An-Najah Staff

Introduction: 

     It is not always obligatory for geniality signs to be manifested early in one’s life. However this was the case for great music beacons like Mozart, Beethoven and also Yusuf  Khasho.

      It is perhaps ironic that at the age of 5 this great musician became an orphan and found a refuge in the orphanage belonging to the Franciscan Fathers in Jerusalem. There could not have been a more congenial place for the extraordinary talents to be manifested, exposed and eventually cultivated. It is perhaps prudent to mention that this religious order known as the Order of Friars Minor played and still plays a major role in helping the Palestinian steadfastness and in protecting the most important historical and religious sites in Palestine from expropriation. They justifiably hold the privileged title of the Custodians of the Holy Land.

      Furthermore, the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) had a profound influence on young Yusuf; in retrospect, it impacted and thus shaped his life beyond expectation.