There is something that is quite phenomenal when women bond. Women are able to connect in a way that is unique and on a different level to their male counterparts. So, imagine the possibilities of what could happen when you bring together women from very divergent backgrounds!
WIZO’s Team, from l.to r. Leonie Baranes (here you have her!), Karin Maier-Winter,Dr Anita Pollack (reporter of WINA and WIZO member) Dina Baranes, Daniel Benn, Dr. Hava Bugajer-Gleitman, Dr. Yana Hauptmann.
Vardit Cohen (Jewish)
Mashchaz Ubayd Zu’abi (Moslem)
One Man’s vision
Israel is a country of simplicities and complexities and gorgeous diversity. This is a country that has ingathered the exiles from over 80 different countries and has rich and diverse minority communities who make up roughly 24% of the population and contrary to what many of her detractors would have you believe, they enjoy full and equal rights as citizens and have representation in the Knesset. But Israel, being a country filled with paradox, means that sometimes there are chasms between the cultures and creative ways to break down barriers. David Moatty, Director of WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organisation) Afula Community Centre had a vision. What would happen if he brought together women from different cultural backgrounds to bond over something creative – painting. The result was “The Olive Tree”. The Olive tree has long been a symbol of peace. Its roots (pun very much intended!) stretch all the way to biblical times and are an iconic image for the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the olive tree and its oil, symbolises justice and mercy, and according to the Christian gospels, olives are symbols of sacrifice and love. In the Quran, it is written that the olive tree is the “world’s axis and the symbol of the universal humanity of the Prophet’. Olive trees, with their succulent, delicious fruits and beautifully sculpted trunks are indigenous to both Israel and South Africa!
Hagar Stam – Ester: The sparkling tree
Hagar Stam : A bridge to Peace (Jewish)
Bonds of Friendship
They came from a variety of different backgrounds and ages with a common interest – to create art and perhaps make a friend or two. They came from all cultural and religious groups – Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Circassian and from places as exotic and diverse as Romania, Lithuania, Argentina, the Caucasian mountains and with a local flavour that included Nazareth, Umm-Al-Fahad and Tiberius. Thirty-five women, aged between 17 and 80 painted olive trees – that age gracefully for thousands of years – and in so doing, weaved bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime.
The project is sponsored by a host of European WIZO Federations that include France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. Through their mutual love for art, the women have fostered an environment of tolerance and sharing. Olive trees make no distinction between cultures and art is a universal language and this is evident is the exquisite portraits painted by the women. Each picture tells a story and transports you through their personal journeys. Mali Schneiderman from Kfar Saba was wounded badly in a car accident ten years ago. Painting has helped her to heal and regain both her physical and mental health. Hana Rozenstein, a Holocaust survivor, has painted her “Tree of Peace” in gratitude to the beautiful country she calls home. Sharing her story with the Arab women in the group has brought her a tremendous sense of joy and Shuzanna Abu-Masoud, the sixth child in a religious, Muslim family, dedicates her painting to her mother, who adores the multicultural contact between Jews and Muslims.
Lina Laoz – The Tree of Israel (Circassian)
Amal Hana (Christian)
Uniting Nations
It is not just the paintings and their talented artists that tell a story. This project with its roots firmly grounded in tolerance and altruism has found itself warmly received all over the world – even in the halls of the United Nations, where it has been showcased both in Geneva and Vienna. While the mere mention of the UN is guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of Israelis which spends a disproportionate of its time attacking the only democracy in the Middle East but gives a free pass to the worst perpetrators of human rights, the Olive Tree Project sends a different message.
The real work is done not by false words but by those on the ground between Israel’s citizens of all religions. This is where peace is negotiated. The Olive Tree Project has recently been renamed “Shutafot le Derech” (“The Way Forward Together”) and the journey that it has begun has not just been a physical tour of the world in revealing Israel’s narrative of diversity and tolerance but a spiritual journey of healing.
It is here amongst these women and their unbreakable bonds of friendship, where the final fruits of peace are firmly rooted.
A general View on the exhibition in the UN Rotunda (in the evening, when no people are in the building).
In front of the exhibition: a picture “of women” , to mark the women’s day. from l to r: Leonie Baranes, Dr. Yana Hauptmann,Ambassador Talya Lador Fresher,Karin Maier-Winter, Dr. Anita Polak, Dr. Hava Bugajer-Gleitman.
from l.to r. : Dr Hava Bugajer- Gleitman, Nasra Hasan, former UN senior stuff memeber and a friend of WIZO, Daniel Benn from Afula, director of the community centers in Afula and surroundings, standing in front of the exhibition.
