The Light Shining Through the Cracks
A Joint Olive Harvest for Arab and Jewish women
Written and photographed by Yael Horowitz (*), November 19 2023
(*) The writer is a memeber in Women Building an Alternative (Bonot Alternativa) movement
Original article in Hebrew with all the photos
In the shadow of war
On Saturday morning, November 18th 2023, just a day before the rains started, about 500 women, men and children from all over the country ‘raided’ Sindyanna of Galilee’s olive grove in the Jezreel Valley for a joint Jewish-Arab olive harvest.
Olive Harvest for Solidarity
The women of Sindyanna invited the Bonot Alternativa (Women Building an Alternative) community to join them for this annual volunteer event.
The invitation stated:
“In the shadow of this terrible war, and the severe damage to Israeli society across all its sectors, it is crucial to also observe the light emerging between the cracks. Everywhere, dozens of initiatives have been mobilized towards aid and rehabilitation. In one word – solidarity.”
The women of Sindyanna continue to express their solidarity and take part in support operations for those affected by the war.
The olive grove provides economic strength for many women, Jewish and Arab, who make a living from the production of Sindyanna’s award-winning olive oil. The harvest, attended by volunteers, helps them continue and provide for their families, and contribute to the economic and social resilience in the Galilee.
What is Sindyanna of Galilee?
Sindyanna of Galilee is a fair trade association, a female-led non-profit that has been actively promoting the concept of “business for peace” since 1996. They do this by connecting Arab and Jewish women who together produce high-quality olive oil.
The Sindyanna Team
Sindyanna’s staff, from production line to management, includes Arab and Jewish women who believe in a common future for both Arabs and Jews, and equal opportunities for women. Their visitor center in Kfar Cana hosts groups from Israel and abroad and organizes various activities for individuals and groups, including workshops on hydroponics, basket weaving, traditional cooking and more. The profits from Sindyanna’s business activities are invested in social projects aimed at encouraging women’s employment, implementing a FairTrade sustainable green economy, and creating a bridge between divided communities.
Unified, Positive, Hopeful and Peaceful
One of the exciting initiatives organized by Sindyanna was hosting Jewish and Arab children who together drew colorful pictures that then became the labels for the olive oils produced by their mothers. By combining the words Unified, Positive, Hopeful and Peaceful, the labels convey a message of social empowerment.
Hanan Zoabi, Event Leader from Sindyanna
In the afternoon, after three hours of intensive work, Hadas Lahav, CEO of Sindyanna, thanked the many participants. They enjoyed a communal meal of manakish (pita bread with za’atar baked in the oven), alongside olive oil, vegetables, fruits and, of course, coffee. Hanan Zoabi, a member of Sindyanna’s board who led the event, also spoke:
It should not be taken for granted that an event of this scope and with so many people joining us, is held now, during a time of war. I would like to thank all of you and the brave women of Bonot Alternativa. I got to know Sindyanna twenty years ago, starting as a volunteer. I’ve been working for the organization for the past eight years with a wonderful group of women, both Jewish and Arab, who give their lives to establish the principles that we all want: democracy, equality and social justice.
If we want to establish these principles also in our Arab society, it is impossible to do it alone. We must work as partners, especially when it comes to changing the status of women. Since Sindyanna was established, we have worked hard to translate these principles into a way of doing things, where profits are ploughed back into our social projects. We believe that if we want to change Israeli society, we must also change Arab society within Israel.
Over the years we have searched everywhere for partners whose goal, similarly to us, is to provide equal rights and employment opportunities to Arab women, and also to build a just society for everyone, both Jews and Arabs. Based on this concept, we established our factory in Kfar Cana and the Visitor Centre that hosts thousands of visitors from Israel and abroad throughout the year, a showcase for our efforts.
Haifa Leader of the Bonot Movement (Building an Alternative)
Chen Mendelsohn-Aderka, Haifa Leader of Building an Alternative who partnered with the the Sindyanna team to organize the event, said:
Our organization was founded following the rape case in Eilat. Moran Zer Katzenstein, the founder, could not remain silent and women from all over the country came out to demonstrate. Since then we have led campaigns on various issues such as wage equality, a campaign for comparable wages for female soccer players on the Israel national team, and accompanying the victims of the Eyal Golan (a famous Israeli Singer) affair.
Even with our marketing and communications experience, we were surprised at the popularity of our spectacular handmaiden displays, which were part of the protest against the government coup, with huge turnouts throughout the country. At the height of our activity, we reached 100,000 women in about 80 centres across the country. Presenters and broadcasters wore red in the studios, and we almost reached appropriate gender representation on all the protest stages.
We met the Sindyanna team during the protest days, when Arab and Jewish women marched together and demanded a better government. Both organizations share the values of equal rights, liberalism and social activism. When the war broke out, the situation changed and women were sidelined once again.
Despite the many heroic stories of female fighters, there are still those that doubt us. There are no women in the current cabinet, and the TV studios are full of testosterone. Women are the rear guard, volunteering in every arena, maintaining the mental health system and the children who don’t have an educational structure. I want to ask the women here – who was able to work during the month of October?
And that’s why we entered the economic arena. We are working on a new project to support the damaged economy of women. Because livelihood is the basis for peace of mind and security, as well as the independence of women and the well-being of their families. You can follow our activity ‘Building an Economy’ which we will announce in the next two weeks.
And this important harvest, which was postponed due to the war, is another opportunity for us to work again alongside Sindyanna’s team, to work for strengthening the economy of Arab and Jewish women. We invite the public to participate in a meaningful action, especially in these difficult days. Thank you very much and as they say in ‘Building an Alternative’ – we have only just begun!
Productive Volunteering, Successful Harvest
In the evening, Hanan sent an email full of pride to the participants:
500 people worked with us today! By joining forces, we harvested almost 2 tons of olives. After we finished, all the olives were sent to the olive press in the village of Iksal, from which 1700 kg of olives were chosen, yielding 260 kg of excellent Fair Trade olive oil.
Your support this morning will help the women of Sindyanna continue their important enterprise in the Galilee, provide for their families and contribute to the economic and social resilience of their community.
Together, we expressed a clear position regarding our guiding values – equality, liberalism and social activism.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, thank you! תודה! شكرا!
The women of Sindyanna of Galilee and Building an Alternative
