The Wandering Archive: Heritage in Spaces of Dispute – The Case of Jerusalem Boulevard

The outcomes of the War of Independence significantly transformed the urban landscape of Yafo and Jerusalem Boulevard. The Palestinian community within the city faced a drastic decline. Out of roughly 80,000 Palestinians who resided there prior to the war, fewer than 3,000 continued to live in the area afterwards, primarily in the Ajami neighborhood. While most buildings were not destroyed, they became points of contention between Israel's dominant heritage organizations and Palestinian inhabitants of Yafo, both locally and in exile.

During the event, we will explore the heritage of the Palestinian city prior to the Nakba, using Jerusalem Boulevard as a case study based on Shmuel Groag's research. Our discussion will address issues related to the boulevard's heritage, concentrating on three key themes: applying critical preservation methods at contested locations, creating an alternative archive, and investigating the importance of the Palestinian city's heritage before 1948 in establishing a shared space today.

Shmuel will present the main points of his research work, followed by responses from seven researchers and activists, each offering their own perspective. This will be followed by a discussion that focuses on the relationship between critical research in heritage preservation and the current political and urban situation.

Moderator – Prof. Arch. Ayala Ronel

Program:

19:30 Opening words – Arch. Ahmad Kharouf

Dr. Arch. Shmuel Groag: The Palestinian City – Between Preservation and Destruction

20:00

Short talks

Prof. Hillel Cohen – Modernity and Tradition, East and West, Yafo and Jerusalem

Abd Abu Shehadeh – On Lost Yafo Urbanism

Dr. Tamar Berger – Image 4.1: Manshiyya, January 1949

Dr. Ronen Ben-Arie – The Archive as an Act of Resistance

Prof. Alona Nitzan-Shiftan –Yafo Images: On the Right to Urban History

Dr. Ariel Handel – Between Getting Lost and Political Imagination: How to Wander in the Past

Prof. Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin - Is There a Future Reflected in the Past?

Refreshments – water, coffee and nuts