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The Story of Soul Wool
Crossing the Woolly Divide - Yarns that Heal Nations and Spirits
Mr. Soul served as a tour guide in the Sinai region of Egypt, wandering in the desert both literally and metaphorically. Ecotourists, mainly women, face a contrast with war aggression. The Bedouin women he befriended while working were amazing. "From morning till night, they are almost omnipotent," he said. "In between all their jobs, women are spinning wool - while their husbands drink and tell stories."
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Although the desert journey is inspiring, it also clarifies certain differences. Independent wealthy women as his clients, Bedouin women who work endlessly, and men sitting around the campfire. The third thing makes the nature of power clearer.
When a huge local man caught Mr. Soul and tried to sexually assault him, Mr. Soul was on a tour. He escaped, but the painful incident made him want to emphasize and empower women more. What can he do for Bedouin women? He wanted to connect their world with the world of wealthy tourists. Seeing them spin crude fibers from sheep and goats, he believed that if he could provide them with high-quality fibers, they could create products that modern women want, benefiting both.
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Mr. Soul found a New Zealand sheep farm (he is still using this source 20+ years later), raising merino sheep that are brushed and not cut. Mr. Soul then learned dyeing from a chemist at a natural pigment company. He chooses the colors and the background colors according to his mood that day. Various landscapes of Israel also often appear. Desert gray and sand. Red sea blues and coral reef bays, as well as northern greens.
​Two Israeli female designers worked with him to design knitting, woven and felt products, and three young people with developmental disabilities helped in the studio. The severely disabled students at the Waldorf School do tasks such as labeling. He has also contacted immigrant communities from Ethiopia and the former Soviet republics, and has now signed contracts with approximately 60 women as hand spinners.
Mr. Soul said that the Bedouins he worked with were nomads, but he could find them in summer and winter. When picking up yarn, he would bring them clothes and toys. The women dressed up and baked pita bread. "This is a celebration," he said, "for them and for me." As income earners, they promoted themselves to "Queens of the Family," and he observed the same in the conservative immigrant enclaves.
"You will see that husbands treat their wives differently. We have given these women a lot of power. We need to spread happiness everywhere. There are many bad things in the world, and we need to strive for happiness as much as possible: Help. Support. Say good things. We need to trust each other and give each other a chance to make ourselves better.”