Meet the Amazing Women who are Shaping Israel Today
There are more women today than ever who, each in their own way and field of expertise, are changing the society of Israel. Women are shaping the country’s history, politics, art, medicine, and intercultural and interreligious relations, and are fighting for women’s rights and equality as well. Let’s get to know some of these powerful women you can even meet in person while on a tour to Israel.
Rachel Korazim
Rachel Korazim is an inspiration to many. As a freelance Jewish education consultant with vast experience in Israel and Holocaust education, including Israeli literature, she worked in Israel and the Diaspora (the US, Canada, Latin America, and Europe), creating training programmes, writing educational materials, counseling, and teaching. She holds a Ph.D. in Jewish education from Haifa University. She was an IDF officer and the Academic Director of distance learning programmes at the Jewish Agency’s Department of Education. Besides helping emerging Jewish schools of Hungary, Dr. Korazim is a founder of a special program for soldiers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Anat Hoffman
This brilliant woman is an Israeli activist and the Executive Director of IRAC. Hoffman has a BA in psychology from UCLA and is a tremendously popular speaker in Israel and abroad. As a girl, she was an Israeli swimming champion. As an adult, she’s an authority on the topic of women in the media and advertising. During her fourteen years as a member of the Jerusalem City Council – as one of the few women to serve three terms – Hoffman became known as a brave fighter for social justice and equality, for religious pluralism, and against religious coercion. Some of the social organizations she was active in are: the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Israel Women’s Network, Women in Black, and Women of the Wall, who fight for the rights of women to pray, read Torah, and wear tallitot at the Western Wall.
Lt. Col (Res) Sarit Zehavi
Lt. Col Zehavi holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Ben-Gurion University. She served in the IDF, specializing in Military Intelligence with the IDF Research and Analysis section, and within the IDF Northern Command. During her service, she briefed numerous delegations, including U.S. elected officials and politicians, global military commanders, and senior journalists. She still offers field briefings and in-depth geopolitical knowledge about the Middle East to English speakers, as well as lectures and workshops on a broad range of topics related to the Middle East, as the founder of the research and education center Alma.
Col (Res) Miri Eisin
Col Eisin holds a B.A. from Tel Aviv University in Middle Eastern studies and Political Science, an M.A. from Haifa University in Security studies, and she graduated from the Israel National Defense College. She served in the IDF as the deputy head of the combat intelligence corps and the personal assistant to the director of Military intelligence. She was the Israeli government spokesperson and the Prime Minister’s international media advisor. Col Eisin lectures in Israel and worldwide on various topics, including Middle Eastern geopolitics, the different narratives within the Israeli-Palestinian/Arab conflict, Israeli decision making, the country’s intelligence community, women in Israeli society, etc.
Michal Nagrin
For over twenty years, Michal Negrin has been creating vintage-inspired, hand-crafted jewelry, fashion, and home décor, in a multitude of color combinations and with Swarovski crystals. This has become a globally renowned brand, known for its originality, timelessness, and magical ambiance. Their goal is to inspire women everywhere to express their individuality and style. The visitors center shows the stages of design and production, while the gallery enchants its visitors with displays and crafts, and various types of shows. At the end of the tour, you are invited for a coffee and cake, to enjoy the music, the beauty, and the art.
Batsheva Dance Company
The renowned Batsheva Dance Company was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild in 1964, when Israel’s interest in American modern dance, primarily Martha Graham and Anna Sokolow, was huge. Batsheva offered classes in Graham technique, some of which were taught by Rina Schenfeld and Rena Gluck. Bethsabee de Rothschild withdrew her funding in 1975, and the Company gradually abandoned the Graham aesthetic, while including the works of emerging Israeli choreographers. Ohad Naharin (appointed artistic director in 1990) developed a movement language called Gaga, which was so influential for the Company and modern dance as a whole that a documentary ‘Mr Gaga’ was produced in 2015.
This fantastic place in Safed’s Old City is a woman’s cooperative, founded by a ceramic artist, Judy Paikin, and a stained glass artist, Chaya Ben Baruch. Soon, a photographer, Jodi Sugar, and a jeweler, Rita Ackert, joined the Gallery. You’ll also find here Chana Schoenberg (and her aromatherapy with essences from the Bible), the singer and musician Tziona, and many authors, graphic designers, and others whom this wonderful place represents. The goal of this cooperative is to create a place for women to express themselves through art, literature, and music, and give them a venue to sell their products.
