She Is a Widow: The Story of Six Druze Widows in Israel

Abstract

This study of six Druze widows in Israel deals with Druze law, women’s personal status, the widows’ difficulties, and the conflicts between Druze traditional society and modernity. The Druze society is a traditional, collective, patriarchal and religious society, in which independence and the attachment to the land have always been considered central values (Amrani, 2010; Falah, 2000) [1] [2]. The women’s status is considered inferior to that of the men’s and their main role is conceived as raising children and taking care of the house. Following are the stories of Druze women who became civilian widows during the 1950’s through the 1970’s. The study examines the way widows coped with their situation in a time in which the Druze society underwent great changes, moving from a traditional society to a more modern one.