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Ruth Dayan ( he, רות דיין; 6 March 1917 – 5 February 2021) was an Israeli social activist who was the founder of the Maskit fashion house. She was also the first wife of Israeli Foreign Minister and General, Moshe Dayan (1915–1981). Active in many social causes, Dayan was a recipient of the Israeli President's Medal of Distinction, the
Solomon Bublick Award The Solomon Bublick Award (Solomon Bublick Public Service Award or Solomon Bublick Prize) is an award made by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to a person who has made an important contribution to the advancement and development of the State of I ...
, and the
Yigal Allon Yigal Allon ( he, יגאל אלון; 10 October 1918 – 29 February 1980) was an Israeli politician, commander of the Palmach, and general in the Israel Defense Forces, IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Labor P ...
Prize, in recognition of her social empowerment efforts.


Biography

Ruth Schwartz (later Dayan) was born in
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
during the end of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
rule of the region, as the elder of the two daughters of Rachel (née Klimkar) and Tzvi Schwartz. Her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who were part of the
Second Aliyah The Second Aliyah ( he, העלייה השנייה, ''HaAliyah HaShniya'') was an aliyah (Jewish emigration to Palestine) that took place between 1904 and 1914, during which approximately 35,000 Jews immigrated into Ottoman-ruled Palestine, mos ...
. When Schwartz was two, the family relocated to England, where her parents completed their education. The family returned to
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
when she was 8. At this time, her mother, Rachel Schwartz was the first woman in Palestine to obtain a driver's license. Ruth moved to
Nahalal Nahalal ( he, נַהֲלָל) is a moshav in northern Israel. Covering 8.5 square kilometers, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of . Nahalal is best known for its general layout, as ...
when she was 18 and met her future husband, Israeli military leader and politician, Moshe Dayan. The couple married in 1935, and remained married for 36 years until their divorce in 1971. During this time, the couple lived in
Nahalal Nahalal ( he, נַהֲלָל) is a moshav in northern Israel. Covering 8.5 square kilometers, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of . Nahalal is best known for its general layout, as ...
and later in Tzahala. The couple's early years were difficult, with conditions at the moshav being primitive and her husband being active with the Haganah. His association with that organization led to his arrest and detention in a British prison for more than a year. The couple had three children: Yael Dayan, a former
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 ...
member and Deputy Mayor of
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
; Ehud (Udi) Dayan, a writer, who died in 2017; and Asaf "Assi" Dayan, an actor and filmmaker who died in 2014. Dayan's sister, Reuma, was married to
Ezer Weizman Ezer Weizman (; he, עֵזֶר וַיצְמָן ''Ezer Vaytsman''; 15 June 1924 – 24 April 2005) was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Ai ...
, the Israeli air force general, Defense minister and the seventh President of Israel. Dayan collaborated on her life story with biographer Anthony David on a book which was published as ''The Remarkable Lives of Israeli Ruth Dayan and Palestinian Raymonda Tawil and their Forty Year Peace Mission'' (2015). Earlier, she had created a sensation with her tell-all book ''Or Did I Dream the Dream? The Story of Ruth Dayan'', coauthored with journalist Helga Dudman in 1973, which became a best-seller. Among other things, Dayan said her husband "had such bad taste in women". Dayan died on 5 February 2021 at her home in Tel Aviv. She was 103, one month and one day short of her 104th birthday.


Career

In 1954, Dayan founded Maskit, a fashion and decorative arts house that provided her with a way of creating jobs for new immigrants and preserving Jewish ethnic crafts and culture of the various communities living in Israel. In 1955, Dayan met fashion designer Finy Leitersdorf, who designed clothes and accessories for Maskit for 15 years. The two collaborated on a joint exhibit of Maskit designs at the Dizengoff Museum (today the Tel Aviv Museum). Maskit went on to have ten stores in Israel and one in New York, and supported over 2000 families. Its products were sold at
department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
s in the United States, and its fashions were used in galas and fundraisers for
Israel Bonds Israel Bonds, the commonly-known name of Development Corporation for Israel (DCI), is the U.S. underwriter of debt securities issued by the State of Israel. DCI is headquartered in New York City, and is a broker-dealer and member of the Financial ...
. Maskit ceased operations in 1994. However, some of the designs from Maskit were picked up by designer
Sharon Tal Sharon Tal is an Israeli actress. Biography Raised in Jerusalem, she finished high school in theater and literature class, appearing in three plays at the Mikro Theatre in Jerusalem. Tal played Shifra in ''Enemies, A Love Story'', based on Is ...
, when Dayan collaborated with her when Tal returned from London after having worked there for British designer
Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashio ...
.


Social activism

Dayan was an advocate of peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine. She founded a Jewish–Arab social group, Brit Bnei Shem (Ibnaa Sam). She worked on behalf of new immigrants, the rights of Bedouins, and women's causes. She was a lifelong friend of Palestinian poet and nationalist Raymonda Tawil, mother of Suha Arafat, who in 1990 became the wife of PLO leader
Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
. In 1978, Dayan and Tawil planted a peace forest in
Neve Shalom Neve Shalom ( he, נְוֵה שָׁלוֹם, ''lit.'' Oasis of Peace), also known as Wāħat as-Salām ( ar, واحة السلام) is a cooperative village in Israel, jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to show that the two p ...
, Israel. Dayan was also a member of charity initiatives including founding Variety Israel, which supported abandoned children and children with disabilities.


Awards and recognition

Dayan received many awards including the 2007 Partner of Peace Award from the Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam community, a cooperative village of Jews and Arabs midway between
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and Tel Aviv. She was also a recipient of the
Yigal Allon Yigal Allon ( he, יגאל אלון; 10 October 1918 – 29 February 1980) was an Israeli politician, commander of the Palmach, and general in the Israel Defense Forces, IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Labor P ...
Prize, President's Medal of Distinction, the
Solomon Bublick Award The Solomon Bublick Award (Solomon Bublick Public Service Award or Solomon Bublick Prize) is an award made by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to a person who has made an important contribution to the advancement and development of the State of I ...
from the
Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
, and an honorary doctorate from the
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
. In 2010, Dayan was awarded honorary citizenship by the Israeli town of
Herzliya Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it h ...
.


Published works

* * * *


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 ...
*
Israeli fashion Israeli fashion refers to fashion design and modeling in Israel. Israel has become an international center of fashion and design.
* Culture of Israel


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dayan, Ruth 1917 births 2021 deaths Dayan family Israeli activists Israeli centenarians Jewish Israeli writers Israeli memoirists Israeli non-fiction writers Israeli women activists Jewish activists Jewish women writers Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Distinction of Israel Spouses of Israeli politicians Women centenarians Women memoirists People from Haifa