Julia Zaher ( ar, جوليا زهر, he, ג'וליה זהר) 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 ...

businessperson, philanthropist, and former schoolteacher. She is owner and CEO of Al Arz Tahini, a

tahini Tahini () or tahina (, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is served by itself (as a dip) or as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant and E ...

manufacturing company. She is known for her philanthropic actions to benefit

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, people with disabilities, and

LGBT health Various topics in medicine relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), besides HIV/AIDS, issues related to LGBT health include breast and cervical cancer, hepatitis, ...

Career

Zaher's family background is

Arab Christian Arab Christians ( ar, ﺍَﻟْﻤَﺴِﻴﺤِﻴُّﻮﻥ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺮَﺏ, translit=al-Masīḥīyyūn al-ʿArab) are ethnic Arabs, Arab nationals, or Arabic-speakers who adhere to Christianity. The number of Arab Christians who l ...

. She was a schoolteacher for decades before taking over Al Arz Tahini, her husband's

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 ) , logo = , type = Non-profit NGO , founded_date = 1975, Tel Aviv, Israel , area_served = Israel , focus = LGBT rights in Israel , homepage = The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force ( he, האגודה למען הלהט" ...

to establish a

crisis hotline A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers. The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the E ...

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 Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Most commonly it refers to: * Normalization (sociology) or social normalization, the process through which ideas and behaviors that may fall outside of ...

" 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 Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaher, Julia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Israeli educators 20th-century women educators 21st-century Israeli businesswomen 21st-century Israeli businesspeople Arab citizens of Israel Businesspeople in the food industry Chief executives in the manufacturing industry Israeli disability rights activists Israeli LGBT rights activists Israeli philanthropists Israeli schoolteachers Israeli women activists Israeli women chief executive officers Israeli women's rights activists People from Nazareth Women civil rights activists Women philanthropists