NB: Now, in 2026 , the South African Forest name is cancelled due to these protests

. ملاحظة: الآن، في عام 2026، أُزيل اسم «غابة جنوب أفريقيا» بسبب هذه الاحتجاجات

An Apology to Lubya: Jews Ask for Forgiveness

Nahed Darbas — Lubya (Occupied Palestine)
3 May 2015

An Apology to Lubya

Residents receive an official letter of apology from representatives of Jews (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed)

The article is followed by Arabic: اعتذار لـ”لوبية”.. يهود يطلبون الصفح

ناهد درباس ــ لوبية (فلسطين المحتلة)
03 مايو 2015

اعتذار للوبية
الأهالي يتسلمون رسالة اعتذار رسمية من ممثلي يهود(العربي الجديد)

Displaced residents of the village of Lubya gathered from all directions on the land of their destroyed village, located in the Lower Galilee, west of the city of Tiberias. This was not the first time that the villagers had gathered amid the ruins of their hometown, beneath its trees, cypresses, and forests—including the forest named South Africa.

But this gathering had a different purpose, one that the displaced villages of Palestine had never witnessed before. In a unique ceremony, Jews from South Africa formally apologized for their contribution to the planting of the “South Africa Forest” through funding from the Jewish National Fund (JNF), after discovering that the forest had been established on the ruins of the Palestinian village of Lubya. The initiative came from the group “Stop the JNF – Jewish National Fund of Israel, South Africa,” in cooperation with the organization Zochrot (Remembering).

The gathering began with a tour attended by dozens of displaced villagers, carrying the Palestinian flag. They included first- and second-generation survivors of the Nakba, accompanied by South African Jews and other delegations. Naif Hajjo, a son of Lubya who was born there in the year of the Nakba, gave a detailed explanation of the village’s landmarks, naming its neighborhoods and various sites, in order to recall the horror of the Nakba, the displacement, and life before the Nakba.

At each stop in the village’s neighborhoods, one of the displaced villagers joined a South African participant in planting a sign bearing the names of the neighborhoods and prominent landmarks of the village, such as the mosque, school, cemetery, and Bir al-‘Arja well. Haj Abu Ghazi planted a sign on the site of his elementary school, of which no trace remains today.

Also read: Demography: The Heading of an Israeli War Against the Palestinians

This time, the apology took place through a ceremony and rituals with a different character: an acknowledgment of guilt and an attempt to atone for it. Al-Ghabari, who coordinates tours for Zochrot, conducted the “official” apology ceremony and its rituals. He described the event as unprecedented, saying that they had never before witnessed an occasion in which a Jewish group apologized for the use of its money to plant a forest whose trees prevented the people of Lubya from returning to their village.

Naif Hajjo, a representative of the displaced people of Lubya and an activist, revealed that the ceremony marked the culmination of a five-year relationship between the displaced villagers and members of the South African Jewish group.

“This initiative took shape after they read Mahmoud Issa’s book about Lubya and after they watched the film that was made about Lubya.”

He added:

“Just as the members of this South African group opposed the apartheid regime, and we stood in solidarity with them, today we see them standing in solidarity with us and opposing the systematic injustice against us. We believe that this step supports our right to return to our homeland, and that the South African model can serve as a guide for us in achieving justice, equality, and return.”

Speaking on behalf of the South African group, Shireen Austen said:

“We have come to apologize for the mistake we made as a result of the deception practiced upon us by the JNF. As Jewish families, we were asked to donate to the fund without knowing its true objectives. When we grew older, we learned that they were planting forests on the ruins of displaced villages, including the destroyed village of Lubya. This is a great injustice. We have therefore come to atone for our wrongdoing and to join you in the struggle against Zionist lies. This is how we will also struggle in South Africa. We hope that you will accept our apology.”

Two hundred Jewish activists from South Africa signed the letter of apology. The letter, written in English, stated:

“We, South African Jews, declare our apology and solidarity. Perhaps as a young child or as an adult, I donated to the Jewish National Fund in the following ways: through the blue box or by having a tree planted in my name. This activity contributed to the appropriation of land on which Palestinians lived in 1948, and the forest helped to conceal it.

“I hereby declare that I oppose these activities and actions, and I oppose the erasure of Palestinian villages. For every donation I made, knowingly or unknowingly, I apologize. We stand in solidarity with the people of this village and pledge to stand alongside them until there is public and general recognition, and appropriate compensation and rectification.”

Lubya was the last village to fall during the Nakba of 1948. This happened on 16 July, after the villages of al-Shajara and Hittin had fallen. At the time, Lubya had a population of approximately 4,000 people, before the Israeli settlement of Lavi was established on its land.

اعتذار لـ”لوبية”.. يهود يطلبون الصفح

ناهد درباس ــ لوبية (فلسطين المحتلة)
03 مايو 2015

اعتذار للوبية
الأهالي يتسلمون رسالة اعتذار رسمية من ممثلي يهود(العربي الجديد)

تجمَع مهجرو قرية لوبية من كل حدب وصوب على أرض قريتهم المدمرة؛ والتي تقع في الجليل الأسفل غرب مدينة طبريا. لم تكن هذه المرة الأولى للقاء أهالي البلدة على أنقاض بلدتهم، وتحت أشجارها وسروها وغاباتها؛ والتي تحمل اسم جنوب أفريقيا.

لكن اجتماعهم هذه المرة كان له هدف آخر لم تشهد مثله قرى فلسطين المهجرة من قبل. طقوس فريدة من نوعها، يقدم فيها يهود من جنوب أفريقيا اعتذاراً رسمياً على مساهمتهم في “زرع غابة أفريقيا” عبر تمويل الصندوق القومي الإسرائيلي، بعد أن تبين لهم أن الغابة أقيمت على أنقاض قرية لوبية الفلسطينية. وجاءت المبادرة من قبل مجموعة “أوقفوا الكرن كييمت JNF الصندوق القومي اليهودي لإسرائيل جنوب أفريقيا”، وبالتعاون مع جمعية “زوخروت- ذاكرات”.

بدأ اللقاء بجولة شارك فيها العشرات من مهجري القرية؛ رافعين العلم الفلسطيني من الجيل الأول والثاني من النكبة، وبمرافقة يهود جنوب أفريقيا ووفود أخرى. وقدم ابن لوبية نايف حجو، وهو من مواليد عام النكبة في لوبية، شرحاً وافياً عن معالم البلدة بأسماء حاراتها ومواقعها؛ للتذكير بهول النكبة والتهجير والحياة ما قبل النكبة.

وفي كل محطة عند أحياء القرية قام أحد مهجري القرية بمشاركة شخص من جنوب أفريقيا في غرس إشارة ولافتة تحمل أسماء الأحياء، ومعالم القرية البارزة؛ مثل المسجد والمدرسة والمقبرة وبئر العرجا. وقام الحاج أبو غازي في غرس لافتة على أرض مدرسته الابتدائية؛ والتي لم يبق لها أثر على الإطلاق.

اقرأ أيضا:الديموغرافيا.. عنوان حرب إسرائيليّة ضدّ الفلسطينيّين

جاء الاعتذار هذه المرة بمراسم وطقوس لها نكهة مغايرة، الإقرار بالذنب والتكفير عنه. تولى الغباري مركز الجولات من جمعية ذاكرات مراسم الاعتذار وطقوسه “الرسمية”، معتبراً أن هذا الحدث يعتبر سابقة، ولم نحظ به من قبل بإجراء من هذا الحدث بأن تقدم مجموعة يهودية اعتذاراً على استعمال أموالهم لزراعة أشجار الغابة؛ والتي منعت أهل لوبية من العودة إلى قريتهم.

ممثل مهجري قرية لوبية، الناشط نايف حجو، كشف عن أن المراسم تأتي لتتوج علاقة عمرها خمس سنوات بين المهجرين وبين أفراد المجموعة اليهودية الأفريقية. وقال “وهذه المبادرة تبلورت بعد أن قرأوا كتاب محمود عيسى عن لوبية، وبعد أن شاهدوا الفيلم التي تم تصويره في لوبية”. وأضاف أن “أفراد المجموعة الأفريقية، ومثلما ناهضوا حكم الأبرتهايد وكنا نتضامن معهم، ها نحن نراهم اليوم يتضامنون معنا، ويقومون بمناهضة الظلم الممنهج ضدنا. نحن نؤمن أن هذه الخطوة تدعم حقنا بالعودة إلى بلدنا، وأن نموذج جنوب أفريقيا ممكن أن يكون مرشداً لنا في تحقيق العدالة والمساواة والعودة”.

أما كلمة ممثلة جنوب أفريقيا أمام الحضور، شيرين أوستين، قالت: “جئنا لنعتذر عن خطئنا الذي ارتكبناه من خلال التضليل الذي مارسه علينا صندوق الكرن كييمت، عندما طولبنا كعائلات يهودية بالتبرع للصندوق دون أن نعلم أهدافه الحقيقية، وعندما كبرنا عرفنا أنهم يقومون بزراعة الأحراش على أنقاض القرى المهجرة ومنها لوبية المهجرة، وهذا من الظلم الكبير، فجئنا لنكفر عن ذنوبنا، وننضم للنضال معكم ضد الأكاذيب الصهيونية، وهكذا سنناضل في جنوب أفريقيا، ونرجو قبول الاعتذار”.

ووقع على رسالة الاعتذار 200 ناشط يهودي من جنوب أفريقيا. وجاء في نص رسالة الاعتذار التي كتبت بالإنجليزية: “نحن يهود جنوب أفريقيا نعلن عن الاعتذار والتضامن، ربما كولد صغير أو بالغ قد تبرع للصندوق القومي اليهودي بالطرق التالية؛ عن طريق العلبة الزرقاء أو عن طريق غرس شجرة باسمي. هذه الوظيفة أدت إلى الاستيلاء على الأراضي التي سكن عليها فلسطينيون، عام 1948 وأدت الغابة إلى إخفائها.

أعلن بذلك أننا نعارض هذه النشاطات والأعمال، وأعارض محو القرى الفلسطينية، وكل تبرع قمت به بإدراك أو غر إدراك أعتذر عنه. إننا نتضامن مع أهالي هذه القرية، نتعهد بأن نقف جنبا إلى جنب حتى الاعتراف الجماهيري العام، وبالتعويض والتصحيح الملائم”.

وكانت لوبية القرية الأخيرة التي سقطت خلال النكبة في عام 1948، وكان ذلك يوم 16 يوليو/تموز، بعد أن سقطت قرية الشجرة وحطين. وكان عدد سكانها حينها 4000 آلاف نسمة، قبل أن تقام مستوطنة لافي على أرضها.

In Danish, followed by English   

                                                        Fifi og Mig
Kære Fifi
1
Da du blev født for 30 år siden, var jeg næsten et halvt århundrede
gammel – præcis 46 år. Dengang ønskede jeg mig en dreng ved siden
af Luma og Yara. Heldigvis blev mit ønske ikke opfyldt. I stedet kom
endnu en vidunderlig pige til verden – en pige, der bærer noget af
Mozarts lyse, musikalske livsglæde i sig, selv om det er Beethoven,
med hans sonater og symfonier, der har vundet dit hjerte- Og hun
bærer noget af Odysseus’ stædighed i sig – den samme urokkelige vilje til at nå det mål, hun har sat sig.
2
Det føles, som om det kun var i går, du blev gift med Tomas – for seks år siden. Kort efter begyndte tre små blomster at folde sig ud, én efter
én: Johannes, Gabi og Safiya. Tænk blot, hvordan vores planet ville
have set ud uden disse tre små sjæle – lidt fattigere, lidt tørrere og medmindre plads til glæde, kærlighed og håb.
3
Den planet, vi bor på – vores lille landsby, Jorden – bliver endnu
smukkere, grønnere og mere menneskelig, når vi også tæller dine to vidunderlige søstre, Yara og Luma med, og deres fem børn: Yus, Omar, Karimo, Lavi og Aia. De er alle med til at berige vores lille verden og gøre vores horisont bredere og smukkere – ikke mindst med deres latter, deres livsglæde og de mange fodboldkampe.
4
30 år er en smuk alder, Fifi

I modsætning til din far, der allerede som syttenårig levede med
hovedet fuldt af Dostojevskij, Gubran Khalil Gubran, Che Guevara,
Rosa Luxemburg, Simone de Beauvoir og mange andre, og som bar på revolutionære idealer, uopnåelige drømme og en romantisk forestilling om at befri verden for uretfærdighed, forlod han sit stipendium ved Det Amerikanske Universitet i Beirut for at følge sin drøm om at skabe mere retfærdighed for verdens undertrykte.
5
Du og dine søstre har derimod fået lov til at vokse op i trygge og
stabile rammer. Jeg boede alle mulige steder – i flygtningelejre med toiletter udenfor, i et chambre de bonne-værelse i Paris, i telte (ikke turistiske), i grotter og oppe i bjergene – mens I voksede op i et hjem præget af tryghed, kærlighed og omsorg.
6
Det skyldes først og fremmest jeres mor, Lis, som med tålmodighed, kærlighed og utrættelig indsats gav jer alt, hvad hun kunne, så I kunne blive de mennesker, I er i dag.
7
Jeg forsøgte på min måde at give jer noget andet. Mere end de utallige børnefilm jeg kørte jer i biografen for at se – selv om jeg af og til faldt i søvn under forestillingen, enten fordi filmen var kedelig, eller fordi jeg ikke forstod sproget…. Jeg ønskede at åbne døren for jer til den Arabiske- Islamiske kultur, til den tusindvis år af Kanaans, Mesopotamiens og Egyptiske rigdom, til sproget, rig historie og de varme familiebånd…. Jeg fortalte jer også, at Jesus – eller Issa عيسى, som han hedder på Arabisk – var en Pioneer Palæstinenser, især med hans budskab der først og fremmest handlede om retfærdighed, næstekærlighed og fred. Og han er det mest kendte eksempel på generøsitet التضحية: er inkarneret i dit eget navn, Fida, som på arabisk bærer den samme betydning.
8
Samtidig forsøgte jeg at holde jer lidt på afstand af det, der prægede hele min egen ungdom: Palæstina-sagen og kampen for retfærdighed – pga den klassiske fars følelse til at beskytter sine børne- Det viste sig, at det ikke lykkedes.
Og i dag er jeg faktisk glad for, at det ikke gjorde. Da jeg så jer gå
gennem Københavns gader sammen med tusindvis af danskere og
demonstrere for et frit Palæstina- "Sådan skulle det være." tænkte jeg:
9
Når du fylder 30 år, har du opnået meget af det, man kan drømme
om:
a. Et smukt klaver, der har kostet en formue. Tillykke med det!….
b. Uddanner dig i fysikkens verden – for måske vil den vej, som jeg
fortalte jer om, for seks år siden, en dag føre dig til Mars, som den
første Dansk-Palæstinensiske Astronaut.
c. Den kærlighed, du og den ambitiøse Thomas har fundet sammen.
d. Et hjem i Lunas….
e. Rejser til nær og fjern hjørner på jorden –
f. Og frem for alt har I bragt tre smukke børn til verden – et levende
og konkret bidrag til fremtidens lys og håb. Det står i skarp kontrast
til de populistiske mørke kræfter, der rejser højere mure og flere
barrierer mod verdens fattige og sårbare.
10
Til sidst vil jeg ønske dig et stort og hjerteligt tillykke med de 30 år.
Og
Vi ses forhåbentlig igen om 30 år, når du fylder 60. Den fest regner jeg bestemt med at deltage i.
Når du fylder 90 … ja, dér tør jeg ikke love, at jeg vil være der fysisk.
Men min sjæl, lover jeg, vil helt sikkert svæve over jer, og være med til at fejre dagen..

Med al min kærlighed
Far

 

Fifi and Me

Dear Fifi

1

When you were born 30 years ago, I was almost half a century old — precisely 46. At the time, I wished for a boy alongside Luma and Yara. Fortunately, my wish was not fulfilled. Instead, another wonderful girl came into the world — a girl who carries within her something of Mozart’s bright, musical joy of life, even though it is Beethoven, with his sonatas and symphonies, who has won your heart.

And you carry something of Odysseus’ stubbornness within you — that same unshakable determination to reach whatever goal you have set yourself.

2

It feels as though it was only yesterday that you married Thomas — six years ago. Shortly afterwards, three little flowers began to unfold, one after another: Johannes, Gabi and Safiya.

Just imagine what our planet would look like without these three little souls — a little poorer, a little drier, and with less room for joy, love and hope.

3

The planet we live on — our little village, Earth — becomes even more beautiful, greener and more human when we also count your two wonderful sisters, Yara and Luma, and their five children: Yus, Omar, Karimo, Lavi and Aia.

They all help enrich our little world and make our horizon broader and more beautiful — not least through their laughter, their joy of life and all the football matches.

4

Thirty is a beautiful age, Fifi.

Unlike your father, who already at seventeen lived with his head full of Dostoevsky, Kahlil Gibran, Che Guevara, Rosa Luxemburg, Simone de Beauvoir and many others, and who carried revolutionary ideals, unattainable dreams and a romantic vision of liberating the world from injustice, you have grown up in very different circumstances.

I left my scholarship at the American University of Beirut to follow my dream of creating greater justice for the oppressed of the world.

5

You and your sisters, on the other hand, were fortunate to grow up in safe and stable surroundings.

I lived in all sorts of places — in refugee camps with toilets outside, in a chambre de bonne in Paris, in tents — not the tourist kind — in caves and up in the mountains — while you grew up in a home characterized by security, love and care.

6

This was first and foremost thanks to your mother, Lis, who, with patience, love and tireless effort, gave you everything she could so that you could become the people you are today.

7

In my own way, I tried to give you something else.

More than the countless children’s films I took you to see at the cinema — even though I occasionally fell asleep during the screening, either because the film was boring or because I did not understand the language…

I wanted to open the door for you to the Arab-Islamic culture, to the thousands of years of richness of Canaan, Mesopotamia and Egypt, to the language, the rich history and the warm bonds of family.

I also told you that Jesus — or Issa (عيسى), as he is called in Arabic — was a pioneering Palestinian, especially through his message, which above all was about justice, compassion and peace.

And he is perhaps the best-known example of generosity and sacrifice — التضحية — a quality that is embodied in your own name, Fida, which carries the same meaning in Arabic.

8

At the same time, I tried to keep you somewhat at a distance from what had shaped my entire youth: the Palestinian cause and the struggle for justice — because of that classic feeling of a father wanting to protect his children.

It turned out that I did not succeed.

And today I am actually glad that I did not.

When I saw you walking through the streets of Copenhagen together with thousands of Danes, demonstrating for a free Palestine, I thought:

“That is how it should be.”

9

By the time you turn 30, you have achieved much of what one could dream of:

a. A beautiful piano that cost a fortune. Congratulations!

b. You are studying physics — and perhaps the path I told you about six years ago will one day take you to Mars as the first Danish-Palestinian astronaut.

c. The love that you and the ambitious Thomas have found together.

d. A home in Luna’s.

e. Travels to near and distant corners of the world.

f. And above all, you have brought three beautiful children into the world — a living and concrete contribution to the light and hope of the future.

This stands in sharp contrast to the dark populist forces that are building higher walls and more barriers against the poor and vulnerable of the world.

10

Finally, I wish you a very happy and heartfelt 30th birthday.

And—

Hopefully, we will see each other again in 30 years, when you turn 60. I certainly expect to take part in that celebration.

When you turn 90… well, there I dare not promise that I will be there physically.

But my soul, I promise, will certainly be hovering above you, and will be there to celebrate the day with you.

With all my love,

Dad

https://www.alquds.co.uk/%d8%ae%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86%d8%b3-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%87%d8%b6%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a8%d8%b9%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%83-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a3%d8%b2%d9%82%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84/