Sayed Kashua

Sayed Kashua
Born	1975 (age 41–42) Tira, Israel
Nationality	Arab Israeli
Alma mater	Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Occupation	author and journalist

Sayed Kashua (Arabic: سيد قشوع‎‎, Hebrew: סייד קשוע‎‎; born 1975) is an Israeli Arab author and journalist born in Tira, Israel, known for his books and humourous columns in the Hebrew language.

Sayed Kashua was born in Tira in the Triangle region of Israel to Muslim parents of Palestinian descent. In 1990, he was accepted to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem - Israel Arts and Science Academy. He studied sociology and philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Kashua was a resident of Beit Safafa before moving to a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem with his wife and children.

Kashua accepted teaching positions in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and Chicago, moving there with his wife and three children for the 2014/15 academic year. He participated in the Creative Writing program's bilingualism workshop at the University of Chicago and is a clinical professor in the Israel Studies program at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. His Haaretz column of July 4, titled "Why Sayed Kashua is Leaving Jerusalem and Never Coming Back: Everything people had told him since he was a teenager is coming true. Jewish-Arab co-existence has failed." was published at a volatile time in the country's intergroup relations, involving the kidnapping/murders of Jewish students in the West Bank and an Arab youth in East Jerusalem, though prior to the July 8 outbreak of the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict. His declaration elicited numerous responses in the Israeli press from colleagues and readers who were concerned by the issues he raises.