The popular exhibition "Japanese Sushi Girls" presented at the Ticotin Museum will also be shown in the US

An international success: the exhibition "Japanese Sushi Girls" by photographer Hadva Rokah, which was curated by Dr. Etti Glass Gisis and was exhibited until two weeks ago at the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, was chosen to be exhibited at the Jewish Museum in Portland, Maine, this January. The exhibition, which aroused great public and media interest , presents 16 photographs of Japanese women who decided in this complex period to prepare sushi for the soldiers at the front.

The exhibition aroused the curiosity of the directors of the Jewish Museum in Portland, Maine, who contacted the Haifa museums. Now, in a joint project of the two museums, the exhibition will also be shown in the USA. The exhibition will be done in full coordination between the two museums and the artist Hadva Rokeh. It will be shown in the pop-up space of the Jewish Museum in Portland between January 9, 25 and the end of February 25.

According to Yotam Yakir, CEO of Haifa Museums: "The exhibition aroused great public and media interest. The management of the Jewish Museum in Portland approached us with the offer to present the exhibition at their place and of course we were happy for the opportunity. This is a unique collaboration, for a particularly intriguing work, and it is also important to mention standing by Israel's side in its difficult time. I am very proud and convinced that the additional exposure to the American audience will arouse curiosity, interest and empathy."

Director of the Portland Jewish Museum Dawn LaRochelle said: "Japanese Sushi Girls is a moving and influential exhibit that shines a spotlight on women in the lesser-known Japanese community in Israel and their humane and caring response during the devastating war. At the Jewish Museum of Maine, we celebrate the "Five C's" (culture, community, connection and cooperation), and our partnership with the Haifa museums aligns beautifully with these values The exhibition "Japanese Sushi Girls" from Israel to Maine, and we are sure that this exhibition will arouse empathy among people of all backgrounds in the divisive times we are currently experiencing."

About the exhibition:

On Friday, January 19, 2024, "Japanese sushi girls" (Kaori, Naomi E., Yuri, Mamie, Ari and Naomi S.) gathered to prepare sushi for the soldiers at the front. For several hours they put rice on seaweed, peeled avocado, added carrot, omelet and cucumber, rolled seaweed and cut it. One packs and another writes greetings to the soldiers. The act is not only intended to satisfy the hungry, but also to pamper them, to provide food that they are skilled in preparing, and which they usually prepare for their families.

According to the artist Hadva Rokah: "During the preparation of the sushi, there was a harmony and order between them that charmed me. The coordinated actions, the delicate acrobatics of fingers moving gracefully on seaweed and the understanding that prevailed between them in silence, laughing and talking, were beautiful to me, as were the ironed aprons and the Japanese handkerchiefs they wore on their heads. Six Women, six life stories full of decisions, fears and hopes between The decisions are the decision to live in Israel, far from their parents, their families, their people and their country. They decided to tie their fate with the fate of my people and show solidarity even in this difficult and complex time."

Rokah added: "I am very excited that the exhibition that was presented at the Tikotin Museum will continue to be shown in Portland. I hope that there too it will make visitors feel empathy for the complex situation in which Israel has been in the last year."