Yaffa and Fatima by Fawzia Gilani-Williams

Those two colors, set against a neutral backdrop, lightly accent the women’s everyday surroundings as well. Fatima is clad in a burgundy hijab, while Jaffa has a deep teal headscarf. When Fatima sees Yaffa on the street, she waves and calls, ‘Salaam! Peace!’ Yaffa waves back and calls, ‘Shalom! Peace!’ The text becomes a list of differences between the two women. Yaffa and Fatima both own date groves right next door to each other. “In this retelling of a tale rooted in both Jewish and Arab traditions, two neighbors are friends despite perceived religious tensions of the community. A timeless story, this tale makes its point without ever becoming didactic.”

Fedele’s artwork features earth tones (appropriate to the arid climate) accented in teal (for Yaffa)Īnd red (for Fatima). Linguistic traditions, but that never prevents them from appreciating their differences and caring about the Yaffa and Fatima both observe their own cultural and Multicultural emphasis not present in the originals. Inspired by traditional Jewish and Arab tales that usually feature brothers, as in Neil Waldman’s The Twoīrothers: A Legend of Jerusalem (1997), this female-oriented story is told in folkloric style, adding a When they realize that each has been secretly sharing with the other, they are grateful for their friendship. When hard times come, they worry about the other’s welfare, and “Yaffa and Fatima are neighbors in the Land of Milk and Honey, where each tends her own date grove.Įvery day they pick and sell their dates, cook and share tasty foods, and pray to God-Yaffa in the

Yaffa and Fatima by Fawzia Gilani-Williams