An evening to honor our grandmothers

In preparation for International Women’s Day (March 8), WASNS development director Samah Salaime initiated a small committee to organize two occasions to mark the day in the community. The committee included Samah Salaime, Michal Zak, Meital Russo, Demah Massalha, and Raida Ayashe Khatib.

The first event took place on February 27 and was facilitated by Demah Massalha and Rachel Kitain. The theme was grandmothers , both those who were absent and those who are still with us. Living in the village today, it turns out, we have 19 grandmothers!

The evening was just for women. It included the telling of stories and a pot luck meal. The stories concerned the women who raised us, influenced our lives and shaped our personalities as women, but who perhaps have never received sufficient respect for their role. So on this special evening we tried to make amends for this.

These stories of our grandmothers sometimes moved us to tears, but usually these were tears of laughter. We were sad to learn that some of the women in the village grew up without ever having known their grandmothers, due to the Holocaust or the Nakba. They did not know what they had missed until they became grandmothers themselves.

The potluck meal featured dishes from around the world that our grandmothers brought with them or learned to cook: represented were the cuisines of Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Iraq, Poland Germany, Ethiopia, Romania, Hungary, Turkey and the United States!

To our delight, many women of the younger generation and new families were present, sitting besides others who were of our founding generation.

It was a feminine evening: sensitive, and emotional, but at the same time educational and empowering.

Next week we are organizing an evening for all the village members, women and men together, and giving a place of honor to the amazing women who founded and have dedicated their lives to the village for many years. Their grandchildren continue in their path.