In Search of Fatima

"Fatima was the Karmi family’s much-loved governess or nanny. This is another memoir, a memoir of violent uprooting and dislocation, presented in an intimate and very personal way. The Karmis were one of the wealthy Palestinian families of Jerusalem who overnight became penniless [in 1948 during the creation of the State of Israel] and left their home complete with furniture, pictures, food, everything – at that time Jewish families literally walked down the street and picked out the homes that they wanted. The family ended up in the UK and Fatima was left behind with her family. They never saw her again. Yes. Ghada became fully assimilated and her schoolfriends were Jewish. She gives an account in the book of going to a Jewish friend’s house for a bar-mitzvah or wedding or something and the family raises the Israeli flag and sings Zionist songs. She tells how strange and shocking it was to see these people she loved raising the flag that flew over the demise of her family and country. You can imagine the emotional conflict. Yet it’s a very tender book."