Hajj Walid Story

Have you ever had the chance to meet the LAST clog maker in Nablus?
Let’s introduce you to Hajj Walid!
Sitting in this old chair, I remember my father’s voice when he was working. I remember the amazement in my eyes when he finished a clog (traditional shoe made of wood and leather) and showed it to me. He would then knock his work on the table to hear the wood ring and I would laugh, my smile wide.

I remember it as if it was yesterday, and now I touch my wrinkles and do not believe that I am 70 years old.
I am Hajj Walid Khader, and my father – may God rest his soul – was a clog maker, who I inherited this profession and love for it from. I became the last clog maker here in Nablus, maybe even in all of Palestine.
We opened this shop in 1950, after we were forcibly displaced from Lod.
My grandchildren tell me, with wide smiles, that they have created an account for me on Facebook so that the world can see my work; however, I am sad, because I know that my profession which I have practiced for more than 60 years, is close to extinction as it is no longer profitable as no one wears clogs anymore.