Photo Album: Jaffan Weddings
Who is recorded and who is invisible? Jaffans fled their city suddenly in one day, and all their belongings including photographs and memoirs, are gone. The homes were looted and all archives of the city were taken over by the State of Israel. What is left of the biggest city of Palestine is haphazard images and documents popping up here and there in a fleamarket or in a Facebook post. What reaches us is mostly photographs of the richest families who left the city earlier with some of their belongings. In addition, at the turn of the century and until Jaffa fell in 1948, not many had the means to photograph their lives, weddings, or homes. This leaves us with a clear gap in the visual heritage and a dichotomy in the Palestinian identity of the extremely affluent or the very poor in refugee camps. Jaffa was an extremely diverse city on many levels. Because of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world, Palestine was one of the first and most photographed places in the world. The copyright of photographs, documents, and films, has restricted the accessibility of Jaffans to the only thing left of their city, history, imagery, memories, and heritage. With the greatest respect to the hard work of professionals and amateurs, in this case of memoricide, we think that the ethical right of humans to access their heritage and history surpasses some cases of copyright. We would thank every effort to make this site perfectly copyright-full, until then, indigenous Jaffans have a right to access their visual and archival worlds.
In “Woman at the Door,” Tamari’s mother, a modern woman who defied conventions, her hands behind her back, stands at the door of her house in Jaffa with flower pots at her sides. In “Unfulfilled Dreams,” a poignant chapter about Tamari’s aunts Olga and Alexandra Tamari, we see Olga sitting on a low stool next to a giant pot of hydrangeas, her sister Alexandra behind her, a hand on her shoulder. In “Picnic in Hebron,” the composition and balance, as noted by Tamari, are especially exquisite — a row of friends standing amid a row of tree trunks.”
Wedding of groom Louis Zamaria and his bride Loulou (of Greek origin), Jaffa, February 15, 1930. British Mandate Jerusalemites Photo Library
Louis Zamaria was the honorary consul of Spain in Jaffa. He and his wife had three children: Simone, Danielle and Ronald. Among the guests are Yousef Zamaria, Alfred Roch, Henry Roch, Arthur Roch, Adelaide Roch, Edmond Roch, Mrs Wadie Khoury, Abdallah Tamari, Nicola Beiruti, Eveline Issa Khoury, and Maurice Zamaria.
Damian Hanania and Adele Abboud’s wedding, Jaffa, 1939. British Mandate Jerusalemites Photo Library
Wedding of Adele Abboud and Damian Hanania in Jaffa 1939, taken by a Jaffan photo studio Tshakmakian.
Jaffa, 1942, Aida Berouti, on her wedding day. Her sister is behind her holding their father’s hand. Randa Berouti’s family album,
Groom and bride George Berouti and Laila Tayyan at the entrance of the Latin church, Jaffa, 1946. Randa Berouti’s album
George and Laila, the Latin Church, Jaffa, 1946 Randa Berouti’s album
The wedding of Anton Hallak to Adele Alonzo, St. Peter’s Church in Jaffa, September 5, 1943
Wedding of Victoria Sarouf and Farid Asfour, Jaffa, c. 1940
Source: Rana Toubassi Mustaklem Family album
1946 Engagement photo of Nadia and Salah Ed-Din El Ramli at Venus Studio, Jaffa. Hanaa El Ramli’s album.
1947 Wedding photo of Nadia and Salah Ed-Din El Ramli in Jaffa, taken at Venus Studio, Hanaa El Ramli’s album
Andre Abdo and Fadwa Habbash’s wedding photo in Jaffa with the Mediterranean as backdrop 1932 Source
The Catholic Church Jaffa, Scholten, 1921-23
A church in Jaffa, Scholten, 1921-23