I recently reflected on my time in Israel in 2017. It’s one of those trips that had a significant impact on my life. You can read more about my travels here.
On my third day in Israel, the Vibe Israel tour team visited a Druze village in Daliyat el-Carmel, in the North region. This is where I met powerhouse sisters, Nurah and Farida. In my daily diary, I wrote little stories about these sisters, and I haven’t shared them here before and so I thought it worth doing because they were so inspiring.
Nurah
Diary Entry 24.3.17
I want to tell you about Nurah. She’s an amazing cook. So amazing she has been asked to create the menu for a prestigious restaurant and has large groups visiting her kitchen from far and wide. Her path as a businesswomen, wasn’t a chosen one, but one that came to her. As she put it: you have to roll with it.
One day, a well-known chef in Israel met her and believed her food should be shared with many, and so he bought a big group to her kitchen and after feeding them, he gathered money and gave it to her said, “Right, that is the start of your business”.
The moment I took the picture above, Nurah was explaining that she told her mother about this opportunity and she gave her blessing. Soon after this, her mother died but the bittersweet smile speaks of Nurah’s gratefulness for the blessing.
Nurah taught us how to make some traditional Druze food and we got to eat it too! Happy days. Here are a few snaps from the kitchen.
Farida
Diary Entry 24.3.17
This is Farida. I love her. When you can’t speak the language, you take particular note of the person’s tone and body language. Farida made it easy with her expressive face and wonderful hands. Those hands of her make incredible woven tapestries that are sold to galleries and synagogues around the world. She buys the finest wool from France, dyes it herself and weaves by hand. Some of her pieces can cost up to AU $10,000 and take almost a year to create. She told stories about the love she has for her family, her passion for her artistic work and the importance of being a woman who makes strong choices.
Here are a few snaps from Farida’s home and workshop.
About the Druze Community
The Druze is a unique religious and ethnic group. Other than that, I can’t actually tell you very much about it! I have been reading more about the community in a journal article that you can find here or head over to this blog post to read the feminist undertones as discussed by Lynne from Blunt Moms. What is particularly interesting about the Druze community is although they don’t have a dedicated state behind them, a distinct language or represent a singular ethnic background, the community is distinct from other parts of the population. Interestingly, no strangers have seen their sacred books and they do not accept converts. However, from my experience with the community, the women are very strong and vibrant people who are absolutely pivotal to the community.
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