Remnants of the Nakbah become oasis for Israeli youth

The ruins of the village of Lifta sit between two of the largest highways in Jerusalem. Populated since Biblical times, the Haganah targeted the city as a strategic entrance to Jerusalem during 1948 and pursued an aggressive campaign to drive its 2,000 Arab residents out. After executing a citizen of the city and killing several others in a public attack, the Haganah successfully forced the Palestinians away from their homes.

Today, the natural spring in the city center serves as a swimming hole for orthodox Jewish men during the morning, and slowly turns into a popular destination for Israeli teenagers to escape the heat and eyes of the public later in the day. The vacant, decaying homes stand watch, exhibiting holes blown through them years ago by Israeli forces, laden with memories of the Nakbah and haunted by current visions of Israel's domination of its Palestinian population.

The ruins of the village of Lifta sit between two of the largest highways in Jerusalem. Populated since Biblical times, the Haganah targeted the city as a strategic entrance to Jerusalem during 1948 and pursued an aggressive campaign to drive its 2,000 Arab residents out. After executing a citizen of the city and killing several others in a public attack, the Haganah successfully forced the Palestinians away from their homes.

Today, the natural spring in the city center serves as a swimming hole for orthodox Jewish men during the morning, and slowly turns into a popular destination for Israeli teenagers to escape the heat and eyes of the public later in the day. The vacant, decaying homes stand watch, exhibiting holes blown through them years ago by Israeli forces, laden with memories of the Nakbah and haunted by current visions of Israel's domination of its Palestinian population.

The ruins of the village of Lifta sit between two of the largest highways in Jerusalem. Populated since Biblical times, the Haganah targeted the city as a strategic entrance to Jerusalem during 1948 and pursued an aggressive campaign to drive its 2,000 Arab residents out. After executing a citizen of the city and killing several others in a public attack, the Haganah successfully forced the Palestinians away from their homes.

Today, the natural spring in the city center serves as a swimming hole for orthodox Jewish men during the morning, and slowly turns into a popular destination for Israeli teenagers to escape the heat and eyes of the public later in the day. The vacant, decaying homes stand watch, exhibiting holes blown through them years ago by Israeli forces, laden with memories of the Nakbah and haunted by current visions of Israel's domination of its Palestinian population.

The ruins of the village of Lifta sit between two of the largest highways in Jerusalem. Populated since Biblical times, the Haganah targeted the city as a strategic entrance to Jerusalem during 1948 and pursued an aggressive campaign to drive its 2,000 Arab residents out. After executing a citizen of the city and killing several others in a public attack, the Haganah successfully forced the Palestinians away from their homes.

Today, the natural spring in the city center serves as a swimming hole for orthodox Jewish men during the morning, and slowly turns into a popular destination for Israeli teenagers to escape the heat and eyes of the public later in the day. The vacant, decaying homes stand watch, exhibiting holes blown through them years ago by Israeli forces, laden with memories of the Nakbah and haunted by current visions of Israel's domination of its Palestinian population.

The ruins of the village of Lifta sit between two of the largest highways in Jerusalem. Populated since Biblical times, the Haganah targeted the city as a strategic entrance to Jerusalem during 1948 and pursued an aggressive campaign to drive its 2,000 Arab residents out. After executing a citizen of the city and killing several others in a public attack, the Haganah successfully forced the Palestinians away from their homes.

Today, the natural spring in the city center serves as a swimming hole for orthodox Jewish men during the morning, and slowly turns into a popular destination for Israeli teenagers to escape the heat and eyes of the public later in the day. The vacant, decaying homes stand watch, exhibiting holes blown through them years ago by Israeli forces, laden with memories of the Nakbah and haunted by current visions of Israel's domination of its Palestinian population.