ALBAWABA - For Palestinian Christian Jack Giacaman and his family-owned souvenir shop in Bethlehem, times are hard. Tourists and their purchases that normally bolstered Giacaman's business and Bethlehem's local economy have disappeared since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. Giacaman said, "We used to get at least 200 visitors a day before the war. Now we get zero."
To supplement this lost income Giacaman said he's prioritizing online sales, but his shop, My Christmas House, is still struggling. "We're trying to keep workers as much as we can, but it's not easy," he said.
Between Israel's wartime ban on Palestinian workers, partial salary payments from the Palestinian Authority and a dried-up tourism industry, Giacaman said life in the occupied West Bank is not easy. "For Palestinians living in the West Bank it is a disaster," he said.
Jack Giacaman (gray sweatshirt) and employees of the My Christmas House souvenir shop in Bethlehem working inside the production area of Giacaman's family-owned store. (Payton Bruni)
A. Giacaman (preferred name) producing wooden figurines at his workbench. The majority of the souvenirs sold at Jack Giacaman's store are hand-carved and themed around Christianity. (Payton Bruni)
A. Giacaman using a grinder to shape a figurine made from olive wood. There are two My Christmas House souvenir shop locations in Bethlehem. One next door to Jack Giacaman's workshop on Milk Grotto Street, and another in Manger Square across from the Church of the Nativity, widely believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. (Payton Bruni)
A. Giacaman looking out a window by his workstation lined with Christian figurines carved from wood. (Payton Bruni)
The outside of the My Christmas House workshop and storefront located on Milk Grotto Street in Bethlehem. (Payton Bruni)
Jack Giacaman sitting at his desk in the souvenir shop section of his store. In addition to the financial stress stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, Giacaman said there's a constant fear of being evicted. "A lot of Israeli ministers say they want to kick out Palestinians," he said. "We don't feel secure because Israel can kick us out and shut down our businesses." (Payton Bruni)
Jack Giacaman using a sander inside his workshop to shape a wooden spoon. (Payton Bruni)
M. Giacaman (preferred name) carrying a crate of figurines through the back end of the My Christmas House workshop. (Payton Bruni)
M. Giacaman collecting olive wood beads and carvings from a tumbler used to dry the wood-stained souvenirs. (Payton Bruni)
A. Giacaman inspecting animal figurines to be sold in the My Christmas House souvenir shop. Jack Giacaman said that, following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, one of the hardest things for him and other Palestinian Christians has been Israel's restriction on Palestinians attempting to enter Jerusalem. He said, "As a Christian Palestinian living here for hundreds of years, this is the first time we couldn't reach Jerusalem. They treat us like terrorists." (Payton Bruni)
