Our first year students were finally able to take advantage of the lift of lockdown to take a field trip with the Arab Culture Association, to Wadi Al Salib, where they learned about the history of this once bustling, thriving and prosperous Palestinian neighbourhood of Haifa, from where its residents were expelled in 1948. It is now abandoned, sadly decaying and derelict. The Haifa municipality has had plans at various times to transform it into an expensive artists’ quarter, but so far that hasn’t happened.
The interesting history of Wadi Al Salib can be found here
Two of our students wanted to share their thoughts about the field trip. First up is Dima. She says:
“Hallo my name is Dima Badra. I am a biochemistry student at the Technion, a Rawda Bishara Atalla scholarship student supported by the Galilee Foundation.
Today we were in Wadi Al Salib in the Identity Workshop. We discussed the definition of identity and its various components, about the collective identity, being Palestinians inside, and about the components of individual identity.
And we talked about the history of Wadi Al Salib neighbourhood.”
Next up is Milad, who says:
“Hallo, my name is Milad Hussein, a student of computer science at Haifa University. I am an Abu Ali Scholarship student, supported by the Galilee Foundation.
Today we were on a tour of the Wadi Al Salib neighbourhood in Haifa to learn about the displacement of Palestinians in 1948.
We also held interactive workshops to talk and debate about identity, the individual components of our identity and our collective identity as Palestinian youth”
