Yaffa, “bride of the sea,” a port city with an unbroken history of 4,000 years, was historically one of Palestine’s main commercial, political, and intellectual centers. Before 1948, it was a seat of industry and banking, and most of the books and newspapers printed in Palestine came off its presses. The sophisticated city counted its cuisine among its many riches, specializing in elaborate preparations of local seafood and citrus.
When Yaffa was ransacked by Zionist militias in 1948, much of its population fled by sea to Gaza, making up a large part of the mass of refugees crowded into the Strip.
