Fezzes and hats: Zion Cinema through the memories of Jews and Arabs of Mandatory Jerusalem

“Fezzes and Hats: Zion Cinema in Jerusalem” investigates the role and significance of cinemas as a cultural, social, and political phenomenon in Mandatory Palestine. The article focuses on the specific case of Zion Cinema in Jerusalem, using Jewish and Arab memoirs to bring it to life and uncover its function and importance in the city. Oscillating between historical description and cultural analysis, the article uses this case study to develop a broader discussion on the socio-cultural and political function of cinemas and cafés in Mandatory Palestine. It reveals these institutions as spaces of interaction between Jews and Arabs, men and women, and examines the gradual transformation of some from meeting places into hubs of conflict and terror attacks in the late 1930s and 1940s.