Africa-Press – Kenya. In a narrow corner on a weary sidewalk in Gaza City, Raef Jabr sits surrounded by torn papers and charred covers, carefully gathering them as if he is rearranging memories that survived the rubble.
Far from workshops and libraries, a different kind of restoration story begins; the story of a man who repairs what remains of the Qurans that people have salvaged from the ruins of mosques and homes destroyed by war.
Using primitive tools and without electricity, Jabr spends long hours of the day gluing pages and re-binding what can be saved, in an effort to compensate for the severe shortage of copies of the Holy Quran after hundreds of mosques in the region were destroyed. In a small kiosk that barely shields him from the sun’s heat, his work transforms into a message, and his effort becomes a form of resilience.
Jabr says that people bring him damaged Qurans, and he strives to revive them, despite limited resources and a lack of necessary materials. He successfully restores 5 to 6 Qurans daily, a number that may seem small, but in a reality burdened by siege and destruction, it carries much greater significance.
This craft is not new to him; the man who has spent nearly 30 years restoring books previously worked in a shop within a popular market, with better tools and more stable conditions. However, the war changed everything, forcing him to move from a well-equipped workshop to an open sidewalk, and from professional work to an individual initiative driven by determination.
Despite the challenges, Jabr does not consider stopping. He affirms that what he does gives him a sense of hope and satisfaction, especially since it is “a service to the Book of God,” as he says. As restrictions on bringing Qurans into Gaza continue, the need for what he can salvage from the debris grows.
Jabr does not ask for much; just volunteers to share the task with him and a more suitable place that allows him to expand his work. In his hands, not only are books being restored, but also the meanings of survival in a city that is trying, despite everything, to preserve what remains of its spirit.
