George Khal

Excerpts from We The Interwoven

George Khal was born in Haifa, Palestine. When he was one year old, his family escaped the 1948 war and settled in Cairo, Egypt, where they became refugees. With the continued unrest in the Middle East, his parents sent him and his four siblings to Iowa City, where they settled. He earned a computer science degree from the University of Iowa and founded Sound Clarity to dispense assistive hearing technology worldwide. He is writing his memoir to document his family’s history and hopes to shed light on the plight of Palestinians in the diaspora. He lives in Iowa City with his wife of forty-eight years.

“Mama, I keep your memory alive by looking for the new crescent moon every month. I will never forget what you told me on the evening of January 26, 1952, now known as Black Saturday. I was five years old and terrified when I heard the screaming in the streets and saw buildings on fire in the neighborhood. Cairo was burning. Noticing my distress, you said, “George, ya habibi, let’s go to the balcony to see the new crescent moon.” I held your outstretched hand and followed you with anticipation. As we passed through the living room, I remember running my hand along the gray-veined marble coffee table to feel its smoothness. The sky was darkened with smoke, but you assured me that the crescent was right behind the haze. You guided my face toward the western sky, then pointed and said, “Hal hilalak, shahr mubarak, behold your new crescent moon, may it bring you a blessed month.”

You took off your wedding band and told me to close my eyes. While you passed the band over each of my eyelids, you said, “La tebeid ain el hassoud, to chase away and protect you from the evil eye of jealous people.” You slid the band back on your finger, knelt next to me, and hugged me tight while saying, “The fires are gone, don’t be frightened ya habibi.” I breathed in the comforting scent of your Chanel No. 5 perfume, and my world was at peace.”