Sara Knoll, a resident of Ramat Hasharon, became an artist following the severe injury of her husband, and quite a few of her works are born out of identification with the pain of women at the Sexual Assault Victims Assistance Center, where she volunteered.

The "Open Studio" events in Ramat Hasharon invite a glimpse into the world of local artists. In the case of Sara Knoll, a city resident, this is an opportunity to turn the spotlight on anyone who has come into the art field out of pain.

Knoll (65) is a veteran and esteemed artist who draws inspiration from her political activities in "Peace Now", from the demonstrations against former President Moshe Katsav and from volunteering at the Center for Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault in Tel Aviv. These days she is presenting a new exhibition called "Together".

At the center of the exhibition, which can be visited this coming weekend as part of the open studio events, stands out the work "Little Red Riding Hood", which should, according to Knoll, serve as a symbol and role model for any woman who has experienced sexual assault.

"The story of Little Red Riding Hood is not just a lovable children's story," she says. "It's first and foremost a story about a girl who was sexually assaulted by the wolf, and yet managed to embark on a new path. I chose to create Little Red Riding Hood as I see it: a modern, strong woman ready to fight the evil wolf, with a man's face."

Knoll joined the Sexual Assault Victims Assistance Center following research done by her daughter, Hadas, who worked as a social worker. "My daughter told me how she was received with open arms and how much the center begs for volunteers. I decided to pick up the gauntlet, and despite the difficulty I felt I did not regret the experience."

What were the most difficult moments for you?
"The conversations. Even though I was trained for half a year, every new story I was exposed to shook me dramatically. In the end there was no choice, and I had to retire."

Of the pile of cases she has encountered in her work, Knoll tells of a special case that touched her heart. "It was a sweet girl who arranged to meet on a blind date with a charming man. The relationship progressed quickly and already after two weeks she found herself in his bed. It started nicely. Kisses and hugs, then something happened that she could not explain to herself to this day. The guy changed his skin. And he became a beast. He hit her, tied her up, physically and mentally abused her. And she, the unfortunate one, did not understand why.

"The most shocking thing is that the police did not understand her either. Instead of sending her an empathetic investigator, they let her fill out forms and sent her to the police photographer who would photograph her naked with all the signs of body abuse.

Knoll was among the women who demonstrated in court in the case of former President Katsav. "At first we were treated with contempt and spat on," she recalls. "In the end everyone understood who our glorious president was."

You have no compassion for being sentenced to seven years in prison?
"What a pity. Suddenly he deserved a much more severe punishment. Seven years is candy compared to what he did."

As an artist, what do you think about the demand to remove his statue from the president's house?
"Ostensibly I am supposed to judge the issue as an artist and say that a statue is a statue and also terrible dictators were given a work in their name. But this is a completely different case. His statue is not presented in prison, as it should have been, "It's awful and horrible to me."

The power to keep going

Another event that affected Knoll's life was the severe injury her husband Yoram suffered in 1970 while serving in the reserve. "It happened during a tour he did with his friends near the border fence," she says. "Suddenly a bazooka was fired from Lebanon that hit the patrol, and my husband was seriously injured. For weeks he fought for his life. He underwent 20 surgeries at the end of which it was decided to amputate his left leg."

How has your husband's injury affected your creations?
"In my works I seek to provide not only food for thought, but also a lot of optimism and hope. After Yoram was injured I created a statue without a leg. I called it 'Warrior Legend'. This statue symbolizes in my eyes, like Little Red Riding Hood, the power to continue. It is true that at first I had feelings of revenge and thoughts like 'why does this good person deserve this', but my desire to live in peace and choose life prevailed over everything.If there's one thing I want people to receive from my works, it's the desire to make peace. Yes, even with the worst of our enemies. "The coldest peace is better than a war in which young people are killed for their lives."

Over the years, Knoll has exhibited her sculptures, which include sculpture in bronze, stone, plaster, mesh and polyester, along with her paintings in solo and group exhibitions. Her works are regularly purchased by collectors in Israel and abroad.

In the past year, she was joined by her daughter Hadas, who decided to quit her job as a social worker and serve as her mother's marketing manager. Hadas also serves as the curator of the exhibition "Together", which, of course, also reflects her own character.

"It's great fun working with my daughter," Knoll says. "In many ways this is closing a circle. Thanks to Hadas I entered a world of victims of sexual assault that made my work deeper."

Sara Knoll's exhibition, Friday (23.9), 10:00-14:00; Saturday (24.9), 11:00-20:00,
57 Zain Beheshvan Street, Ramat Hasharon

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