March is Israel Women's History Month
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2012
Contact: Zachary ScheinermanTel: 301-565-3918Email: aicepublicity@gmail.comWeb: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND - This month is Israel Women's History Month according to the new Israel Calendar (http://www.israelcalendar.org/). March is a time for Jewish communities and campus organizations to discuss the progressive steps Israel has taken to uphold the rights of women and the many women who have played an important role in the nation's history.
Israel was one of the first countries to have a female Prime Minister. For three years, Israel had a female Foreign Minister, Speaker of the Knesset and Supreme Court justice. Today, 24 women serve in the Knesset. Three out of twelve Supreme Court Justices are women, including the chief justice. The leaders of two of the three major secular parties, Kadima and Labor, are both women. Three women are in the cabinet.
"Women have played a key role throughout Israel's history," noted AICE Executive Director Mitchell Bard. "Hannah Senesh sacrificed her life to save Jews in World War II while Golda Meir worked diplomatically to establish the Jewish state and later led the country as prime minister. Today, women are leaders in every sphere of life, from politics to business to social activism."
Women also play an important role in defending the state. Service in the Israel Defense Forces is compulsory for both men and women: women serve for twenty-four months and many make the military their career. Today, women take active roles in all units of the IDF, including in combat units. In addition to preparing for war, women also are active in the pursuit of peace. In addition to women's activism in peace organizations, legislation was adopted in 2005 mandating adequate representation of women in the government's peace negotiating teams.
The Israel Calendar highlights a different aspect of Israeli history, politics, or culture each month. The calendar is designed to provide the pro-Israel community with a clear area of focus to structure Israel activism on college campuses and in Jewish communities. "One goal is to create opportunities for cooperation and collaboration across campuses, communities and countries," Dr. Bard said. "We want to encourage everyone to talk about the role of women in Israel this month to help people better understand not only the remarkable accomplishments of Israeli women but the common interests we have in women's issues."
The Israel Calendar is a project of the AMERICAN-ISRAELI COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE (AICE), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1993.
