Molokhia is spelt in many different ways and translates to Jute Leaves. It refers to both the vegetable and the soup, which is made in various forms throughout the Middle East. The leaves and stems are very nutritious; high in protein, Dietary Fiber, calcium, iron and B-carotene. When exposed to water, they secrete a viscous syrup, similar in texture to that of boiled okra. For this reason, Molokhia is primarily made into a soup.

This recipe is my mother’s and I love it.

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As an American born Palestinian businesswoman, writer and artist, born and raised in the US, Wafa Ghanaim’s family has known suffering. Her father came from Yaffa, and her mother from Safad in Palestine. They were twice displaced – first, to Damascus, Syria and then to Amman, Jordan.

A Work of Art is a Scream of Freedom 

In 1979, Wafa’s parents married and moved to America.

When my parents moved to the US, my mother really struggled to adapt and became depressed. Her embroidery was a kind of therapy for her and kept her connected to her roots.

Wafa’s mother, Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim, had 12 brothers and sisters and her grandmother kept everyone busy with embroidery crafts. When she was only 8 years old, she created her first piece. She later went on to study Art at the Damascus University and mastered the art, mentoring others in embroidery.

The tradition was passed on and Wafa and her two sisters began learning Palestinian embroidery from their mother when they were each about 2 years old, using tweezers whilst pulling waste canvas.

Weaving the magnificent Tapestry of Love and Loss…

Throughout her life Wafa has traveled alongside her mother for various exhibitions, lectures and demonstrations around the US. From folklore festivals in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to elementary schools in southeast Portland, Oregon, Wafa has assisted her mother by preparing materials for the lectures, demonstrating the craft of embroidery to audiences, and curating the exhibits.

Preserving our cultural roots was very important to my parents and my mother was adamant in wanting to continue her ancestral traditions even faraway from Palestine. In high school I wanted to fit in with American culture, but always returned to my roots.

Onwards & Upwards

Wafa was awarded a two-year apprenticeship through the Oregon Folklife Network and the University of Oregon in 1993 through to 1995 with her older sister, Fida. Throughout the apprenticeship, they assisted their mother in the completion of a Palestinian dress titled The Gardens, which was displayed in the Oregon State Capitol as “the dress of a million stitches“. Wafa also completed her own embroidered mural of the design “The Story of Cleopatra.“

Her mother earned a lifetime award from the National Endowment for the Arts as a Heritage Fellow, the highest honor you can receive in the US for your artistry and she received the medal in 2018.

Arabian Travels

Wafa has never visited her ancestral homeland but hope to one day. She has been to Syria and Jordan many times for personal, professional and academic pursuits, witnessing major events that have rippled throughout the region. From the 2003 invasion of Iraq to various Israeli invasions and wars against Palestinians in the occupied territories, to the Arab Uprisings. The last time she visited Damascus was February 11, 2011, the day that former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, resigned amidst popular unrest. That day was arguably the first day of the Syrian revolution and subsequent war. These experiences were influential in her life, sparking her aspirations to preserve the oral history, storytelling and folk art of Palestine.

The Book

The book brings traditional Palestinian embroidery to life. Wafa revives its roots through this provocative and profound storytelling tool used by Palestinian women for generations to document their stories, observations and experiences – including those from her mother.

With funding from the Clackamas County Cultural Coalition, Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Brooklyn Arts Council, the first edition of the book was digitally published on Amazon, Nook and Books in November 2016. The expanded, second edition was funded by the Brooklyn Arts Council as well as numerous donors who believed in the project from its inception.

Future Plans

Wafa has 11,000 photographs of embroidery from her mother’s collection and would like to continue to photograph and write about embroidery. She also would like to research Palestinian families in the diaspora and collect their stories about embroidery.

I am planning on applying for a doctorate in art history in the coming years, to assert Palestinian textiles in the art history books. My purpose is to keep tatreez alive, in the history books, in our minds, in our closets and most especially with our hands.

Married to an African American, Wafa explains that her and her husband have similar stories of pain and hopes that their son will grow to find himself and preserve his roots.

I hope he continues to grow into a loving and compassionate man that knows his cultural and ethnic roots. I hope he travels the world, and especially Jordan, Syria and Palestine. I want him to know that I love and accept him always, and that while life is full of surprises, he should always know that his mother is by his side.

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This dish by Chef Fadi, delivers beautifully twisted flavours of Palestine’s heavenly spring with that of the intensely sharp jameed yoghurt which brings out the ultimate explosion of taste. A contemporary comfort food that re-ignites Palestinian childhood memories

Suitable as a light starter or a main vegetarian course, this recipe provides an undeniable sentimental value for the lovers of Palestine.

Each one of us has this memory of picking a pea pod and eating those first peas of the year. Sweet, delicious and soft. That first taste of spring.

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I just love adding orange blossom to my teas and especially to lemonade. It’s not overpowering and adds a little something special.

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Leaving Great Footprints On A Land That Embraced Them

There isn’t a place around the world where Palestinians aren’t making a difference and inspiring people every day, but today I would like to highlight my favorite Canadian Palestinians, who we should all be proud of – they have gone beyond the ordinary to reach where they are today and are doing great things for their community and for Canada overall.

Nasri Tony Atweh 

Success is all about adopting an intense attention to detail ethic.

Better known by his stage name Nasri, this Canadian-Palestinian is a Grammy Award winner, singer, songwriter and record producer. Nasri is the lead vocalist and songwriter for the famed reggae fusion band, Magic!. Some of their most popular songs include Let Your Hair Down, Rude, and No Way No.

Born and raised in Toronto, to Palestinian immigrants from Nazareth, Nasri began singing at the age of six in church and joined the school choir in High School. He graduated in 1999. His yearbook ambition was to be “where the music lives.” 

Ruba Nadda – Directing A Way To Excellence

Ruba Nadda is an internationally and critically acclaimed writer, director and producer from Montreal. She has written and directed 17 films which include Lost Woman Story, Interstate Love Story, So Far Gone and Damascus Nights before writing and directing features I Always Come to You, Unsettled and Sabah. Her movie Cairo Time won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was Best Reviewed Romance on Rotten Tomatoes for 2010.

Nadda was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a Syrian father and a Palestinian mother. She studied Literature at York University in Toronto and continued to study Film Production at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts.

Khaled Mouammar – The Unshakable Voice against Israeli Apartheid Regime

Khaled Mouammar is one of Canada’s leading voices for Arab relations. In 1965, Khaled immigrated to Canada for a better life and became a leading representative for the Arab community there. He served as a board member for The Immigration and Refugee Board from 1994 to 2005 adjudicating on refugee claims and served three terms as the National President of the Canadian Arab Federation.

Born in Africa, he returned to his ancestral homeland of Palestine in 1947 to attend school before the 1948 Palestinian exodus when he was forced him to flee with his grandmother to Lebanon, riding a donkey through the mountains to reach safety. With no hope of returning to his homeland, he eventually became a Lebanese citizen, serving in the Army. Khaled holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Toronto; a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in mathematics, and a Diploma in Education form the American University in Beirut. 

Khaled has received several awards and recognitions, including a Volunteer Service Award from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Award from the Governor General of Canada and a Certificate of Recognition from the Citizen’s Forum on Canada’s Future.

 He has over thirty years of volunteer experience with organizations including the Arab Palestine Association, The Arab Community Centre of Toronto, The Urban Alliance of Race Relations, Canadian Ethnocultural Council, the Ontario Committee for Fairness and Policing and The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. 

Today Khaled continues his mission as a consultant with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Ahmad Balshe – Rapping-Out Unheard Immigrants’ Voices

Better known by his stage name Belly, Ahmed Ahmad Balshe is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He was born in the Palestinian West Bank town of Jenin and his family left for Ottawa, Ontario for a better life. When Belly was 19, he began exploring his love for music. He started out playing drums in various Ottawa punk bands and 21 years old started to focus on hip-hop, with the release of his debut mixtape, Death Before Dishonor: Vol. 1.

Active since the early 2000s, Belly broke through in 2007, the year he released The Revolution, which in Canada hit the Top 30 and won several awards. Several mixtapes followed and subsequent joint deals with Roc Nation and XO. This has led to wider distribution and greater commercial success in the U.S., beginning with the platinum 2015 single Might Not, among his numerous collaborations with The Weeknd, and continuing through the 2018 release of his second proper album, the pointed and outspoken IMMIGRANT.

Noora Sharrab – Empowering Refugees through Preserving Culture

Noora is a Palestinian Canadian from Toronto, where she coordinates and manages projects to support Palestinian refugees in Jordan. A multilayered activist, entrepreneur and mother of two, her love for her Palestinian brothers and sisters, and passion to empower them, have had a profound impact, fostering economic independence.

She is the co-founder of Sitti Soap, a social enterprise, ensuring fair wage employment to refugees through handmade natural olive oil soap produced in the cold-pressed method. Inspired by the tradition of soap making, Sitti restores hope and dignity to refugee women through this timeless craft. Using the profits from the soap bars, Sitti funds hard skills development and educational programs for refugee women and girls. 

The Sitti product line, which began with a signature square bar of handmade, cold-pressed olive oil soap, has since expanded to a line of 10+ popular skincare and home items; including curated products through partnerships with ethical brands worldwide. Sitti has evolved into a niche, yet globalized brand that is retailed and distributed across the Middle East and North America. 

Khaled Al Sabawi – World Class Entrepreneurship In Green Energy

Khaled Al Sabawi is an award-winning Canadian entrepreneur of Palestinian decent and Founder and President of MENA Geothermal and TABO Palestine. The son of Palestinian refugees from Gaza, he received his degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada in 2006 and later became the first certified Geothermal Engineer in the Arab Middle East. Khaled was named “One of the World’s Top Energy Entrepreneurs” by Global Post in 2010 and was ranked the 195th Most Influential Arab by Arabian Business Magazines in their Top 500 Most Influential Arabs ranking for 2012. 

In 2013, Khaled received the prestigious Takreem Award for Young Entrepreneur at their highly publicized awards ceremony in Paris, France and was also featured on the cover of Forbes Middle `East in October 2014, with the caption beside his picture reading “Industry of the Impossible” in Arabic along with the a feature article titled “The Good Deed” in English. 

Khaled’s vision to bring sustainable development to Palestine and the MENA region is best explained in his highly watched TEDxRamallah talk. In addition to speaking at TEDxRamallah, Khaled is constantly invited to share his vision on university campuses around the world.

He has spoken at McGill University in Canada, at Harvard University and MIT in the US, and other universities and major green energy conferences around the world.

Dalia Elcharbini – Depicting Cultural Heritage Through Art

Dalia Elcharbini is a contemporary artist and a proud Palestinian Canadian. Her work is often inspired by nature and her heritage. Dalia has been exhibiting her work throughout Canada and the US. Recently, her work has been chosen to be displayed at the first Palestinian museum in Washington D.C, which opened its doors on June 15th 2019, displaying priceless collections of art and documents gathered from around the world for visitors.

Her passion for art came to her as a child when she first learned how to hold a pencil. Dalia has always loved to tell stories through art and initially studied film at McMasters University in Hamilton Ontario, wanting to direct documentaries. Her father is from Acre and mother from Safad in Palestine and heritage and nature are often inspired in her work.  

I have this intrinsic need and eagerness to tell our story through art and share the beauty of our culture with the world. One of my main objectives as an artist is to be able to leave a legacy of pride as the Palestinian artist who glorified her homeland, shed light on our culture, our right of return and resilience.

Her most popular piece Jerusalem Birth is a painting meant to scream and symbolize the true ethnicity of Jerusalem. The visual of the birth of Jerusalem to a Palestinian mother took over my mind. Symbolizing the historic and ethnic identity of the land’s capital.

Dalia plans to exhibit her work throughout Europe and Asia and grow her platform globally to be able to support some humanitarian initiatives that are close to her heart – one of which is raising money to start an art club in Gaza to combat the mental health issue that’s in crisis in Gaza.

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So delicious, this classic Levantine potato salad uses boiled potatoes, and tosses them with a simple dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chili, fresh lemon juice, mixed together with some green onions, fresh mint, flat-leaf, it’s that simple and easy.

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Nancy is a Compassionate Inquiry Therapist as per the psycho-therapeutic approach founded by renowned Canadian physician, Dr. Gabor Maté. She is also part of the Healthy Breast Foundations Program, designed to educate women about breast health and helps to facilitate community classes in Beyond Addiction, an internationally recognized recovery program for addiction. This year, she has plans to run wellness retreats in both Asia and Africa as well as teach in the less privileged communities of Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. In addition, Nancy develops mindfulness initiatives for both public and private sector institutions as well as schools. 

Educated at both McGill University and the London School of Economics with an MA in International Relations, Nancy began her career in public affairs, then as a corporate banker, progressing into the world of communications and later becoming a mentor in the realm of emotional intelligence. A Certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (ABNLP), Timeline Therapy and Hypnotherapy, Nancy is a motivational speaker who has headlined at numerous region-wide events and been featured in both Arabic and English language media outlets across the Arab world.

How It All Started

The second of three children, Nancy grew up in Toronto with her grade school at one end of the street and high school at the other.

My friends came from a myriad of different cultures, and I had a huge, extended family, many of whom were a central part of my life in Canada. My parents were together, and I had a close relationship with both my brother and my sister. Outwardly, I had the makings of a very comfortable childhood.

The questioning around her identity began in the early 1980s, before her 7th birthday.

I remember overhearing late night conversations about my grandparents being trapped in Lebanon during the Israeli invasion of 1982 and watching the war there unravel on the evening news. I recall being terrified at the prospect of something happening to my grandparents. It was around this time that I would learn that they would once again be forced to flee their home. The first time they fled was from Palestine in 1948.

Taking In The Trauma

Nancy’s father traces his roots back to Ramleh, Palestine, about 20 kilometres inland from the coastal town of Jaffa. He was 11 years-old in 1948, during the Nakba, or Catastrophe, as it is known in Arabic. This was the year that he and his loved-ones became refugees and his family lost nearly every material possession they owned. Nancy’s mother on the other hand was just three-years-old when she and her parents escaped Haifa in 1948 to Jounieh in Lebanon. Originally from the town of Nazareth, Nancy’s maternal grandfather fled with his wife and two very small children, leaving behind his new Haifa home, his dental practice and several siblings, some of whom he would go for decades without seeing again.

Everything my parents and grandparents had ever known disappeared overnight. Family was dispersed, means were restricted and the challenges of life took on a new dimension. On many fronts, life became a struggle for survival.

Nancy’s parents understood that the situation in the Arab region was unlikely to improve and left to Canada for a better life. Their aim was to bring their children into the world free from the heavy baggage they carried and far from the trauma of loss. Little did they realize the degree to which the legacy of Palestine would linger.

Having understood how quickly material attachments could disappear, my parents put a heavy premium on education. I became a top student who attended some of the world’s best universities. I wanted to change the world and believed that a career in government and diplomacy could open the doors of truth and justice. The Canadian Foreign Service and the United Nations beckoned. I knew there was work to be done. I was determined to do something.

The Teachings of Kundalini Yoga

Nancy met her husband Cherif James Cordahi in 1998, a British-Lebanese journalist who had worked in some of the world’s toughest regions. He had covered countless conflicts globally and had lived through some of the worst years of the Lebanese civil war.

We came together in love, but it took us years to realize that through our incredibe union, we would be mirroring the other’s pain, whilst consistently shedding the light on our shadows and unfinished business. Marriage is a partnership of deep healing on the road to self-realization.

While in the Gulf, her career had taken her into the world of public affairs, finance, communications and emotional intelligence but it was the practice of Kundalini Yoga that truly transformed her life. She came across the teachings of Kundalini Yoga nearly a decade ago and began practicing it when hardly anyone had ever heard of the teachings in the Gulf Arab region.

As taught by Yogi Bhajan, Kundalini Yoga is an exquisite technology which offers tools to develop the grace and the endurance necessary to navigate the pressures of our time. It is a toolkit for awakening our latent potential, for self-crystallization and for self-actualization. The technology works deeply on the glands and the nervous system in such a way that we become more capable of inviting trajectory, sensitivity and productivity into our lives, all the while recognizing our interconnectedness on both micro and macro levels.

The teachings have taught me that my lifelong quest to make a difference in the world should no longer be focused on healing the pain of the other. The real work is in first consistently making my own heart a place of peace and integrity. I believe that surrendering to spirit and maintaining an unobstructed flow to one’s true nature is the only true vehicle for change.

Healing The Wounds Of The Region

My prayer is for the teachings to continue to serve through me and others that we may realize the one heartbeat we all share; that Spirit take away our swords, remove the walls that separate us and help us to forgive; that we resist the temptation to hold onto yesterday or to an obscured vision of tomorrow. Living a conscious life is about seeing the humanity in all, that mistakes and suffering are universal, and that forgiveness is the only true path to peace; peace of mind, peace of self, peace.

At the moment, Nancy is coordinating the third-ever Kundalini Yoga teacher-training in the Gulf Arab region with the support of her teacher, Shiv Charan Singh, founder of Karam Kriya school.

I have lived in this unique part of the world for nearly two decades and believe that the combination of my Palestinian roots and my Western education and upbringing allows me to navigate this region with a certain sensitivity and discernment. I am now part of the KRI Aquarian Teacher Academy and aspire to share the teachings with as many people from the region as possible. This year, I plan to return to my roots in Palestine, as a trainer in the first-ever Kundalini Yoga teacher-training in Bethlehem and to the refugee camps.

It is Nancy’s mission to continue to share her journey, her experience and the teachings to a much broader community in the Arab world and beyond.

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I love that I nearly always have the ingredients for this on hand, so I can whip it up when in a pinch to feed unexpected guests.

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Inaash is a Lebanese registered charity dedicated to preserving Palestinian heritage through embroidery, and to providing work opportunities for women embroiderers. Currently over 350 women are engaged in embroidering its superb products, which include jackets, shawls, abayas, clutch bags and other items designed for a global customer base.

MOR talked with Inaash General Manager, Mohammed Hassan (MH) about the mission to preserve Palestinian heritage through the finest quality embroidery, while empowering women in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. It’s a stark reality. There are half a million Palestinians living in refugee camps throughout Lebanon that do not enjoy full civil rights, with limited access to social services, public health and educational facilities. They depend largely on organizations such as the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for services. This makes them economically and socially vulnerable. The income the Inaash women generate through their embroidery helps to sustain their families.

The living conditions in the camps are very harsh with shortages of basics such as water, electricity, food and schooling for children. The incomes our women receive for their embroidery helps them support their families and their kids’ schooling.

Preserving the Art of Stitching

Prior to 1948, village women used embroidery as an expression of their identity and their environment.  Across the generations women would sit together embroidering their thobes and other items, each piece particular to the area in which they lived. Simply by looking at a woman’s embroidered dress, others could tell which village or region she came from, her socio-economic status, and in some cases, whether she was single, married or widowed.  

Girls would start learning the tradition of embroidery at a young age learning from their grandmothers and other relatives, refining their skills throughout their lives. When the Palestinians became refugees, this beautiful tradition became at risk of eradication because of displacement in the Diaspora.

Embroidery is a big part of Palestinian identity, and a form of cultural resistance, it’s important that we preserve it. We want our heritage to stay and we need to teach embroidery to the younger generation.

Palestinian Identity and Embroidery

After 1948, when over 700,000 Palestinians became refugees, both the quality and quantity of embroidery emerging from the camps were inferior since people couldn’t afford the means to continue embroidering.  This is where NGOs like Inaash stepped in both in terms of providing materials and generating an income.

With time, embroidery emerged a symbol of identity, revolution, and resistance in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Palestinian Woman in an embroidered thobe became the image of the nation in paintings and poster art, depicting power and resilience.

During the first Intifada, women embroidered Palestinian flags, doves and rifles on their thobes as acts of resistance. The motifs were no longer regional and were adapted to represent a new identity for Palestinians.

Reviving and Empowering

Inaash was founded in 1969, by Huguette Caland, daughter of Lebanon’s first president Bechara El-Khoury to provide employment for women with no other means of supporting their family.

Since then Inaash (meaning ‘revival’ in English) has done a fantastic job safeguarding this long-standing Palestinian tradition. The organization has worked with thousands of women in the last 50 years producing embroidered products retailed to customers worldwide.

As well as opportunities to earn an income for their families our women take great pride in preserving this important tradition. When they are embroidering, they feel the strength of their Palestinian roots and their connection to their homeland.

Future Plans

As well as producing its own designs, the Inaash team works with established designers like Rabih Kayrouz, May Daouk, Nada Debs, and Raya Morcos.  New collaborations, designed to catch the attention of the younger generation, include a capsule collection with Creative Space Beirut/Second Street Shirts, and pieces by Mira Hayek, as well as Ecru Online and Nafissa.

Historically embroidery was for traditional pieces, but Inaash uses embroidery on contemporary items with cutting edge designs and color combinations.  This way we hope to expand our market beyond the Middle East for a global reach. We have many clients in the region as well as collectors from Europe and North America. Our trajectory is focused upwards. Our mission is always to preserve the heritage and empower our embroiderers.

Currently Inaash sells its products through its Beirut Hamra showroom and in exhibitions in the region and abroad.  Later there are plans for an e-commerce website.

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Fattet Hummus is a hearty Middle Eastern dish that’s usually served at breakfast, brunch or as a starter and meal for Iftar during Ramadan.

This dish is best eaten as soon as it’s served as the toasted bread becomes soft.

Check it out.

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