for every one of my visits I can remember.  One of the women painting bowls has also been there over twenty years, as have at least one of the men painting the designs.  Others have only been there for six to twelve years but may stay until they stop working.  Jobs must be scarce and Hebron Glassworks and Ceramics is well-known here and far beyond Palestine's borders...which is another subject!

Painting their traditional designs

Tradition: an important concept in this part of the world.  Palestinians reach back centuries, at least; Israelis back to Old Testament days.  Each has a claim here.  However, it is the Palestinians who were here when Israel was established.  They were here with their traditions, and they still have them.  They live mostly in villages and in East Jerusalem.  They were, and many still are, small farmers who grew food and raised goats and sheep to feed their families and sell the rest at what we now call farmers markets.  Their traditional way of life does not include competing on the world's stage.

Outlining the design

Falafel and hummus are also a part of tradition here, along with Arabic bread (not pita), and some fresh and pickled veggies.  Khitam asked two men who were walking along the road in town where the best falafel shot was; she'd gotten a name from someone at the glassworks shop.  They began to answer and then suggested they get in and they could direct us while getting a ride.  In they climbed and soon Khitam and I were entering a small restaurant that specialised in falafel hummus and foule (red beans in olive oil with a few spices), plus Arabic bread that continued to arrive from a local bakery.  Tables were covered with paper, the food was served in bowls, the bread on the paper, and that, plus a few veggies was the meal with water and sodas to drink.  No ceremony here: they make the food, you eat it, pay and leave.  Simple and very good, even if you leave with sticky hands.  Cost?  About six dollars.  Traditional food served without ceremony, though the man who made the falafel had a twinkle and chatted with Khitam when he brought the falafel.

On our way to Hebron we passed through Jerusalem, skirting the old city, which is surrounded by a Medieval wall.  We also passed some lovely old stone houses, modest and handsome, built to last, each with its own personality in spite of the similarity of style.  "You see so many traditional houses along here," Khitam said, "and the people who owned them cannot even see them.  Sad."  She was referring to those Arab houses that Palestinians had to leave during the war in 1948.  Most must have thought they would return soon to take up their traditional ways in their homes.