Women In Israel: A Model of Diversity

On October 1. our Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC) and the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest teamed up to present "Women in Israel: A Model of Diversity" with Ariella Rada, the Israeli Consul for Academic and Community Affairs. This was our second interfaith program of 2020, following on our popular "Keeping Faith: Sisters of Story" evening in February.

As an Israeli woman of color and of Ethiopian descent, Ms. Rada offered personal insight into Israel’s diverse society. With inhabitants from more than 100 countries, Israeli society is a complex mix of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, and so much more. The various ethnic communities leave their mark in everything from politics to art to education. Ms. Rada took us through her own fascinating personal journey to illustrate how many others have come to the land of milk and honey to live successful lives and integrate into Israel’s culture and everyday life

In the course of her talk, Ms. Rada highlighted a few specific influential Israeli women as role models.

• First and foremost of course was Golda Meir, the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
• ​Next was Lucy Aharish, notable as the first Muslim Arab news presenter on mainstream Israeli television.
• Third, she mentioned MK Penina Tamanu-Shata, the first female Ethopian Member of Knesset.

The complete program is now available for viewing on Federation's Virtual Programming page or on our YouTube channel.

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Many thanks to Ms. Rada and to the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest for bringing this program to our community. Check out the Consulate's Facebook page, Israel in Chicago, for more upcoming events.