Introducing "KOL HA-NEKUDOT/ALL THE POINTS/KULL AL-NUQAT: Interactive, Online Mapping of the Israeli-Palestinian Region"

• In Event: Jewish Lives and Communities After War and Genocide

Abstract

This presentation introduces the digital humanities project KOL HA-NEKUDOT/ALL THE POINTS/KULL AL-NUQAT, which tells the story of the Israeli-Palestinian region in a fresh, accessible, and visually compelling manner. Using colors and shapes, ALL THE POINTS’ interactive, online maps showcase both the dramatic changes in settlement the region has experienced in the past century and a half as well as the ethnic, religious, and ideological diversity of its communities. Inspired by, and engaging with, the classical Zionist designation of new Jewish communities as additional “points” on the map, ALL THE POINTS expands this rhetoric to include Arab, European Christian, and other settlements as equal participants in the narrative.
Alongside the main map tracing the founding, disappearance, and evolution of communities across the entire region on an annual basis from 1840 down to the present, curated maps highlight specific features of the land’s settlement history at varying time intervals. For example, “TOWER AND STOCKADE: The Emergence and Spread of an Iconic Settlement Type (1936-1939)” depicts on a month-to-month basis the emergence of these iconic pre-state Zionist kibbutzim and moshavim, “FROM PALESTINE TO ISRAEL: The Disappearance and Reappearance of Arab and Jewish Settlements (Nov. 1947-Nov. 1949)” displays how the Israeli War of Independence/Palestinian Nakba affected communities, once again month-to-month, while “POINTS THAT NEVER WERE” collects and indicates the approximate locations of the numerous fictional communities that appear in treatises, literature, music, and film.
ALL THE POINTS aspires to be a valuable pedagogical and research tool, enabling laypeople, students, and specialists alike to better understand and grapple with the complexities of modern settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian region and is especially designed for use in the university classroom. Slated formally to be launched in November 2024, it will be hosted by the UCLA Y & S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and will continue to be enhanced in the years to come.
This presentation will provide an overview of ALL THE POINTS, demonstrate its various features, and emphasize its value in the classroom and as a research tool for scholars.

Author

• Daniel Stein Kokin