Sa'ad Khaldi
The Curious Story of Pierre Loti
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Summary
Pierre Loti (1850-1923), French author and naval officer, was the only writer along with Victor Hugo to be accorded the national honour of a full state funeral on his death in 1923. The French government has spent the last 13 years restoring his home into a state regional museum. It only reopened some weeks ago and takes an hour and a half to go around in a guided visit as it has a turbah mosque, a medieval banqueting hall, and many other surprises within its walls. His translated work later inspired both Madame Butterfly and Miss Saigon. The French nationally are reawakening to his cultural importance.
Sa'ad Khaldi
Sa’ad Khaldi is a UK educator with an Arab and Jewish heritage. In 2007 he became the first Palestinian Holocaust Educational Fellow after studying with the Imperial War Museum and Yad Vashem in Lithuania, Poland, and Israel. The following year Sa’ad was invited to present his education research project for teachers called “Crossroads to Palestine” at Yad Vashem’s Summer Conference. Since then he has deepened his knowledge of pre- and post- WW2 Palestine and Israel-related events. His knowledge base is possibly unique, as his father was a key leader in the West Bank Palestinian community and after 1967 opened the door to direct dialogue with prominent Israeli politicians—by agreeing that Israel was a “State of Necessity.”