She employs classic jewelry-making techniques of inlaying precious stones and soldering. Nowadays requests come from all over the world from people interested in purchasing her handmade earrings, pendants, chains, and rings. That's when she realized she had a knack for handiwork, and more. One day someone saw a woman wearing a piece of jewelry Yifat made, a necklace, and contacted her. The next 'jewel' I visited was Yifat Barkat, a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and a jewelry maker for 20 years. The result: an assortment of beautiful sculptures, kitchen utensils, dolls, and even a sofa-all made of papier-mГўchГ©! It's been 18 years already that she's held workshops in her home using recycled paper and water-based materials. 'It gave me the chance to play with colors and freestyle art rather than being tied down to the restrictions of a particular book,' she says. After having illustrated some 250 books, Liat decided to grow in a different direction and studied the art of paper sculpture on her own. Liat is a veteran illustrator of books and describes herself as 'the scion of a dynasty of artists from different fields including painting, music and mathematics. During the event a number of Pardes Hanna residents will open up their homes to visitors, who can also enjoy tours around artists' workshops as well as food stands that serve up authentic ethnic food.ДЄrtist Liat Binyamini-Ariel works with papier-mГўchГ© 'but mainly she's a psychologist,' say five pensioners who are sitting in her home (which doubles as Liat's studio) and working with colored paper that has een dried. Hundreds of artists (an enormous amount for one locality) work and live here, which resulted in the launching of the annual Moshava Artists event-a weekend featuring some 40 workshops for the entire family at six different sites in which visitors can encounter the artists from up close and view them as they work. Roaming the streets of Pardes Hanna will not expose you to a lot of attractions, but in truth, it's the town's inhabitants that are the biggest attraction. It seems as if almost no green areas remain in this large local council that covers an area of about 9 sq. Pardes Hanna doesn't have mountains surrounding it, nor does it have all that much green space (aside from a lone oak tree and some agriculture). The best possibl e attraction вЂ“ the inhabitants Neither really wanted the other, but just like today's political rivals in Israel they understood that two is stronger than one. Pardes Hanna was once considered the 'spoiled younger sister' due to the philanthropy of the Baron while Karkur's roots go back to an English association founded on capital and entrepreneurship that, surprisingly, succeeded during hard times in Israel. 'So why does everyone call it 'Pardes Hanna' rather than 'Pardes Hanna-Karkur'? Irit Oren, director of the Veteran's House, explains: Both communities have strong sentiments for their past and neither wants to surrender its classic name. Maybe it's due to the prestige of remaining a 'local council', or maybe due to the bureaucracy involved.Д® way or another, Pardes Hanna (named for Hannah Rothschild, the niece of Baron de Hirsch) is marking 90 years since its founding and 50 years since its union with Karkur in 1959.

This town with its seemingly endless tiny roads and its 43,000 residents somehow still refuses to become a city.

Something in this human patchwork seems to be going quite well. Here we see a dynamic mix of old and new, longstanding and new young residents, artists and common people. On the other hand, Pardes Hanna has become a place for beatniks and artists who have discovered a place to create, to launch initiatives, and enjoy a rich community life.ДЄmid this modern-day influx, let's not forget the veterans of 'Moshava HaYekkim' (1929), who grew up under the patronage of Baron de Hirsch ('The Known Benefactor'), and of Karkur (1913), who preserved the character of Arab landholders from the Ottoman period. On the one hand, the town has filled up in recent years with city people from Tel Aviv, Ramat Hasharon and other cities in central Israel who came here for the dream of a country home, a garden and a family dog-despite the early morning traffic jams on Israel's coastal road. Maybe that's what makes Pardes Hanna in the northern Sharon region a place where each person can be whatever he or she wants. It's not exactly in the north of the country, nor in the center. Written and photo by Ziv Reinstein Published on Walla News