PALESTINE Memories of 1948 - Photographs of Jerusalem | Page 129

From Gaza to Rio, journey of
a “Compatriot of Jesus”
Muhyeddin Al Jamal, about 88 years old
He overcame the fear he felt in 1948 when his family was
expelled from their village by the Israeli army. He traded
his distress for boldness, his poverty for adaptability and
his lack of education for knowhow.
Life has carried Muhyeddin Al Jamal from Gaza to
Rio de Janeiro, from the cut-throat favelas to the smart
neighbourhoods, from the Amazon to the United States,
and living now in Jordan. His story is that of a Palestin-
ian who, unable to return home, has become a citizen of
the world.
 It is often said that your childhood years define
you. That was indeed the case for me. My childhood
was defined by my mother, a woman who had a tough
life. My parents had bought some land to plant orange
trees and she was carrying stones there on her head
when she gave birth to a premature baby in the dust.
That is how I came into the world. Thinking that I
would not survive, she made a solemn vow before God
that, if I were saved, she would sacrifice a lamb every
year and give it to those poorer than herself. Not only
did she fulfil her vow, but she asked me to continue it
in her name, until my death.
Some people living in extreme poverty see a passing
chance and grab it. I latched onto mine without fear,
because my mother had taught me never to be afraid.
My lucky star smiled on me around 1946, at the age
of fourteen. Every morning, I would cycle from Yibna
to Aqir (near Ramle), where the British had set up a
base after a bomb had destroyed their Jerusalem head-
quarters. 1 I had a job cleaning the floor in the Royal
Air Force (RAF) hangar. 2 Since I do not have a birth
certificate, I managed to pass myself off as being older
than I was in order to be better paid. And then, by
dint of spending time around the mechanics and help-
ing them by going under the aircraft and accessing the
hard-to-reach places thanks to my small hands, I learnt
and learnt until the moment came when I went to see
the managers and declared:
‘I want to become an aircraft mechanic!’
I passed a test that consisted of twisting a piece of
iron to make a spanner; and in the end I was taken on.
I looked after the maintenance of Wellingtons, Hali-
faxes and Spitfires, all British military planes. It was an
experience that served me well later.
I will always remember June 4, 1948. Barely three
weeks after the departure of the British and the unilat-
eral proclamation of the State of Israel, all the inhab-
itants of Yibna were expelled from their homes by the
Israeli army. 3 Our only thought was to flee and find
shelter. We had to leave everything we had, the cit-
rus fields which were my father’s pride, the cows that
allowed my mother to make cheese and yoghurt, the
sheep, the goats… My father had only enough time
Muhyeddin
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