In Memory of HAGAR ROUBLEV (1954-2000)The 21th of August was the 6th aniversary of Hagar Roublev's death, one of the founders of Women in Black.
Hagar Roublev, a leader of "Women in Black" and Israel antinuclear movement, died from heart attack on Monday 21th of August in Paros (Greece).
Born 46 years ago in Israel, Hagar engaged since her very youth in political movements supporting the unconditional withdrawal of Israel occupied territories in 1967, including the Arab (East) sector of Jerusalem.
Between 1984 and 1987 she worked for the PLO office in Paris.
In 1988 she was a co-founder of the movement, soon known as Women in Black Against Occupation. Later she worked with "Bat Shalom", Centre for the co-ordination of Israeli and Palestinian pacifist women.
Recently she engaged in information activity concerning Israeli atomic potential and Mordechai Vanunu, the nuclear technician sentenced to 18 years prison for having disclosed the secret production of Dimona atomic central. Hagar was opposed to both Zionist Hebrew and Palestinian nationalism and supported the creation of a binational laic State for Israelis and Palestinians.
(Luisa Morgantini, Il Manifesto, 26 of August 2000 _ Italy)
Hagar Roublev worked as political Director for the pacifist and feminist organisation "Bat Shalom". This extraordinary woman was a founder of the Women in Black movement and a relentless and principled activist against the injustice of the Israeli occupation. The peace, feminist, lesbian and gay and workers' rights movements have all lost an authentic and devoted comrade, someone who never faltered at giving power to the truth.
2005, after the international WiB conference in Jerusalem, we had a memorial for Hagar. Hagar's mother gave us this photo and she asked that we women would continue fighting for peace and justice and freedom.
For those who were not so lucky to know Hagar, they could read the interview that Montse Boix prepared after the international Women in Black conference in Montenegro in 1999. Not only it allows to know a little about Hagar but also gives an idea about how WiB as movement started and developed (in Spanish): http://www.mujeresenred.net/mdn-israel.html
When we now a days talk about the place where WiB has her vigil in Jerusalem, it is not called Plaza de Paris anymore, but "Plaza de Hagar".
Those of us who knew her remember her vitality, her energy, her commitment with peace and justice, her capacity for dialogue and willingness to listen. The memory on her will be a
permanent encouragement for us to keep on working for a better world in hard times.