Naomi's Ceramic Workshops in South Mt. Hebron 12-14 March 2010

Email from Ehud Krisnis of the Villages Group, 15 March 2010

Last month our Villages Group’s colleague David spent several weeks at Susiya. During this period, David and our friends from Susiya worked hard to turn a tent that was donated a few months ago into a creativity center for families living there. When completed, a ceramics workshop run by Naomi Wayne was held there.

Naomi, is a friend from London and a member of the British Shalam-Shalom Trust. This is a trust that has supported Susiya residents for some years and donated the primary sums for the program of Sussiya children transportation to a school located in the village of  al-Tuwani.

Naomi decided to devote most of her present visit to Israel to activities with Palestinian women and girls in a field in which she has recently specialized – hand made ceramics. Naomi’s first workshop in the framework of this trip took place in Susiya, and two more took place in Umm al-Kheir.

At the workshop in Susiya, over 20 local women and girls participated  – from a great grandmother to little girls; everyone was interested and involved in working with clay – a completely new field for them. In the course of the workshop, we received an unexpected visit from Bet-Govrin military preparatory students – the young Israelis who are preparing for their approaching military training, were rather surprised but took a lively interest in the Palestinian-Israeli-British collaboration taking place in the creativity tent in Susiya and its discernible results.

Later, after the workshop ended, many other Palestinians visited Susiya – relatives from Yatta, who made use of the sunny holiday to visit family in Susiya.  It turns out that the people from Yatta were just as surprised as the young Israelis from the military preparatory academy to see and hear of the collaboration taking place between Jews from Israel and the world and families from Susiya.

We thank Naomi for the workshop and prevailing good mood, and hoping that she will return for continuation workshops soon.