Ibtisam Mara'ana-Menuhin ( ar, ابتسام مراعنة منوحين, he, אִבְּתִיסָאם מַרְאַעְנֶּה־מְנוֹחִין) is an
Israeli Arab
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
politician, film director, and producer. She was a member of the
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
for the
Labor Party.
Biography
Ibtisam Mara'ana was born in 1975 in
Fureidis
Fureidis (also Freidis; ar, فريديس, he, פֻרֵידִיס) is an Arab town in the Haifa District of Israel. It received local council status in 1952. In its population was .
Name
The name is believed to come from the Arabic (''firdawi ...
, a Muslim Arab village in northern Israel. She attended film school at
Givat Haviva
Givat Haviva ( he, גבעת חביבה) is the national education center of the Kibbutz Federation in Israel founded in 1949. It is the oldest institution in Israel promoting reconciliation between Jews and Arabs.
History
Givat Haviva, establish ...
. In 2000 she initiated a film and television program at her former high school in Fureidis.
In June 2014, Mara'ana married Boaz Menuhin, a Jewish Israeli man.
[Alona Ferber, ''When the Palestinian National Poet Fell in Love With a Jew'', in Haaretz, 4 June 201]
/ref> The couple has a daughter. The marriage was sealed in Tel Aviv in a non-religious ceremony, and is therefore not officially recognised in Israel,
Film and teaching career
In 2003 Mara'ana founded Ibtisam Films, to produce documentaries that investigate the borders and boundaries of Palestinian and Israeli society, with a focus on women and minorities. Her work explores gender, class, racism, and collective and individual identity. Her films show the plight of Arab-Palestinians living as a minority within Israel, while, at the same time, critique deep-rooted practices within Arab-Palestinian society. Her work has been screened on television and at festivals worldwide.
Mara'ana teaches at various educational institutions, including the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ( he, בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest ...
in Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. As a feminist activist, she appears at universities and conferences as a public speaker, and has published numerous articles in Israeli newspapers. In 2009, the Israeli newspaper ''Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'' named Mara'ana as one of the 10 most influential women in Israel.
In 2011 Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
-Israeli Jamila "Maya" Fares, the sister of Angelina Fares
Angelina Fares ( ar, انجلينا فارس, he, אנג'לינה פארס) is an Israeli Druze model and beauty pageant contestant. She was a finalist in Miss Israel 2007.
Biography
Fares was born in the village of Rameh, the firstborn of a Dru ...
, the subject of Mara’ana's ''Lady Kul El Arab
''Lady Kul El-Arab'' is a 2008 Israeli documentary directed by Ibtisam Mara'ana which tells the story of Doaa "Angelina" Fares, a Druze model who entered the Miss Israel beauty contest in 2007. This caused some resentment from Israel's Druze co ...
'' documentary, was murdered in an honour killing. In response to the murder, Mara'ana created a foundation to support Arab women fleeing gender-based violence in Israel.
Political career
Prior to the 2009 Knesset elections
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
Mara'ana was placed twelfth on the Meretz
Meretz ( he, מֶרֶצ, ) is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset ...
list. However, she withdrew her candidacy shortly before to the elections after Meretz expressed support for Operation Cast Lead
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
in Gaza.
In January 2021, Mara'ana ran in the Israeli Labor Party
The Israeli Labor Party ( he, מִפְלֶגֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית, ), commonly known as HaAvoda ( he, הָעֲבוֹדָה, , The Labor), is a social democratic and Zionist political party in Israel. The pa ...
primaries, and placed seventh on the party's list for the March 2021 elections. On 17 February Mara'ana was disqualified from running in the election by the Central Elections Committee
The Israeli Central Elections Committee ( he, ועדת הבחירות המרכזית, ''Va'adet HaBehirot HaMerkazit'') is the body charged under the Knesset Elections Law of 1969 to carry out the elections for the upcoming Knesset. The committe ...
by a 16–15 vote, with two abstentions, citing anti-Zionist remarks, as well as her public refusal in 2012 to observe the Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
siren – she later apologized for the latter. The disqualification was subsequently repealed by the Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
. She was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the Labor Party won seven seats, becoming the first Knesset member in a mixed Jewish-Muslim relationship.
Filmography
*''Paradise Lost'' (2003). Mara'ana traces the hidden history of her village, Fureidis
Fureidis (also Freidis; ar, فريديس, he, פֻרֵידִיס) is an Arab town in the Haifa District of Israel. It received local council status in 1952. In its population was .
Name
The name is believed to come from the Arabic (''firdawi ...
, investigating issues of national identity and womanhood within traditional Arab village life.
*''Al-Jiser'' (2004), a look into the lives of residents of the Jisr az-Zarqa
Jisr az-Zarqa ( ar, جِسْر الزَّرْقَاء lit. ''The blue bridge'', he, גִ'סְר א-זַּרְקָא; often shortened as Jisr) is an Israeli Arab town on Israel's northern Mediterranean coastal plain. Located just north of Caesa ...
village in Israel who face poverty and discrimination. The film focuses on the struggle of a group of young single women who are determined to bring social change to their village.
*''Badal'' (2006). A Badal marriage refers to the custom of a brother and sister from one family marrying a sister and brother from another family. Divorce on the part of one couple means the other couple must also divorce. The film follows a family during the process of arranging such a marriage. It portrays the lives of Palestinian women in Israel: their struggles in being a part of their traditional society vs. the quest to maintain their full rights as women and citizens of a Jewish state.
*''Three Times Divorced'' (2007) is about a Palestinian woman from the Gaza Strip who marries an Arab Bedouin from Israel. After bearing six children, her husband divorces her and maintains custody of the children, while the woman, whose residency status in Israel becomes uncertain, is left with nothing.
*'' Lady Kul El-Arab'' (2008). Angelina Fares
Angelina Fares ( ar, انجلينا فارس, he, אנג'לינה פארס) is an Israeli Druze model and beauty pageant contestant. She was a finalist in Miss Israel 2007.
Biography
Fares was born in the village of Rameh, the firstborn of a Dru ...
, a young woman from the Druze village of Sajur
Sajur (; ) is a Druze town ( local council) in the Galilee region of northern Israel, with an area of 3,000 dunams (3 km²). It achieved recognition as an independent local council in 1992. In it had a population of .
History
Excavations in ...
in northern Israel and the country's first Druze model, becomes a finalist in the 2007 Miss Israel
Miss Israel ( he, מַלְכַּת הַיֹּפִי, , ) is a national beauty pageant in Israel. The pageant was founded in 1950, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. The pageant was also existing to send delegates to Miss World, Miss I ...
beauty pageant. Facing severe pressure and death threats from her village, Angelina must decide whether to go forward with her fashion world dreams, or to resign. The story follows Angelina's struggle to reconcile the traditions and values of her society with her bold efforts to choose her own way in life.
*''77 Steps'' (2010) documents the personal journey of the director who leaves her Arab-Muslim village to live in Tel Aviv. In an attempt to find an apartment in the city, she encounters discrimination and rejection by most landlords because of her Arab origins. She finally finds an apartment and meets her neighbor – Jonathan, a Jewish-Canadian and recent immigrant to Israel. A complicated love story develops.
*''Write down, I Am an Arab
''Write Down, I Am an Arab'' is a 2014 documentary film about the national Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. The film was written and directed by Palestinian filmmaker Ibtisam Mara'ana.
Synopsis
''Write Down, I Am an Arab'' tells the story of M ...
'' (2014) is a biographical documentary film about the national Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish ( ar, محمود درويش, Maḥmūd Darwīsh, 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. He won numerous awards for his works. Darwish used Palestine ...
. The movie covers Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish ( ar, محمود درويش, Maḥmūd Darwīsh, 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. He won numerous awards for his works. Darwish used Palestine ...
's love letters to his Jewish girlfriend from the past, Tamar Ben-Ami, his marriage with Rana Kabbani, his first wife, and his part in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The movie contains interviews with Ahmad Darwish (Mahmoud's brother) and with his fellow poets and writers as well as with Samih al-Qasim
Samīħ al-Qāsim al Kaissy ( ar, سميح القاسم; he, סמיח אל קאסם; 1939 – August 19, 2014) was a Palestinian people, Palestinian Druze poet Arab citizens of Israel, with Israeli citizenship whose work is well known throughout ...
, who was Mahmoud Darwish's friend.
Awards and recognition
In 2017, Mara'ana received an honorary degree from the British Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
.
See also
*Women of Israel
Women in Israel comprise of the state's population . While Israel lacks an official constitution, the Israeli Declaration of Independence of 1948 states that “The State of Israel (…) will ensure complete equality of social and political ri ...
References
External links
*
*
Write Down, I Am an Arab: The Film About Mahmoud Darwish
Haaretz Article by Ibtisam Mara'ana "I Carry the Virus"
Haaretz Article by Ibtisam Mara'ana "Gender Before Nationality"
Lady Kul-el Arab at IDFA
Now Magazine Review
Badal on LinkTV
Three Times Divorced
on Women Make Movies
Women Make Movies is a non-profit feminist media arts organization based in New York City. Founded by Ariel Dougherty and Sheila Paige with Dolores Bargowski, WMM was first a feminist production collective that emerged from city-wide Women's Li ...
Three Times Divorced on Media Reviews Online
Haaretz Article by Ibtisam Mara'ana "I was once ashamed of my mother's power"
Haaretz Article by Ibtisam Mara'ana "Yalla, intifada!"
Al Jazeera "Palestinian Filmmaker wins at HotDocs"
Badal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mara'ana, Ibtisam
1975 births
Living people
Arab-Israeli film directors
Israeli women film directors
Israeli documentary film directors
Women documentary filmmakers
Israeli Labor Party politicians
Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022)
Women members of the Knesset
Arab members of the Knesset
Arab Israeli anti-racism activists