Birzeit University Museum hosts book launch for Returning by Vera Tamari

The Birzeit University Museum hosted a book launch for Returning: Palestinian Family Memories in Clay Reliefs, Photographs and Texts by Vera Tamari in collaboration with Birzeit University College of Art, Music and Design on Monday, December 5, 2022.

Through clay reliefs, photos and text, Returning documents the life of Tamari’s family in Jaffa and Jerusalem. The stories and images portray the life of a typical Palestinian urban middle-class community, capturing their social gatherings and daily activities from the early 20th century until their forced exodus in 1948.

During the event, Palestinian writer and activist Raja Shehadeh directed a discussion on the book. Birzeit University President Beshara Doumani commended Tamari’s choice of book title, as “returning” indicates the continuity of Palestinian efforts to return to their homeland. Tamari noted, “The Palestinian return is an ongoing effort to recollect and bequeath the Palestinian memory and heritage to the coming generations. Although this book is a collection of personal stories and photographs, it is part of the Palestinian collective history. By recollecting anecdotes, visuals and artwork and documenting our personal history, we return to Palestine.”

Vera Tamari was born in 1945 in Jerusalem. She is a visual artist and lecturer of Islamic art and architecture at Birzeit University. Committed to the promotion of art, Tamari founded and directed the Ethnographic and Art Museum and the Virtual Gallery at Birzeit University. She serves as an advisor on various cultural boards and has participated in local and international art exhibitions.