This is Mom in Lebanon in 1948 before she knew that she would never go home to Palestine again.

Ruth Jamal was Palestinian and the daughter of Amin and Dorothy Jamal. Her nickname was Ducky. Her family and her life in Jerusalem was what mattered to her most. There she was surrounded by her aunts, uncles and cousins.

The Jamal family home in Talbiyah, Palestine. Mom told me that she could see the Mount of Olives from her balcony and that the grove of fruit trees that lined the driveway was so beautiful that it became a tourist attraction.

From Beirut, Mom and her family sought refuge in Cairo. There they lived with Mom’s auntie Mimi. Mom looks so happy in this photo. Maybe because she was no longer in danger. Mom grew up under the British occupancy of Palestine. The British were not easy on the Palestinians. And by 1936 Mom and her family were living in the constant threat of terrorism and bombing.

This is Dad in Cairo during the time he was courting Mom. He was rather intense but he was also very loving, generous and had a great sense of humor. He was a brilliant young doctor who was taking his studies very seriously. He also had his sights set on doing his residency in New York and knew that one day he would want to create a better life in America.

Mom went to Cairo from Lebanon in 1948 when her mother and father realized that there was no returning to Palestine. There, she met Dad. Dad was Lebanese but was raised in Cairo. At the time of their meeting Dad was soon to start his surgical residency.

Mom and Dad got married in Cairo in 1954.

Isn’t she just so elegant? Her gown is designed by her cousin, designer, Bill Jamal. Bill lived in Cairo before moving to Paris. He was gay and Paris gave him the freedom he needed. He was my favorite Uncle.

Here with her younger sister Helen. Helen left Palestine when she was only 14. She moved with her family to Cairo but then went to Beirut to study nursing at the AUB.

Shukry at 4. Always mischievous. But it was this very character trait that saved our mother’s life. When he was 4 years old Shuk found mom on the floor having had a stroke. He was meant to be napping but he was eager to see her. He was able to locate our father who rushed her to hospital and then had her flown to America for brain surgery.

This is me in the year that Mom was in America having her surgery and then in Alexandria recovering. I am two and half.

Mom after her brain surgery. She never recovered her eye sight to the left in either eye. She was prone to seizures and headaches. She often wore sunglasses as she became very photosensitive.

Shukry and I with our little dog Tippy. We are dressed and ready for school. We attended Miss Shibley’s English School. When we came to America we spoke Arabic and English.