Carmen Elmakiyes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carmen Elmakiyes Amos
כרמן אלמקייס עמוס |
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Elmakiyes in 2019
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| Born | February 17, 1979 Ashkelon, Israel
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| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, activist, medical clown |
| Political party | Gesher |
Carmen Elmakiyes Amos (Hebrew: כרמן אלמקייס עמוס; born February 17, 1979) is an Israeli social and political activist, a medical clown, and a filmmaker. She is known for starting the "Not Nice" social movement and the Tor Hazahav (Golden Age) political movement. In April 2019, she ran in the national elections for the Knesset (Israel's parliament) as a candidate for the Gesher party.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Carmen Elmakiyes Amos was born in Ashkelon, Israel, on February 17, 1979. Her parents, Michael Elmakiyes and Rina Amos, came to Israel from Morocco. Her father was a social activist and even ran for the Knesset. Carmen is one of eight children in her family.
She grew up in a challenging neighborhood in Ashkelon. In middle school, she felt out of place. When it was time for high school, she was sent to a trade school to learn child care. Carmen noticed that many students from her background were sent to trade schools, while others went to schools that prepared them for college.
At age 16, she decided to leave school. She later studied on her own and passed her exams. Carmen then went to Kinneret Academic College to study film, which was her dream. She also took other art courses, including training to become a medical clown.
When she was 17, Carmen moved to Tel Aviv. During this time, she was near a bomb explosion. She was not seriously hurt, but the experience was very difficult for her. It took her several years to recover. This event also meant she did not have to serve in the military.
Standing Up for Others
Carmen began her activism in the Mizrahi feminist movement, Ahoti – for Women in Israel. After volunteering, she became a project manager for the Libi BaMizrach Coalition. This group brings together many Mizrahi cultural organizations. She helps organize their yearly culture festival.
In 2011, Carmen helped start the "Not Nice" movement. This group works to bring attention to issues faced by Mizrahi communities. Their goals include reducing social gaps, improving public housing, and fighting poverty in Israel. Carmen and other members often take part in protests and creative actions, like changing street names to honor Mizrahi figures. The movement's name comes from a famous quote by former Prime Minister Golda Meir, who once said about the Black Panther social justice movement, "They’re not nice."
Carmen is sometimes called "The Black Pantheress" in the news. This is because she speaks out strongly and doesn't give up. She identifies with the Israeli Black Panther movement of the 1970s.
In 2013, Carmen was arrested at a protest against cuts to child allowances. This protest was held outside the home of the finance minister at the time. After her release, she pushed for a special meeting in the Knesset. She asked women activists to share their experiences with police actions during protests. Carmen then led more demonstrations against police actions.
Fighting for Housing Rights
Since 2014, Carmen and the "Not Nice" group have worked to stop evictions in places like Givat Amal Bet in Tel Aviv. They sometimes stayed in homes to prevent people from being forced out. They also protested outside the homes of wealthy real estate developers. Carmen and other activists faced difficulties and were sometimes arrested during these protests.
In 2015, Carmen and a single mother with six children stayed in the offices of Amidar, a public housing company. They demanded immediate housing for the family.
Carmen also brought groups of women waiting for public housing to Knesset committee meetings. These women shared their stories and concerns. As a result, a special committee was set up at Amidar to look into the issue. Carmen's work has helped expose problems and unfair practices within Amidar.
In 2018, Carmen created an exhibition called "Leviot" (Lionesses). It featured eight portraits of women in the public housing system, along with their personal stories. Carmen explained that many women faced unfair treatment. She felt it was important to tell their stories and hold people accountable. The exhibition was shown at the Arab-Jewish Theater in Jaffa.
Documenting History
Carmen is also active in documenting past injustices against the Mizrahi community. This includes the "Yemenite Children Affair" from the 1950s, where babies from Yemeni and other Mizrahi immigrant families went missing. She also works on "The Ringworm Affair", where many Mizrahi children were given harmful radiation treatments for ringworm. In both cases, information is hard to find, and there is resistance to releasing records.
In 2020, Carmen and human rights lawyer Sapir Sluzker Amran started Breaking Walls (Shovrot Kirot). This group helps poor and marginalized people, especially those facing legal issues due to poverty.
Political Work
In 2016, Carmen helped create the political group Tor Hazahav (the golden age). This group works to raise social and political issues affecting Mizrahim in the government. They also aim to ensure that marginalized communities have a voice.
In January 2019, Carmen joined the new Gesher political party, led by Orly Levy-Abekasis. She was number 6 on the party list for the April 2019 elections. The party did not get enough votes to enter the Knesset. However, new elections were called later that year.
In August 2019, Gesher joined with the Labor party. Carmen was number 10 on their combined list. This was seen as a way to attract Mizrahi voters to the Labor party. Carmen's inclusion on the list caused some debate among veteran Labor voters. She faced criticism, but she stated her problem was with racism, not with any specific group of people.
Carmen also led the movement to free Yonathan Hilo from prison. She is also a leader in the "Free Avera" movement, working to bring Avera Mengistu home from Hamas captivity. She and other activists believe the government and media have not paid enough attention to Mengistu's case because of his Ethiopian heritage.
Media and Recognition
Carmen Elmakiyes Amos has appeared in various media and art projects:
- 2014 – She was a commentator on the television program "Hakol Kalul".
- 2014 – She was invited to a documentary filmmaking workshop.
- 2015 – She was featured in Nevi'im, a series of films about Mizrahi social and political activists.
- 2015 – A Dutch TV program featured her and Stav Shafir as activists from Israel.
- 2017 – Her photo portraits were part of an exhibit called "Nashim Bamerkhav" (Women in the space). This exhibit displayed art in public places to represent diverse women in south Tel Aviv.
- 2018 – "Leviot", a photo exhibition of portraits and stories of women in public housing.
- 2019 – "Al Tashlikheni" (do not discard me), a photo exhibition of Holocaust survivors in Israel and their living conditions.
In 2017, Time Out magazine featured Carmen as one of the "People Who Make Tel Aviv." In March 2018, Lady Globes magazine recognized her as one of the 20 leading activists in Israel. In December 2020, Forbes magazine included Carmen and Sapir Sluzker Amran on their PowerWomen 2020 list of Israel's 50 most influential women.
