Ruthie Segal • Goddess of the fruitfulness of creation • Haifa painter and curator

Ruthie Segal's paintings, home and treasures from her season infuse the guest with a sense of closeness to the three Graces who were three sister-goddesses.

According to mythology, the three Haritas/Graces are goddesses who bestow upon humans and gods all that is good and beautiful, when they present to the world what the artists create. In Greek mythology, these three goddesses were: the goddess of grace and beauty, and the fertility of musical and artistic talents. One can assume that Shroti Segal, a veteran Israeli artist, is the embodiment of these sisters in contemporary reality.

"I live here too"

Here is the section that brings you fascinating Haifa characters in their homes where the introduction is through the stories, the charges and the unique point of view of the people who make up the human mosaic of our city Haifa. That is, these are the people who live and live here - just like the name of the section - "I also live here".

As part of this section we will get to know Haifa characters and their place of residence. The acquaintance is not through the square footage of the apartment, or a real estate appraisal or a design description only, but the essence of this acquaintance is to get to know the hosts' house - to the stories, to the emotional charge and to the unique personal point of view.

Daughter of Kiryat Motzkin who was born in Afula

In the identity card of Ruthi, born in 1942, it is recorded that her place of birth is Afula while her parents lived in Kiryat Motzkin... how?

At that time, battles of the Second World War took place, including the battles of Al-Almain. It was a series of battles, which were held in 1942, as part of the campaign in the deserts of North Africa. The campaign was conducted between the forces of the Axis countries under the command of Erwin Rommel, and the Eighth Army of the British Army. 1940-1942 there were 21 air attacks on the refineries, most of them by the Italian Air Force.

Therefore, due to the fear and apprehension of the residents of the Haifa Bay, lest the Italians bomb the refineries, the women giving birth were sent to a "place of safety", which was then located in the district city of Afula.

Immigration for Zionist reasons and settlement in Haifa

Ruthie's parents came to Israel in the fifth wave of immigration which began in 1931 and continued until 1939. The driving factors that acted to increase immigration to Israel in those years were: Zionist motives and the understanding of the importance of the Land of Israel as the home of the Jewish people, as well as the rise of fascism in Europe, Nazism in Germany and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe - Also, immigration restrictions imposed in the United States from the mid-20s and the poor willingness of other Western countries to accept mass Jewish immigration.

Her parents came from Zionist motives, when her mother came from Romania and her father from Galicia in Poland and both settled in the Haifa Bay area.

A girl with a brush in her hand

Ruthie, who has a sister who is 3 years younger than her, describes a pleasant and peaceful childhood in Kiryat Motzkin. She studied at the "Ehadot" folk school and then at "Motzkin High School".

She started painting as a child, when at the beginning of her artistic career she was engaged in watercolor paintings and from there her creative process developed and perfected - then she moved to painting in oil colors and later to works in acrylic colors. Ruthie has a bachelor's degree in art from the University of Haifa. She studied with the best artists, and in her heart there is a place of great respect to the artist Knispel. Her paintings have been exhibited in various galleries and museums in Israel and abroad.

nature teacher

Upon finishing her studies at Motzkin High School, Ruthie majored in education studies in the realist major at the Gordon Seminary, and from there her path was paved to teaching.

At first she served as a teacher in a school in Acre and later she moved to teach at the "Habonim" school in Haifa, as a nature teacher and in charge of the nature studies center of the schools in this area.

The kindergarten teacher who was not invited to the wedding

During a "girls' trip" to Eilat, while she was still studying at the seminary, Elam met Hamudot, the late Aryeh Segal, who later became her husband and her eternal bosom.

In the story, which has become a legend, it is said that the people of Kiryat Motzkin when they arrived in Ayelet usually reported that they were from Haifa. After all, who knew where the location of that Kiryat was? That's how Ruthi told Aryeh: "I'm from Haifa."

As a Haifai himself, he wanted to understand from where exactly in Haifa. So she had no choice but to explain the matter to him. However, as it turns out, the elem is also a native of Kiryat Motzkin! Not this one either, together they spent time in the same group at the kindergarten in Kiryat Motzkin and later the kindergarten teacher Chaya would be very angry that she was not invited to their wedding.

Segal family clan

Three children were born to a faculty couple: Gal (born in 1963), an industrialist who lives in Kerem of Israel, Michal (born in 1967), a doctor of political science and a lawyer who lives in Haifa, and Danny (born in 1975), a psychologist and restaurant owner who also lives in Haifa, and from whom they were added to the clan Faculty of seven grandchildren.

In 2008, Ruthie Mikira became the widow of the late Aryeh Segal, who was the founder of the Sahel company and later owned the Sahel-Alovin combination, which was the largest manufacturer of aluminum profiles in Israel, in the fields of construction and industry (the Alovin company was established in 1958 and was purchased in 1998 by the Sahel company). There were advantages of size and power due to the fact that they were two old and sophisticated factories, when all the production processes of the profiles were carried out from start to finish in the company's factories.

It goes without saying that the entire life of the Segal family clan revolved around work and around the relationship with these enterprises. After the death of the father of the family, the late Aryeh, during the years that followed, his place was filled by Gal, his eldest son, until about half a year ago.

A historic building and from its windows a green view and Haifa Bay

Ruthie was born in Afula, lived as a child and as a teenager in Kiryat Motzkin and raised a family in Kiryat Bialik. After that, the Segal family moved to the Dania neighborhood in the Carmel Heights, where it was their home for about 30 years.

About two years after the death of the late Aryeh, Ruthie decided to move to an apartment that would satisfy her needs only. The choice of location was related, first and foremost, to the view from the house. Today she lives in a historic building whose windows have a view of green trees and the view of Haifa Bay. It is a historic building that has undergone massive preservation and renovation.

The building was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was one of the first buildings on Mount Carmel, and was even recognized as a "heritage site" by the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel.

Degree studies in creative arts at Haifa University

Already in her youth, Ruthie held a paintbrush, but only when she was about 37 years old did she begin her studies towards the degree in creative arts, after which she changed her life path and moved to engage in art fully. It can be said that the course of her studies with the well-known artists, such as Avner Katz, Batia Eisenwasser and others, were the starting point for the rest of her life around art.

Over the years, she studied with other selected artists, including Gershon Davidovich, Gershon Knispel, and Jacques Levine. She exhibited in many exhibitions in Israel and abroad and even established a studio for painting studies in Haifa. Ruthie has been teaching painting for more than 30 years and today her works are in private collections in Israel and abroad.

Among her positions, Ruthie Segal served as the curator of the art gallery in Dania Haifa and later served as the chairperson of the Association of Artists in Haifa and the North, thereby contributing greatly to the development of art both in Haifa and outside of it.

Now alive, Ruthie continues to work in the studio asher in Ma'ona, and to participate in many artistic projects, while providing advice and help to artists and creators.

The studio of "The Magician in Colors"

Segal and Ned's brush moves in nature and landscape paintings in an impressionistic style which sometimes goes as far as the abstract style. Her works are full of expression and emotion. She draws inspiration from everything around her, but mainly from the natural world, while making confident brushstrokes with a wonderful unique expression.

A prominent motif in Segal's paintings are the trees, and on loan they are the human figures in her paintings, "because man is the tree of the field". The roots of these trees are planted deep in the ground, sometimes their branches dance like delicate and sometimes even fragile hands, lifted into the air and creating rhythms and repetitions. Usually the trees are painted in deep colors (mainly blue), with a confident hand and brushstrokes coming from the depths of the soul.

As for Ruthie, and not without reason, her favorite place is the studio complex in Ma'ona. In the beautiful and spacious studio there are many landscape paintings, with colorful spaces. Also in this studio are the landscape paintings of Haifa Bay, the blue patch of the Mediterranean Sea, which peeks through the large windows of her home.

The bay landscape is a public landscape that belongs to the whole, but Segal's landscapes are her private landscapes, the landscapes of the soul as they are expressed on the canvas. Her means of expression are the brush and the paint, where the soul guides the path of the painting.

A round and intimate seating area

In the living room of the house of the goddess of grace, the arts and creative productivity, there are many things that expand a person's mind. The highlight is the round and intimate seating area, which brings peace to the guests. A sense of calmness, surrounded by the greenery visible from the room's windows, accompanied by the colors of flowering pots, evokes an atmosphere of beauty, peace and tranquility.

"The Chinese Quartet" and a collection of urns

On top of the round table in the living room of the house, there are several objects very dear to Ruthie's heart, among them the "Chinese Quartet". These are four figurines of Chinese figures that the late Aryeh brought from his mother's house. These figurines have accompanied her for many years and are a living reminder of the Segal family's heritage.

The colorful ceramic pitcher, also standing on top of the round table, is an Italian pitcher that forms part of the collection of pitchers scattered around the house.

Each egg is from a different country

During her life Ruthie traveled in many countries, when the motto was to feel different cultures, see landscapes and sights and have experiences. That's why the emphasis was on "just not multiple purchases". On the contrary - she tried to bring a few souvenirs with her and only unique items. Among these is the collection of stones, each of which is in the shape of an egg, when only one egg was brought from each country.

Her favorite souvenir egg, among all of these that are displayed in a beautiful glass vessel that she received from her mother, is the rose quartz egg. The rose quartz egg material is made of a quartz-type mineral, with a hue ranging from pale pink to pink-red. The source of the color is relatively small amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese. When the hand is stretched out and the stone is illuminated from behind, it appears transparent and "with stars in it".

The garden yard

From two sets of stairs, located at the end of the studio complex, you can go out to the courtyard garden. Although the garden is not spacious, it is a very high quality garden. All the gardening work is done by the owner of the house, Ruthie only.

On the front side of the garden there is a sitting area with iron furniture and on the back side of the garden - a round jacuzzi half of which lies in the ground of the garden. One of the great advantages of this well-kept garden is that it is a quiet and natural retreat, even though the apartment is right in the heart of the city. The design of the garden was made so that it fits in the most perfect way for Ruthie and her guests.

"Ringo and I" - Michal Segal Arnold

There are many books in Segal's collection, but when asked which one is the favorite and closest to her heart - it was almost expected that she would choose her story, which is an elegant album of paintings with many color paintings: "Stormy Days". But she, without any hesitation, mentioned and pulled out the story of her house from the "Ringo and I" container.

Dr. and Attorney Michal Segal Arnold is the Chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee at the Haifa Bar Association and the Northern Region. She is a graduate of law studies from the University of Haifa, has a doctorate in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, has a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the Technion and a bachelor's degree in psychology (in the BA program with excellence) on behalf of the University of Haifa.

During her life, Michal sat with Native American spiritual leaders, performed sacred ceremonies with them, healed people, and when she returned to Israel she continued to engage in helping people in the Native American way.

But then the disaster happened, her father died. Michal found herself in the depths of her grief when even her loving partner and two daughters were unable to help her. Just when she thinks that she will never get out of the terrible sadness that embraces her, Ringo Starr appears in her life and tells her that she helped him a lot during his life, since she is a person who travels in time and is even able to cross times and spaces to help and assist people.

"Ringo and I" is a book with autobiographical elements, which is extremely engrossing and is an elite type of prose for those who want to read it. It should be noted that it contains elements that may help the reader get through private crises such as death or separation (which is a type of death).

An album of Knispel's works - "Social Realism"

In addition to the above-mentioned book, the Eb Kars book was immediately pulled out, it is an album of the works of the artist Gershon Knispel (1932-2018) who was born in Germany and immigrated with his family to Israel in 1935.

Gershon was an Israeli painter and sculptor who worked in Israel and Brazil, and was one of the top Israeli artists in the second half of the 20th century. Throughout his sixty years of artistic activity, he created sculptures, drawings, prints, and paintings that earned him many awards at the international biennales (biennale: an artistic event that takes place once every two years, and is mainly dedicated to contemporary art) in Berlin, Moscow and Sao Paulo.

Knispel studied art at the new Bezalel in Jerusalem, and then specialized in making prints and lithographs. He was one of the most prominent artists in the "social realism" movement, and made sure to describe in his paintings the living conditions and the problematic absorption of both tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors and members of the eastern ethnic groups in Israel.

Crispel belonged to the stream of social realism. The walls of many buildings throughout the city of Haifa boast his works, such as: the relief in front of the Romma Sports Hall and the reliefs on the Paz Bridge, as well as the monument to those who fell in the War of Independence in the Garden of Remembrance and the monument to the Jewish fighter in World War II.

Beginning in the late 50s, Knispel divided his time between Brazil and Israel and created art for the public space in both Brazil and Israel, mainly in the city of Haifa where he lived.

Until his last day, Knispel was an artist who swam against the current, with uncompromising criticism and as an essentially anti-establishment artist. It was only at the end of his life that he was embraced by broad institutions, including national and international recognition of the importance of his works.

An optimistic spring

Ruti Segal has many occupations and even these days she is working on opening a new gallery in Dalit El Carmel called "Samah". The first exhibition (the opening event on 24.4/XNUMX) will be a unique exhibition called "Optimistic Spring", where Segal is the curator of this interesting exhibition.

This is a group exhibition which consists of artists from all sectors: Druze, Arabs and Jews. Here a fascinating, colorful and interesting meeting of cultures is created, which opens a window to different worlds.

Curator Ruthie Segal says:
"This is a lovely place located in a well-kept garden, just like from the fairy tales, and it is embedded with the works of the owner of the place, whose name is Samah, like the name of the gallery itself" (Dalit El Carmel, facing right from the "Dalia Crackers" store). Ruti adds and tells about Samah, that in addition to being such a pleasant woman, she is also an extremely talented artist who creates with different materials.

Haifa - the ultimate Mediterranean pearl

"A lot of people want Haifa to be like Tel Aviv," says Ruthie, but immediately continues and asserts: "It's not like that, because everyone has their own character. The city of Haifa can be turned into the ultimate pearl of the Mediterranean!"

Segal says that the Haifa audience is an audience thirsty for culture, thought and poetry. She continues and explains that proof of this is the many groups of literature and book readers that exist in Haifa, where they meet and discuss various literary topics.

These days the longing and the request for better days is dominant. Ruthie wishes the country peace, in the sense of peace with itself and peace with the world. Amen, so be it.