Another memorable visit I’d like to share is the one we made to the town of Lifta, in West Jerusalem. It was a relatively short trip, taken in the late afternoon but which was just as enjoyable as any other longer excursions.
The bus dropped us off at the ‘top of the hill,’ and as we started walking, we were soon greeted with a steep, downhill path which was more challenging to partake in than one might expect. We took our time hiking down into the valley until we finally reached the bottom and could finally stop and observe the surroundings as we took in Lifta’s history.
Lifta is a town which was depopulated in 1948 by Jewish troops, and was home to both Christian and Muslim Palestinians as well as to some Jewish families. The town is now mostly deserted, but is surrounded by homes inhabited by Israelis. The Israeli presence became apparent as we hiked down into the valley and saw Israeli families passing through, jogging or just hanging out. It seemed obvious that our group was the only Arabic-English speaking group in these parts. As we observed the hills, what we saw were mostly ruins of homes, as well as the remains of a mosque. As our guides related some of the history, we found that on one side had been the home of a Christian family, while the house across from it on the other side had been home to a Jewish family. I could be wrong but I recall a detail about the house owned by the Jewish family, something about the house being built on uneven ground thus threatening the stability of the house…
We also saw a kind of ‘courtyard’ with a big water basin, in which I think Israelis bathe in these days. I believe that area used to be Lifta’s city center, with occasional markets and where inhabitants would join together and spend time socializing.
As we kept hiking further north, we saw more ruins and even saw some homeless and hippie Israelis staying in some of these buildings. I walked into a few of the empty homes and I must say I just felt the strangest feeling… like I was invading someone’s home. Clearly the place had been empty for years—even though there was endless graffiti and drawings adorning the walls—but I just felt like something was missing, like I was walking into someone’s home without them knowing about it… It was an awkward feeling I don't think I've ever experienced before...
We continued our hike, joking and chatting and singing until we eventually had reached the other side, where our bus awaited us to take us back into the center.
Maybe it was actually perfect that we went there in the late afternoon. There was something very lovely about seeing the late afternoon sun shining upon the remains of homes on the hills… I’m sure many people drive by them on the highway, indifferent to the ruins on the hills, unaware of Lifta’s location and history. And who knows how much longer Lifta will be there for people to visit, as I heard plans of building luxury homes there may soon come to fruition?
I know little of what will happen to Lifta in the near future, but I do know I am glad to have seen its remains—as much as I could of them—while they were still there. If I could have found the place very breathtaking despite the obvious destruction that has taken place there in recent history, I can only imagine how gorgeous it must have been when Lifta was a thriving and fully populated town in Jerusalem. +
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