Foto Friday – Deborah Sinai’s Working Women

June 25, 2010 - 8:05 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Art, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Profiles 

Milan-born Deborah Sinai is an internationally published photographer who currently works as a freelancer for news agencies in Italy, Israel and the UK. Sinai also puts her passion for documentation into independent projects, profiling subjects of personal interest.

Women in Men’s Jobs, completed last year, is a series of portraits of Israeli women working in non-traditional workplaces. The project, states Sinai, “aims to explore the themes of confidence and determination, passion and ambition, through the photographs of Israeli women participating in activities typically reserved for men.”

These range from sign-maker Sharonit Haziza, who says, “some clients are a bit surprised about it but they appreciate the final faultless work”…

…to motorbike mechanic Tal Perevolotsky who finds her clientele “feel that their motorcycles [are] treated better just because I’m a woman.”

Sinai states, “Perhaps the biggest challenge these women face is the reception by their co-workers and clients. How others treat them is extremely varied, offering insight into Israel’s social conscience. These women sometimes face gossip and negative comments condemning their break with traditional female roles.”

That problem is faced head-on by construction manager Lior Carmi who tells Sinai, “My work crew, obviously, have no problem to work and to take instructions from a woman. Those that do don’t work for me!”

There are those, like electrician-plumber Rachel Halamish Zemach, who “love[s] dressing in a feminine way even when I am getting filthy” and finds that many female customers prefer a handywoman to a handyman, particularly those “that do not feel comfortable or secure with male workers in their home.”

One factor all the women Sinai interviewed have in common is a streak of perfectionism or going the extra mile. “I like to do my best in any given situation,” says carpenter Orit Goren.

The element of self-fulfillment — and love for the job — is another unifying factor, like that of pilot Ravit Naor who began flying at the age of 39 once she “understood that I could not let my dreams wait any longer.” Today, she tells Sinai, “I have the best office in the world, and with a great view!”

More Women in Men’s Jobs can be found on Deborah Sinai’s website, where other works — featured in national and international magazines and newspapers such as the British Journal of Photograohy and RPS magazine, La Stampa, Photovision and Israel’s Masa Aher — can also be viewed and purchased.

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Shas trying a bit of feminism

February 5, 2009 - 6:34 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Politics 

Livni and feminismThe Shas party has had the upper hand on Tzipi Livni ever since the Kadima leader’s aspirations to take over from Olmert as prime minister were dashed by Shas’s coalition holdout tactics.

As a result, Livini and Kadima were forced to keep Olmert at the country’s helm, and the general elections scheduled for next week became a necessity. With Kadima trailing in the polls, one can’t resist wondering if Livni has been secretly regretting her decision to not kowtow to Shas back in the fall.

One of the most popular of the second-tier parties, the ultra-Orthodox Sephardi Shas party doesn’t stand a chance to elect a prime minister, but it always finds a way to obtain big cabinet appointments and budgets for its programs as coalition bargaining chips.

But until now, Livni has had one clear advantage over all of the other parties: the feminist card. No other major contending party in this race has a woman at the top of its list, which, as we know, can be a major draw.

And Shas can always use some good PR for believing in the leadership potential for women – especially given that the party’s spiritual figurehead, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, makes a habit of saying politically incorrect things. Shas has been “trying a bit of feminism” (as our friend Ali G puts it) ever since it launched a “Strengthening Women” platform in December.

This week, the party upped the feminist ante by allowing Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s daughter-in-law (and flat-mate), Yehudit Yosef, to take on a more public role, Haaretz reports. Apparently, Yehudit Yosef has for years been a major playing behind the scenes with Shas, but this week, she began campaigning on behalf of the party, rallying supporters with an inspiring speech in Jerusalem on Monday:

“I know how concerned [Rabbi Ovadia Yosef] is about women’s issues, how he educated his children to take care of their womenfolk so that they would not lack for anything,” she said. “When he gives his class on Saturday night and comes to the issue of women, he gives them a lecture on how to treat a woman, what to do for her, how to behave, what to buy her, and so forth. It’s such a lovely thing.”

Will lip service like this woo away some potential Kadima voters? We’ll know next week.

Image courtesy tzipilivni2009 from Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

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