Paintings by Martine Rachel Ovadia

Before making Aliyah in 2012, I lived in Paris, where I worked as a Doctor of Pharmacy. Yet, beyond the visible, another voice had always called to me — the voice of color, of light, of that vibrant silence only painting can reveal.

A self-taught artist, I learned to paint the way one learns to breathe: slowly, by listening to the world and its whispers.

Then I came to Israel.

And as I walked this Land, gradually putting down roots, I understood: it is here, in the heart of my people, that my identity draws its full strength. Here, my soul is revealed and finds peace.

The study of Torah guides me along this path of life. It teaches me that art is not an escape, but a prayer. A response offered to the pain of the world. A way to connect the visible to the invisible.

To create is to contemplate. To close one’s eyes for a moment. To be filled with divine light. To receive eternity in a breath. And to offer it, as a gift.

To soothe. To heal. To hope.

Today, Israel faces the violent winds of war. The trial is long, hearts are heavy, and the waiting — unbearable. Yet deep within us, one certainty remains: Light will prevail.

We pray for the release of our hostages. We stand tall. We create. We hope.

We are the people of Eternity.

עם ישראל חי – Am Yisrael Chai