The Message

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In 1937, the site was purchased from a farming family by Daoud Zalatimo, the Palestinian artist and educator. Zalatimo would host his family here for three months in the summer, and drew inspiration from the site’s vistas. In one of his paintings, his young son, Ibrahim, is seated in a red toy car, looking out placidly, a verdant garden blooming in the background. Contemplating this work, the art historian John Halaka wondered, “Why does this unassuming painting feel like a ghost haunting me?” In 1948, as Palestinians were being driven from their land, Zalatimo sheltered his family on his estate. And then, in 1967, Zalatimo too was driven out by Israeli forces. He and his family were banned from returning, except for day visits. Zalatimo died in 2001.