Roba
Roba
There are so many solutions, just listen to us
Roba, a Muslim Arab in Israel, lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an eating disorder, depression, and social anxiety following a sexual assault she endured in her youth. From the age of 13, she lived alone.
I was condemned to live alone because of my struggle. I was not part of the community.
For seven years, Roba was in a shelter for battered women and then moved into her own apartment. Today, functioning at home is difficult for her.
Being responsible for an apartment is too big a challenge for me. I can’t do laundry, I can’t make my own food, and I barely function indoors.
Roba spends her time making art: composing, playing various instruments, dancing ballet, and playing pantomime.
It all stems from my experiences and from the fear and social anxiety that I face. I express myself through creation instead of speaking in words.
Roba also sculpts fruit and makes commentary on social and human rights matters in fruit designs.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, I painted on an apple the face of someone with a mask crying. This painting symbolizes the silencing of victims in general and in the Arab sector in particular.
“I am trying to raise awareness in order to advance accepting, understanding, and helping people with mental health needs.”
Roba invests a lot of her time and energy in the study and research of mental health in Israel. She wrote her thesis on the violence that exists within Israel’s various sectors and populations. In addition, she contributes to efforts to reduce stigma regarding those with mental health challenges.
I initiate social gatherings attended by all sectors, Arabs and Jews, Ultra-Orthodox, and secular. The purpose of the meetings is to talk and have conversations about mental health.
During her activities, Roba found many similarities in conduct between the Arab and Ultra-Orthodox communities in terms of silencing and concealing people with mental health conditions.
Everyone from the Arab sector is afraid to talk about individuals who have mental health conditions. In Ultra-Orthodox society, you can see a similar pattern of behavior.
I am trying to raise awareness in order to advance accepting, understanding, and helping people with mental health needs.
Roba works in the rehabilitation system for people with mental health disorders. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the field and is well acquainted with this population’s needs.
She wants to make a difference in the treatment and rehabilitation system and calls on everyone to end the stigma toward people struggling with mental health issues and instead view them from an open-minded, nonjudgmental perspective.
We struggle to have the rehabilitation system accept us and not be afraid of us. There are so many solutions, just listen to us.
Roba’s story is also available in Hebrew
