Embroidery from Palestine

Palestine Solidarity Project volunteers interviewed several of the women who contribute to the embroidery co-op, either in their homes or in the women’s shop in Hebron.

Many of the women interviewed said that the co-op is an necessary part of their family’s income.  They stressed that the co-op is especially important to women who are unmarried or whose husbands cannot find work.  Because of the Israeli military occupation, there are very few living wage jobs available to West Bank Palestinians.

Still, the women emphasized their desire to be self-sufficient.  “We hope people abroad will help us by buying our products.  We want to support ourselves, we do not want charity.”

Nawal

Nawal lives with her husband and 2 young children in Idhna, a village near Hebron.   Nawal organized and co-founded the co-op in 2006 with a small group of women from her village.  Prior to founding the co-op, Nawal worked as a homemaker and enjoyed traditional embroidery as a hobby.

In 2006, Nawal opened a retail shop for the co-op in the Old City of Hebron.  At the time, most of the stalls in the Old City market were closed due to harassment and intimidation by extremist Israeli settlers.  Business was very slow, but neighboring shops gradually reopened.  Today, the Old City market is relatively busy.  Vendors sell food and crafts, locals shop, and tourists of all faiths stop in on their way to the nearby Tomb of the Patriarchs.

Nawal no longer embroiders- instead, she manages the shop and sells pieces created by 120 women in nearby villages.  She is the only female shopkeeper in the Old City.  Some of the male vendors hassle her, and passerby often ask where her boss is!  Nawal takes it all in stride.   She enjoys her job, and takes pride in the co-op.  Still, Nawal says business is often sluggish because of the high rate of poverty in the Hebron area.  She hopes customers overseas will choose to support this unique, socially responsible business.

Fatima

Fatima lives with her husband and 4 children, ages 1-9.   She works in the village of Idhna, where the first small group of women began organizing the co-op in 2005.

Before joining the co-op, Fatima was a homemaker.  “The women in this country usually marry and stay in the home,” she says, “I like this job because I can work from home [while earning money for my family].  The situation is very difficult here- no money, no jobs.”

Fatima has enjoyed embroidery since she was a young girl.   She often creates her own designs, using images from books. She specializes in images of rural Palestinian life and traditional designs.

Hamda

Hamda is from the village of Saer.  She lives with her husband and 6 children.  Her husband and adult sons run a small restaurant in Bethlehem, but business is slow.   Hamda’s husband and one of their sons have disabilities that prevent them from working consistently.

Hamda says that jobs are very scarce because of the Israeli military occupation.  Since most West Bank Palestinians are no longer able to work in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities, money is very tight.

Hamda learned the art of traditional Palestinian embroidery as a very young woman, and joined the co-op in 2006.  Hamda specializes in designing purses and pillow cases.  She often spends a whole week working on one purse or pillow case, working for a few hours each day whenever she has a break from her domestic responsibilities.

Tagreed

Tagreed lives with her husband and 4 young children in Saer.  She joined the co-op in 2006, but she began creating her own embroidered pieces nearly 15 years earlier.

Tagreed specializes in small purses, bracelets, and headbands.  However, she sometimes takes on larger projects, such as shawls or scarves.  When asked how long it takes her to complete a shawl, Tagreed said: “If I work outside my own house, it takes a week.  But if I work at home, it can take 2 weeks because my children are always distracting me!”

Zhoor

Zhoor lives with her husband in Hebron.  She does not embroider, but she designs bags and apparel for the co-op and sews the embroidered pieces together using her sewing machine.  She has worked for the co-op for 2 years, but she worked as a seamstress for her neighbors and relatives prior to joining the co-op.

Zhoor’s family owns land in Yatta, where they grow grapes, apricots, and a variety of vegetables.  However, extremist Israeli settlers harass and intimidate her family members, making it difficult for them to harvest their produce.  Zhoor’s income from the embroidery co-op helps to supplement her family’s income from the farm.

Zhoor hopes that international customers will offer feedback about the women’s work and about this website.  She is eager for the co-op to expand and provide sustainable jobs for more women in the Hebron area.