Ijzim - إجزم: Ijzim in 1998, a son returns home.

I recall the many days that my Father spoke of the beauty of Ijzim and the importance of our beloved Palestine. As a child it was like a fairy tale that didn't seem real. In 1998 I visited Palestine as a US Citizen. After visiting family members in Nazareth, I was taken to Ijzim by a cousin. The Zionist have changed the name but as we were driving up to the village, the driver of the car opened the window and out of nowhere appeared an old Palestinian women dressed in an authentic Palestinian outfit similar to the way my Grandmother dressed in the pictures my Father had. When he asked her where we were, she looked right at me and without hesitating for one moment said in a delicate but crisp manner "You are in Ijzim." It brought tears to my eyes. My Father and Grandfather (May Allah have mercy on their souls) are both buried in Iraq. For me to return to the land exactly 50 years after they departed was a very emotional time. I visited Safad where my maternal Grandfather is from and Nazareth where I maternal Grandmother was born. I never once felt like the land was not mine. All three areas felt like home. The Zionists may have taken our country but they can't erase our presence. May the day come when my three sons can return to their homeland and live free on their rightful property.