Rita Wasserman (88) suffers from a stay between four walls • Lily Zohari (88) is sad due to the distance • and Hayuta Zack (90) is angry about the non-compliance with the guidelines • This is how three older women deal with the hardships that the corona inflicted on them
The Struggle Against Loneliness: Paintings by Hayuta Zack, Lily Zohari and Rita Wasserman
Much has been written about the decrees the Corona imposed on the elderly.
However, precisely when they were forced to lock themselves in the house, an exhibition of special corona paintings was born, which opened in sheltered housing in Netanya.
The works were painted by the occupants of the house themselves.
"It all started when the tenants were supposed to go to the exhibition, but the corona just broke out and the tour was canceled," says Yossi Kaplan, CEO of Lev Ganim Sheltered Housing.
So I came up with the idea of making an exhibition of Corona's paintings of the tenants. "
And so the occupants of the house gave shape and color to their feelings towards the plague.
"Israel Today" brings a taste of the exhibition and the stories behind the paintings.
Rita Wasserman (88) - a garden with a wall
Rita Wasserman (88) has children and grandchildren who visit her in the sheltered housing.
But one of the things that weighs on her the most is that since August 2019 she has not seen her two granddaughters, Maayan (4.5) and Alma (6), who live with their parents in Italy.
The eldest granddaughter speaks Italian and does not know Hebrew, and the little one speaks Italian but knows little Hebrew and little Russian, Rita's mother tongue.
"Before the corona, we used to meet once every few months, when they came to Israel once and I flew to Italy once," says Rita Wasserman. "When the corona burst, my longing for them increased, because the sky closed. And I sent them two paintings that I painted in a painting circle, so that they would not compete with each other. "
Rita adds: "I sent them a drawing on WhatsApp and asked them to complete it and send it back to me, that I would add details of my own, and come back for goodness sake. This is my way of keeping in touch with them, because the paintings have no language restrictions."
She says that all her life she dreamed of being a painter, but only fulfilled her dream at the age of 85, when she began attending a painting class in sheltered housing in Gan Ganim.
“Before the corona we would go out and paint landscapes.
When the painting teacher asked us to draw our thoughts on the plague, I thought of a little poem in Russian that reminded me of the situation, and I decided to draw it, "Rita shares. Her painting is called" We went out into the yard. "However, she says, Because the corona did not allow us to go out and we were left between four walls. "
Lily Zohari (88) - mask with butterflies
Like many of her sheltered housing friends, Lily Zohari (88) has grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, and she thought she had seen it all in her life.
When she started painting the painting now on display at the Corona exhibition of the Lev Ganim sheltered housing in Netanya, the Corona was still a nightmare that no one imagined would come true.
"After Ahuva, the painting teacher, asked us to draw our thoughts on the corona, I drew two paintings. At first I drew a painting inspired by the 'scream' of the renowned Norwegian painter Edward Monk. I didn't have time to paint, and I felt that it was appropriate to reflect my feelings, "Lily explains.
She adds that "older people get rid of the plague every day, and it touched me very much, because we are all at this age. Butterflies have a short life and are very delicate. In old age we are all gentle, and not many more years of life await us. The surrounding flowers are colorful, because they They will continue to live even after the butterfly dies. "
In Zohari's painting, it appears that the mask takes over the entire face, with the expression of the eyes highlighted.
"During this time we were very scared, then we got used to the situation and knew how to behave," she concludes.
"Now we are in the period of social distance and the masks are constantly on the face, and it is sad, because even though we have a lot of activities here, it is difficult for us to make contact like that."
Her animal Zack (90) - a duck whose beak hangs a mask
Until her animal Zack (90) moved to Lev Ganim sheltered housing in Netanya four years ago, she tried to go to as wide a variety of classes as possible: painting, bead weaving, embroidery and knitting.
"In my life I have never held a brush in my hand or painted, but here I was caught up in it and I feel, as my children say, that it is my nirvana," says Hayuta with a smile.
When the corona virus broke into our lives, the painting teacher asked her and her sheltered housing friends to capture in pictures their personal feelings about the corona.
"I painted a longing duck as an analogy to the public's obedience to the Ministry of Health's guidelines," Hayuta explains the story behind the painting she drew.
"He misses a lot but no one understands him or listens to him. Now, when the show came out, the situation is better, but at first it was a catastrophe. To receive some "good blessing."
According to her animal, "many told me not to interfere and take care of myself. So I put a mask on the duck, to convey a message that if we put on a mask it will help us protect ourselves from the plague."