By Rivka Borochov
When Safa Younes, a religious Muslim woman from Jaffa, Israel, was on maternity leave with her daughter, now eight, she opted for a big career change. Younes left her job as a probation officer to start a non-profit organization and community center for women, the
Jaffa Bride of the Sea Women’s Center.
“As a woman and a resident of Jaffa, I felt we lacked a place where women could get together to learn about our rights and about how to advance our community,” says Younes, 38, who is also a mother of a 12-year-old and an 18-year-old.
There were places in Jaffa for men to go and learn skills like English and computers, but nowhere for the unemployed women who have difficulties finding a way to get out of the house –– whether for social or professional reasons –– to learn new skill sets.
Younes asked her mother if she thought the center was a good idea. Her mother said yes, and that she would visit such a place if it existed.
Seven years since its founding, Jaffa Bride of the Sea (Arous Elbahr in Arabic, nickname for the ancient port of Jaffa) has changed the lives of hundreds of women in Jaffa -- Muslim, Christian and even Jewish Israelis.
On a sunny day in June, women from this community center showed off their crafts, social projects and baking skills at an outdoor market in central Jaffa that was attended by hundreds. It was a one-time event and a rare occurrence in Jaffa for the women, their children and community. Stalls included clothes, handmade jewelry – beaded necklaces and bracelets, cosmetics, soaps, handmade ceramics and a variety of foods such as Arab sweets and pastries.
Fair-trade dolls
Yifat Kedmi is a social projects manager at the Bride of the Sea Center, located in Ajami, a neighborhood in Jaffa a stone’s throw from the sea. “The whole main purpose of this association is to give a platform to empower women socially or financially or – all our projects do the same in different aspects – helping women who sew and who like sewing and designing,” she says.
Kedmi was particularly happy to showcase the social sewing projects she helped foster among local women. One of her “babies” being sold at the market was a fair-trade product made by Israeli Arab women in their homes. Called Jaffadolls, these dolls are neither girls nor boys, Jewish nor Muslim, religious nor secular.
Jaffadolls under construction “It’s a very simple doll, like the one that Grandma makes, yet each is one of a kind,” says Kedmi. “There are two Arab women seamstresses, and one designer who make the dolls. They offer three kinds of dolls, each with its own design, and we change the fabrics seasonally.” The group will be starting a new collection using vintage fabrics.
Jaffadolls are also sold at design shops throughout Tel Aviv, and soon on the crafts site Etsy and through other bigger channels facilitated by a European Union grant.
The social aspect of the project cannot be emphasized enough, says Kedmi.
“For the women it was hard for them to get out of the house, and they don’t want to work outside the home. There are not a lot of places to work if you are a seamstress, so the Jaffadolls idea gives them a platform, and they get to sew around 100 dolls a month,” says Kedmi.
From left, Jaffadolls designer Rosanna Alon, seamstresses Sahar Nabulsi and Elham Huni and Yifat Kedmi, project manager Legal skills and balancing books
At the Bride of the Sea Center, there are currently 100 people enrolled in programs and social events.
Through a partnership with Tel Aviv University, members also enjoy the skills of lawyers-in-training from the university’s legal clinic, who help the women set up the legal aspects of their business.
Bride of the Sea also gives special training sessions on the basics of computing and Internet, and how to handle home finances.
An upcoming program aims to create an Arab cuisine catering service and provide cooking courses to the public.
Food is an important part of the Arab culture in Israel, and for some women, it defines who they are. Bride of the Sea is looking for ways to encourage that dimension in its social projects.
Women come for a range of activities and classesThe center works as a two-way door and entices Jewish Israelis to come and learn with the women at the center. One popular program is the twice weekly Arabic course. As they learn the language, they also learn about colorful and tasty aspects of Arab culture, as some of the teachers also give cooking lessons.