'You were here'

You are here! You were here! Chutzpah or Kharbata?  

At the entrance of Jaffa’s Old Port, next to the old warehouses now converted into a series of harbour cafes, boutiques, and exhibition halls, the visitor is greeted with a trilingual “Jaffa Port Map”, a wall map guiding the tourist/visitor to the landmarks of the zone. Warehouse One, Warehouse Two. Central Piazza. Steimestzky. Toilets. The Lighhouse. More Toilets. Fishing Arena. At the heart of this map comes a shocking announcement. In English, “You Are Here!”. In Hebrew: Ata Nimtzah Kahn (“You Are Here!”). In Arabic, nota bene, Kunta Huna (“YouWERE Here!”).  

Is this a case of mistaken translation? 

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From Syria to Europe: 'I decided to swim'  

As Syria’s civil war shows no sign of easing, and with much of the country blanketed in destruction, more than 4 million Syrians have become refugees. Many have remained in neighboring countries, including Turkey and Lebanon, while others have continued on to Europe, where they hope to be granted asylum.

In recent months, large numbers of Syrian refugees have entered Italy and Greece via the Mediterranean. At the mercy of people smugglers and enduring perilous conditions along the way – including taking to the sea on unsafe dinghies – many die, however, before reaching Europe’s shores.

Syria Deeply spoke to two men who took the decision to swim from Turkey to Greece.

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