I don't want the secrets of pottery to go with me to the grave

Raja Atallah (81) from Haifa, a descendant of a 400-year-old pottery family, plans a film and an exhibition to pass on the knowledge to future generations. He tells about the family history, the impact of the Six-Day War on the craft, and the connection to the sea. He emphasizes: "I don't want a penny, just that everyone benefits."

Raja Atallah, 81, from Haifa, is a descendant of a 400-year-old pottery family. The family home, located in southern Haifa on the waterfront, is full of clay works, concrete sculptures, and historical tools. Atallah plans a film and an exhibition to showcase the family and the craft, aiming to pass on the knowledge to future generations. He says: "I don't want a penny, just that everyone benefits." The family history begins 400 years ago, when the grandparents moved to Lebanon at her request, and after the 1860 war fled to Haifa. In 1924, the family settled at the current spot, with the father choosing the location due to the soil's suitability for pottery. Atallah tells about the khan that stood there, serving as a mandatory stop for travelers between Acre, Haifa, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. The Six-Day War in 1967 changed the face of the craft: "From '67 everything stopped," he says, due to cheap imports from Gaza and the West Bank. The potters had to switch to other livelihoods. Family members became lifeguards on Haifa's beaches, and Raja himself has been a fisherman since age 13. He continues to create even today, with his brothers Bolus and Munir, and describes how new ideas come to him even at night.