Embroidery is the creation of images using a needle and threads intertwined within the fabric's structure. It is part of a wide repertoire of objects spanning ancient, traditional, and even contemporary artistic cultures. Each culture has unique characteristics of embroidery, yet stitches and motifs have traveled across the world and are shared among cultures. In Arab culture in Israel, women embroidered garments that reflected skill, tradition, personal expression, and group identity. Among Judaica artifacts, embroidery holds a place of honor, such as embroidered Torah Ark curtains, Torah covers, tallit bags, and mezuzah covers. In the Jewish community of the Land of Israel, embroidered blessings helped to maintain ties with the Jewish diaspora. Students at Bezalel Academy learned embroidery as an applied art, and after the establishment of the state, folk embroidery became a symbol of the renewal of Hebrew culture in Israel. Today, diverse communities in Israel sustain a rich culture of embroidery as both an artistic act and a means of expressing personal identity or unique community narratives.
Bedouin Embroidery
Desert Embroidery, Lakia
Bedouin embroidery is a folk practice and a material expression of tradition and belonging to family. Embroidered items were part of a bride’s dowry, most notably the dress, embroidered with natural-colored threads on wool, linen, or cotton fabrics. At the front of the dress, a richly embroidered chest panel surrounded the neckline and upper chest.
The stitches and their symbolic meanings were passed down through generations of women, with children even learning basic arithmetic by counting threads and planning embroidery motifs. Among the prominent stitches in Bedouin embroidery is the cross-stitch, which is easy to learn and well-suited to fabric structures.
The embroidery is composed of symbolic images and colors: the cypress tree symbolizes the tree of life; flowers and plants such as wheat represent growth and abundance; and the camel symbolizes patience and strength. According to tradition, red embroidery is suitable for married women and symbolizes love and happiness. Single women embroidered in green and purple, while widows used blue. Embroidery allowed Bedouin women to express beauty and color beyond everyday life. To preserve the tradition, women in the Lakiya organization embroider traditional designs onto contemporary, practical items such as pillows, bags, tablecloths, and paper products.
Ethiopian Embroidery
Embroidery: Tagenehu Sissay, Rokmot, Sderot
Embroidery is an artistic practice among Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Groups of embroiderers, such as the "Almaz" organization, "Rokmot" in Sderot, and the "Ahata" Center in Kiryat Gat, operate within a community framework that enables creators to present their narratives of immigration and integration into Israel while introducing Ethiopian embroidery to the Israeli public.
In the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia, Jews engaged in crafts such as blacksmithing, pottery, and textiles. Embroidered clothing reflected religious and social hierarchy. Both men and women engaged in embroidery, though women usually embroidered after marriage.
During the community's journey to Israel, men embroidered biblical motifs alongside depictions of coffee and bread-making ceremonies, candle lighting, and Kiddush, which were incorporated into an artistic wall hanging in 1980.
The colors of Ethiopian embroidery are vibrant primary hues, primarily green, yellow, red, black, and white. These colors carry symbolic meanings such as happiness and protection, royalty, vitality, hope, and death. The lion is a symbol of the Beta Israel community, who regard themselves as descendants of the Tribe of Judah. The lion appears in embroidered products as a sign of Hebrew tradition and as a symbol of overcoming the hardships of the arduous immigration journey.
Today, women in these organizations embroider Judaica items such as challah covers, mezuzah cases, kippot, tablecloths, and pendants. Artistic objects are also embroidered for exhibitions and art collections.
