Aturah Baht-El: An Exemplary Standard Bearer

Aturah Baht-El has dressed the Village of Peace for 47 years, from the uniforms our youth wear each morning to the garments worn on our holiest days. Here, in her own words, is the story of the community's needle and thread. This reflection is rooted in Brotherhood School.

My shared story began in 1979 within a modest sewing room in Dimona's Victory Neighbourhood, which served as our community's first home. In those early days the workspace was equipped with only three sewing machines and staffed by a devoted trio of seamstresses.

Reflecting on a legacy of 47 years since those humble beginnings, I continue to serve as CEO, Mass Production Manager and Chief Designer. Our creative output includes a wide range of attire: casual garments, elegant evening wear and ensembles for sacred occasions. Our skilled team has designed apparel for significant communal gatherings such as Sisters' Day and Brothers' Day, and Protocol Suits for our various leadership bodies, alongside annual design partnerships with local enterprises and restaurants. Our primary large-scale production focus now centres on the yearly manufacturing of school uniforms for students across all grades at the Brotherhood School in Dimona.

Students of the Brotherhood School, Dimona, in uniforms made at Gahn Ha Cignon.

The Communal Sewing Centre

When our community expanded beyond the Victory Neighbourhood, we established ourselves in a former absorption centre that evolved into the Village of Peace. Alongside new homes we built the essential facilities of community life, including the Communal Sewing Centre. Operating under the principle of communal ownership, the centre relied on collaborative management, and I served as part of that management team.

The workroom: seamstresses at their machines, with the wall of thread behind them.

Founded between 1980 and 1981, the centre grew into a bustling hub where beginners, master tailors and seamstresses came together to exchange skills and deepen community ties. Members of several generations of the same families worked side by side to perfect their craft, creating designs that built bridges with the nearby Ethiopian, Jewish and Islamic communities. To share these creations we organised and travelled with fashion shows that earned feature coverage in numerous newspapers and magazines.

Commercial Expansion and Gahn Ha Cignon

In 1983 our Spiritual Leader, Ben Ammi Ben Israel, appointed me, together with three other sisters, Rikemah, Aturah and Macriella, to head a large-scale commercial sewing initiative. This effort led to the launch of the brand TOFLE, The Original Fig Leaves of Eden, which included a boutique in central Tel Aviv. While serving this retail outlet in central Israel, we maintained production at the Communal Sewing Centre.

As our people flourished, the demands placed upon the Communal Sewing Centre intensified significantly. Since every garment of that era was meticulously hand-crafted by our own members, our skilled tailors and seamstresses moved their operations from the Village centre to a dedicated industrial site within Dimona in 1999.

After this relocation the original Communal Sewing Centre returned to its first mission of instruction and camaraderie, while the expanded production hub was formally named Gahn Ha Cignon, The Garden of Style. This transition united master craftspeople who had honed their expertise at the village hub, providing a professional atmosphere in which to refine their artistry. It was a pivotal phase that empowered many to launch their own entrepreneurial paths.

In the course of time Gahn Ha Cignon returned to the Village of Peace, taking up residence within our own community facilities. Today this location brings together a specialised small-scale production unit, crafting bespoke garments for our members, with a curated boutique of ready-to-wear designs. It remains a vital stop for the many visitors who arrive as part of organised excursions or simply pass through our community.

The Gahn Ha Cignon boutique: ready-to-wear designs, and a stop for visitors to the Village.

Leadership, Production and Biblical Principles

Grounded in ancient wisdom that guides the use of pure, unblended natural fibres, the Communal Sewing Centre, TOFLE and Gahn Ha Cignon have continually upheld these traditional practices. Guided by these values, we select garments fashioned solely from 100% natural materials, including linen, wool, silk and cotton. Drawing inspiration from this heritage, our approach to attire continues to be reflective, culturally rich and modest, and we have long been advocates of the principles for Mastering the Art of Living.

Gahn Ha Cignon Team of seamstress and support staff with Aturah Baht-el 3rd from the right.

Walking this path has afforded me the distinct privilege of witnessing our collective evolution, and has taken me to international destinations to present our work in diverse exhibitions. Over these decades I have been deeply involved in shaping our cultural attire, and I have observed at first hand how many within our community have used these crafts to build sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their loved ones. Having watched so many individuals pass through this art form over the years, I remain immensely grateful for our shared journey, and hopeful that this honoured legacy will endure and thrive through future generations.

Gahn Ha Cignon welcomes visitors to the Village of Peace. If you would like to see the boutique and the workroom for yourself, plan a visit.