The Charlotte Jewish News- March 2026- Page 13
Women and Stories in Jerusalem Offer Everyone a Seat at the Table
By Tobias Siegal
Imagine wandering through Ein Karem, Jerusalem’ s pastoral hillside enclave, where narrow lanes slip between green terraces and the quiet courtyards of old stone homes. A religious Yemenite local woman leads the way, pointing out the textures of the neighborhood as naturally as she explains the basics of Yemenite baking – how tradition is kept alive in everyday gestures. Then the walk opens into her garden home, where you enjoy a tasting of fresh goat cheeses and local refreshments, served with stories that make the city feel closer and more human than ever.
‘ Women and Stories in Jerusalem’ blends coexistence, an exciting mix of cuisines, and a new way of thinking about social tourism in Jerusalem to offer tourists and locals alike an authentic experience unlike any other.
In a city often perceived by outsiders as fragmented or divided, initiatives that build everyday connections can easily get lost in the noise. The project was launched just over a decade ago by the Jerusalem Municipality’ s Department for the Advancement of Women and has since been slowly changing the social landscape in Israel’ s capital by bringing people of different religions, ethnicities, and beliefs together around one table.
The initiative gives dozens of women from diverse backgrounds who have lived and breathed Jerusalem their entire lives the opportunity to share their unique stories while also running home-based, independent businesses. Taking turns, hosts, which include Arab, Christian, and Jewish women( secular, Orthodox, and ultraorthodox) open their homes to
Memory Is Not Passive
By Lori Semel and Emily Russell
There is a well-known idea, echoed across cultures, that a person is not truly gone as long as their name is still spoken. Writer Terry Pratchett captured it simply:“ A man is not dead while his name is still spoken.”
While not a Jewish text, the sentiment resonates deeply with Jewish tradition, which places sacred weight on memory, naming, and the obligation to remember.
When we say zichronam livracha – may their memory be a blessing – we are not only honoring the past; we are committing to carrying those lives forward through our actions.
The Levine JCC Butterfly Project embodies this value in a powerful and tangible way. Each ceramic butterfly painted and displayed is more than art; it is an act of zikaron – a declaration that the children’ s lives lost in the Holocaust are still known, still named, still held by our
middle school and adult Charlotte community members alike. In Judaism, remembrance is not groups of 10 to 80 visitors every week, offering conversations, workshops, meals, and new connections.
The program does more than create economic opportunities for women with limited employment options. Over the years, the women involved in‘ Women and Stories in Jerusalem’ have also created a community where they mentor and learn from each other, leading to both personal empowerment and business success, according to Orly Ben- Aharon, adviser to the Mayor of Jerusalem on women’ s issues.
“ They have built a model of collaboration, mutual support, and peer learning,” Ben-Aharon says of the 70 women who are actively hosting groups today.
Transforming Traditional Constraints into Tourism Assets
“ Women who once found it challenging to work outside their homes due to religious or cultural constraints are now running successful businesses from their homes, maintaining their traditions while achieving financial independence,” says Moshe Lion, Jerusalem’ s mayor.
Ben-Aharon adds that the initiative enables individuals and groups to experience Jerusalem“ behind the scenes” – to be hosted for a conversation, encounter, or workshop in the homes of women from all sectors of the city, to hear their life stories or the story of the neighborhood where they live.
Potential venues range from ancient stone houses in Jerusalem’ s iconic Nachlaot neighborhood to pastoral settings in Ein Karem Village.
passive. Remembering is to act, to teach, and to accept responsibility for what comes next.
“ Home hosting is one of the most prominent trends in the global tourism industry and a preferred option for small-group travelers seeking a personal, unconventional experience,” continues Ben-Aharon.“ Around the world, more and more visitors are expressing interest in experiential‘ off-the-beaten-path’ tourism based on private home hosting with women artists, storytellers, culinary figures, and keepers of local folklore.”
As mass tourism pushes many travelers to look for more intimate and meaningful experiences,‘ Women and Stories in Jerusalem’ stands out as a form of social tourism that frames the city’ s diversity as its most compelling asset. Experiences include, among
We readily welcome participants, ages 10 and older, to help shape this living memorial. By painting butterflies, together, we affirm that memory is not confined to history books or formal ceremonies.
Instead, through conversation, creativity, and presence, we create memories collectively. In speaking names, sharing stories, and working side by side, we ensure every memory remains alive and human.
As we approach Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day, this work feels especially urgent. Holocaust remembrance is not limited to one day on the calendar; it is a continuous practice of learning, witnessing, and transmitting memory to the next generation. Initiatives like The Levine JCC Butterfly Project serve to bridge the distance between past and present, reminding us that commemoration shapes not only how we honor those who were lost but also how we choose to live now. others, traditional Yemenite cheese-making workshops, Kurdish cooking classes with cultural performances, Sephardic Shabbat dinners in century-old buildings, and cultural storytelling sessions with local refreshments. The initiative also hosts family celebrations, corporate events, management gatherings, and private events, and is available in multiple languages, including English, Hebrew, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
Tobias Siegal is a foreign media advisor for Municipality of Jerusalem. In his monthly column, he brings a front-row perspective to the political, cultural and civic dynamics shaping daily life in the city.
The Levine JCC Butterfly Project Community Workshop, taking place Sunday, March 8, from 2 – 4 p. m., offers a chance to participate in remembrance through shared reflection and creation. Participants will hear stories of survival, paint a ceramic butterfly, tour the Memorial, and engage in a guided discussion about bias and prejudice, past and present. The program is open to all who wish to learn, create, and remember – and to help ensure that these memories continue to be a blessing. Registration information is available at charlottejcc. org under“ Events.”