| Julia Zaher | |
| Known For: | Al Arz Tahini |
| Children: | 2 |
Julia Zaher (ar|جوليا زهر, he|ג'וליה זהר) is an Israeli Arab businessperson, philanthropist, and former schoolteacher. She is owner and CEO of Al Arz Tahini, a tahini manufacturing company. She is known for her philanthropic actions to benefit women's rights, people with disabilities, and LGBT health.
Zaher's family background is Arab Christian. She was a schoolteacher for decades before taking over Al Arz Tahini, her husband's tahini company, in 2003. Upon taking over the company, which was established in 1992,[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] [4]
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 to establish a crisis hotline for LGBT Arabic-speaking Israelis.[5] [6] 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" 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.[7] 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.[8]
Zaher is from Nazareth and has two children. Her husband died from a heart attack in 2003.