Bellevue Art Museum’s Offering Reconciliation Exhibit of Israeli & Palestinian Artists.

Olive Branch was at the Bellevue Art Museum on opening night selling Peace Oil. David Sokal, proprietor, took the opportunity to view the artwork. “This is my favorite kind of art exhibit. This is less about the artists, and more about life’s trials and tribulations as expressed through artistic media. Each artist explores the personal impact of the Israeli/Palestinian divide. Some see hope and redemption, others see tragedy and pain. There are nuanced critiques of the blindness, political corruption and inertia on both sides. But the over-arching effect of the whole is a sense of possibility for redemption through creativity.” Still, reality cannot be ignored. When Robi Damelin, the Israeli representative of Parents Circle - Families Forum (see below) was asked why there were twice as many Israeli artists represented the answer was painfully simple: “There was more than enough Palestinian artists wanting to participate … due to the restrictions, we simply could not transport the art out of the territories. ”

Olive Branch will continue to offer Peace Oil in the museum store through the end of the show. Half of all proceeds support the museum. For more information on the exhibit see the BAM website. The show was originally conceived and organized by Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF) and the Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts. PCFF is a grass-roots group of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli parents who are working for reconciliation. Here is an especially interesting project of PCFF, Hello Peace! If you don’t believe there is broad support on both sides for peace, read the Hello Peace! page. This exhibit is sponsored by the JTNews, the voice of Jewish Washington.

PBS Television Series, Foreign Exchange, with Host, Fareed Zakaria, Covers Two of the Fair Trade Groups that Supply Peace Oil.

Dr. Emanuel Bronner was a German Jewish immigrant to the US in the 1920s. The soap making knowledge he brought with him led to the establishment of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, a line of organic, socially responsible soap products sold throughout the world. His parents and much of his family died in the holocaust. He passed away in 1997 and his survivors continue the ethical, socially conscious business he began.

Recently, Dr. Bronner's company began purchasing olive oil to use in its soap from Canaan Fair Trade and Sindyanna of Galilee, two of the three fair trade groups that supply Peace Oil. The PBS show, Foreign Exchange, covered this story in an eight minute video. Link to the video and other information on Dr. Bronner's website.

Olive Branch Enterprises congratulates Nasser Abufarha of Canaan Fair Trade and Hadas Lahav of Sindyanna for their excellent interviews explaining the benefits of fair trade, cooperative farming and sustainable agriculture. Watch for their appearances in the video on YouTube:

June 2007 News Archive