Palestinian Oktoberfest Offers the West Bank in a Beer Glass
Image by Naomi Zeveloff
By Naomi Zeveloff September 25, 2016
Taybeh, a Christian village in the West Bank, celebrated its 11th Oktoberfest on the September 24 and 25. The event, which draws thousands of Palestinians and foreigners every year, is a unique occurrence in the Palestinian Territories, where most Muslims eschew alcohol. Here’s a primer on the West Bank beer festival:
The festival is sponsored by the Taybeh Brewing Company, which was started in 1994 by Palestinian businessman Nadim Khoury as a way to build the Palestinian economy in the optimistic period after the Oslo Accords.
Taybeh’s beers, which come in six styles, are sipped in bars in the West Bank, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Several bars in Israel — most with a left-leaning Jewish and Arab clientele — also serve Taybeh.
Canaan Khoury, the brewer and engineer at Taybeh Brewing Company Image by Naomi Zeveloff
The festival was originally held in the village center, but in recent years village officials have deemed the event too raucous to be held in the public square. This year Oktoberfest was held in the pavilion near the Khoury family home and factory.
A performance at Oktoberfest. Image by Naomi Zeveloff
The 2016 festival included vendors who sold locally-made honey, puppets and Palestinian embroidery. There was also chicken and beef shawarma, falafel and Beit Jala-made pork sausages, another West Bank rarity. There were also jugglers, dancers and hip hop artists, and a miniature climbing wall.
A dancer at Oktoberfest. Image by Naomi Zeveloff
Taybeh buys malt from Belgium and bottles from Portugal. Because Israel controls the West Bank borders, the products can face delays depending on the political situation. Canaan Khoury, the son of Nadim Khoury and the company’s engineer, began a winery with the mission of creating a completely locally-sourced product in order to sidestep Israeli restrictions. He named the wine line Nadim, after his father.
A makeshift climbing wall at Oktoberfest. Image by Naomi Zeveloff
Both Canaan and Nadim Khoury studied brewing at the University of California, Davis with legendary brewmaster Michael Lewis.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at zeveloff@forward.com or on Twitter @naomizeveloff
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