Selected Forewords from the Sessions of Women Parliament
2011: Yael German – Mayor of Hertzliya
Writing the foreword of the Women Parliament’s annual book of abstracts is a great privilege. In all ten previous books of abstracts the foreword was written by the head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which was for almost eleven years the Parliament’s partner in terms of funding, planning and activity.
In the discussion that occurred between the Ebert Foundation and the Women’s Parliament, the Parliament’s steering committee decided to stick to its ideological way and to its leading vision of actively and decisively supporting women who compete over leadership positions (including the teachers’ union). It should be understood that struggling over vision and way carry their price. Women’s Parliament was ready to pay the price for its ideology, and therefore I congratulate the Parliament and its head, Prof. Esther Hertzog.
The Women’s Parliament aims at dealing with all issues that are there on the Israeli public agenda and to be a platform for women’s voices in relation to them. This year, Hertzliya hosted a session of the Women’s Parliament which discussed the relationship between the role of funding organizations in education/welfare systems and social change. Unsurprisingly, and similar to many times in the past, the Women’s Parliament has brought up a complicated and difficult issue, which is scarcely discussed, probably because of understandable fears of social organizations from potential conflict with supporting foundations. The expanding intervention of these bodies in educational and welfare activity in Israel is gradually exposed as jeopardizing the national infrastructures of these services. Funding women’s organizations under the condition of abstaining from political involvement promises the organizations’ dependence on the foundations and, consequently, the preservation of women’s exclusion from political and public power centers. The required solution is to raise funds independently. Following its experience the Women’s Parliament is on the right track: economic independence is the main condition for achieving social change, in the gender context as well as in the general.
The extent of violence against women makes social and gender change crucial. Last year 23 women were murdered by their spouses and many women were sexually abused or attacked. This year we have witnessed repetitive attempts to exclude women from the public discourse and space, pushing them to back seats in busses, removing women’s pictures from advertisements, banning public events in which women sing and more.
Women’s Parliament has a major role in the never-ending struggle for gender equality and for women’s advancement in Israel. It is very important that it will continue its ongoing independent activity of strengthening women’s status and equal rights. I wish the Women’s Parliament many more years of brave feminist activity for the sake of promoting women’s rights and social justice at large.
2010: Dr. Ralf Hexel – Director, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Israel Office
In 2010 the Women’s Parliament and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Israel Office have worked in close cooperation, as has been the case since 1999.
This year has been a particularly challenging one.
An idea which has been discussed for a long time has been launched. We decided to broaden the Women’s Parliament scope and to reach out to young women. A whole new approach had to be developed, adapting the format and the contents of the Women’s Parliament to the needs of young Israeli women, both Jewish and Arab.
Prof. Esther Hertzog, the steering committee and the many activists succeeded to build up a new network, to include young women in the decision-making process and to organize sessions of the Young Women’s Parliament which – we hope – will soon have a life of its own.
The subject of women in the periphery and the difficult challenges they face in their daily life was another focal point of our cooperation. Two sessions were dedicated to this issue. The Women’s Parliament made a point of holding a week-end session in Mitzpe Ramon. At this point, I would like to thank Mayor Flora Shushan who has been actively involved in both events and generously advised
the steering committee.
Since its inception, the work of the Women’s Parliament has been characterized by its democratic bottom-up approach. This explains its great success in reaching out to new target-groups, in mobilizing women from all spheres of life and also political decision-makers such as MK Orit Zuaretz and Vered Swid , the General Director of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women in the Prime Minister’s Office.
The sessions in 2010 have been dedicated to areas which affect women, young and adults, in their every-day life. “Classical” subjects such as the labour market have been discussed and new ones have been introduced. For instance in the second session of the Young Women’s Parliament, the intriguing question if school should be considered a battle-field or a shelter for the female students was discussed. This event was held in Sderot to enable young women from the periphery to take part in it.
I would like to thank Prof. Esther Hertzog and the many activists for their deep dedication to the project, their openness to the continuous dialogue with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and their innovative minds.
For all these reasons, the Women’s Parliament is a central partner for our efforts to advance women’s equality and gender-mainstreaming in Israel.
2009: Dr. Ralf Hexel – Director, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Israel Office
2009 has been a special year for the Women’s Parliament. It is celebrating its tenth year of activity, an impressive achievement for an initiative based primarily on voluntary activity. When in 1999, Prof. Esther Hertzog approached the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Office with the idea of the Women’s Parliament, we not only agreed to support the project but also took an active part in shaping it.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is a German political foundation.
One important aspect of our endeavors in Israel is encouraging equality between men and women in all realms of life, such as social, political and economical issues.
With this goal in mind, the Women’s Parliament is an excellent partner for us in Israel.
The Women’s Parliament uses a bottom-up democratic approach. Everybody’s voice and opinion is important. Furthermore, it is deeply connected to Israeli society and takes up issues suggested by women. The articles in this publication reflect this very clearly.
The session which took place in Furadis dealing with the issue of early marriage is an excellent example of this. Another fascinating example is the Parliament in Kfar Sava that dealt with eco-feminism, an issue almost unknown in Israel.
The Women’s Parliament succeeds in introducing the perspective of women to subjects which traditionally are monopolized by men. For example, there is no doubt that it is important to hear women discussing security issues.
Furthermore it is also a real bridge between Jewish and Arab women, between new immigrants and veteran Israelis, and between economically stronger and weaker women.
For all these reasons, it is a great pleasure to celebrate together 10 years of activities.
What could be a more appropriate subject than “Women and Leadership – beyond the Glass Ceiling” which was the name of the conference dedicated to celebrate ten years. The Women’s Parliament succeeded in bringing so many important participants to the conference, hosted by the Mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Nir Barkat, which was a great achievement. There is no doubt in my mind that these discussions need to be deepened and brought to a larger audience. Therefore we have documented the discourse that took place in this publication.
I would like to thank Prof. Esther Hertzog and the many activists for their deep dedication to the project. They make the Women’s Parliament possible, and hopefully will continue to do so in the future.
2006: Herman Bunz – Director of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Israel
It is my honor to present the activities of our longtime partner, the Women’s Parliament in Israel in 2006. Especially in the light of the political and social events in Israel, we appreciate to hear a feminist position in the discussion. This year the Women’s Parliament focused on a variety of topics that are currently discussed in the Israeli public, such as the employment of women and the education and status of Jewish as well as Arab Israeli Women in universities. Also, alternatives for the current status of the president were argued, as well as the war with Lebanon from the women’s point of view.
In all our discussions, the participants of the Women’s Parliament never hesitated to clearly emphasize their own point of view. This makes the Parliament’s meetings sometimes controversial, and always helps to broaden one’s horizon. All of this ensures that the Women’s Parliament is acknowledged as an important part of the political and social discussion in Israel.
As the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung is aiming to promote the status of women in society, I am very proud of the FES being a longtime partner of this unique project. Nevertheless, the entire initiative would not have been possible without the wholehearted devotedness and the strenuous work of Dr. Hertzog. All the team of the FES is grateful for the efforts and the energy that she and many other women are investing into the Women’s Parliament over the years.
In this context I would like to point out the relevance of the international exchange of ideas regarding women’s rights. The fruitful ideas gained in the previous meetings on national issues, for example those that developed from the discussions about the position of women in relation to career, work or war are surely worthwhile to be implemented in the international context as well. Therefore, I wish the Women’s Parliament ongoing success in the future and lots of new ideas and developments.