Amin al-Majaj
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Amin Saleh Majaj ( ar, أمين المجاج, ; March 21, 1921, Ramallah – January 2, 1999, East Jerusalem) was a titular mayor of
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, formerly the neighborhoods of East Jerusalem that were occupied and annexed by
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
during the years 1949–1967, and later occupied and annexed by
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...
. Al-Majaj held the position from 1994 to his death after Mayor
Ruhi al-Khatib Ruhi al-Khatib ( ar, روحي الخطيب, ; 1914–1994) was the mayor of East Jerusalem under Jordanian rule. Elected in 1957, his term came to an end on 29 June 1967, when Israel dissolved the city council of East Jerusalem following its co ...
died on 5 July 1994. A year later Jordanian businessman Zaki Al-Ghul was selected as successor to this position, which does not entail direct responsibility for municipal services. The position is not recognized by Israel. Amin Majaj was a physician and a public servant. In the late 1940s and 1950s he made detailed research into
malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
and its attendant diseases among children in the
Palestinian refugee camps Camps are set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to accommodate Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA, who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestinian ...
, and devised treatments for them. Born in Ramallah in 1921 to a well known Christian family that belonged to the
Anglican Episcopal Church The Anglican Episcopal Church (AEC) was a Continuing Anglican church consisting of parishes in Arizona, Alaska, and Florida served by a presiding bishop and several other clergy. The AEC was founded at St. George's Anglican Church in Ventura, Cal ...
, Majaj was educated at St George's High School in Jerusalem (part of the Anglican bishopric), going on to the American University of Beirut in 1945 and to the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, where he studied
medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
, specialising in child health. Back in Jordan, Majaj was confronted by a new and challenging situation. There were now half a million refugees from Palestine in Jordanian camps, kept alive by
UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 ...
rations. Many children were dying from gastroenteritis and deficiency diseases. Majaj realised that malnutrition among mothers was making
breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that br ...
ineffective and that lack of animal protein in the rations was the cause of
iron-deficiency anemia Iron-deficiency anemia is anemia caused by a lack of iron. Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. When onset is slow, symptoms are often vague such as feeling tired, weak, shor ...
, and protein deficiency resulting in diseases such as kwashiorkor. The remedy, a diet rich in animal proteins and
vitamin B12 Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. ...
injections, was easier to recommend than to implement. His research continued until the children's wards in the
Augusta Victoria Hospital Augusta Victoria Compound is a church-hospital complex on the northern side of Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem and one of six hospitals in the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network. The compound was built in 1907–1914 by the Empress Augusta Vi ...
in Jerusalem, where Majaj worked as head of the
paediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
department from 1950 to 1991, sustained a direct hit when the Israelis invaded the West Bank during the 1967 war. Majaj published the results of his research in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ''The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition'' (''AJCN'') is a monthly peer-reviewed biomedical journal in the fields of dietetics and clinical nutrition. The journal was established in 1952 as the ''Journal of Clinical Nutrition'', edited by ...
in 1966, in the Gazette of the Egyptian Paediatric Association of 1960 and in British and German medical journals. He was paediatrician at the Makased Islamic Hospital in Jerusalem from 1967 to 1982 (director from 1977), as well as on the board of hospitals in Gaza and Nablus. He was on the Jerusalem municipal council from 1950 and at the time of his death was acting mayor of East Jerusalem. He also served as a member of the Jordanian parliament from 1967 to 1988, and as Minister of Health in 1957 and in 1964. Among his many other responsibilities he took over direction of
Musa Alami Musa Alami (3 May 1897 – 8 June 1984) ( ar, موسى العلمي, ) was a prominent Palestinian nationalist and politician. Due to Alami having represented Palestine at various Arab conferences, in the 1940s, he was viewed by many as the le ...
's Arab Development Society in Jericho, which took boys out of Palestinian refugee camps to teach them agricultural and other skills. In 1947 he married Betty Dagher from Lebanon, who is now director of the Princess Basma Centre for Disabled Children in Jerusalem. Amin Majaj, physician: born Ramallah, Palestine 21 March 1921; married 1947 Betty Dagher (one son, three daughters); died Jerusalem 2 January 1999.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majaj, Dr Amin 1921 births 1999 deaths Mayors of Jerusalem Palestinian Anglicans Mayors of places in the State of Palestine People from Ramallah