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Julia Zaher

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Israeli Arab philanthropist
Julia Zaher
Zaher in 2014
Occupations
  • Businessperson
  • philanthropist
  • schoolteacher
Known forAl Arz Tahini
Children2

Julia Zaher (Arabic: جوليا زهر, Hebrew: ג'וליה זהר) is an Israeli Arab businessperson, philanthropist, and former schoolteacher. She is owner and CEO of Al Arz Tahini, a tahini manufacturing company. She is known for her philanthropic actions to benefit women's rights, people with disabilities, and LGBT health.

Career

Zaher's family background is Arab Christian. She was a schoolteacher for decades before taking over Al Arz Tahini, her husband's tahini company, in 2003. Upon taking over the company, which was established in 1992, Zaher paid off its debts and upgraded the manufacturing process. Al Arz's two factories produce 20 to 25 tons of tahini a day from sesame seeds imported from Ethiopia. The products are sold in Israel and exported to 18 countries. Zaher is the only Arab female factory owner in Israel. She is an advocate for diversity and women in the workplace. Her company employs a large number of Arab women in addition to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian residents from Jezreel Valley.

Zaher is recognized for her philanthropy. She has donated towards women's rights and people with disabilities. In 2020, she donated to The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force to establish a crisis hotline for LGBT Arabic-speaking Israelis. Zaher was lauded by several politicians and LGBT rights activists, while more conservative Arab-Israelis criticized for the donation, claiming it may lead to "normalization" of an LGBT lifestyle. The donation sparked a boycott of her company among social conservatives. In response, Israeli diplomats bought over 600 pounds of tahini from Al Arz.

As of 2021, the company had experienced a 30% sales increased in the past three years.

In 2022, Zaher was given Tel Aviv University's Hugo Ramniceanu Prize for Economics in honor of her entrepreneurship and community leadership. Zaher donated her prize money back to the university, to fund a nursing studies scholarship for Arab-Israeli students. That same year, Zaher received an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University.

Personal life

Zaher is from Nazareth and has two children. Her husband died from a heart attack in 2003.

References

  1. ^ Rasgon, Adam (2020-07-15). "The Tahini War: The Food at the Center of an Arab Gay Rights Battle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  2. ^ Sudilovsky, Judith (2021-11-11). "Tahini: The gathering point of food, politics and culture". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  3. Schneider, Alma (January 2017). "Arab Philanthropy in Israel: Insights into Strategic Giving" (PDF). Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  4. Abu Toameh, Khaled (2021-03-04). "Meet the Arab-Israeli, Palestinian women making an impact on society". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  5. "LGBTQ rights: Arab Israelis call for tahini-maker boycott". BBC News. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  6. ^ Oster, Marcy (2020-07-23). "Israeli diplomats buy 600 pounds of tahini to back Arab-Israeli businesswoman hit by boycott". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  7. ^ "BOG 2022: From Making Tahini to Advocating Rights – Tel Aviv University Canada". cftau.ca. May 29, 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  8. "Honorary Doctorates for 8 Women". www.biu.ac.il. 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
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