Women’s Leadership Training in Israel

PK Israel trained 24 women ages 20 - 55 from 10 towns throughout the country in a virtual Leadership Training program this year. In June, thanks to the high level of vaccination in Israel it became possible to hold in person activities. The participants, all new immigrants to Israel from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, were happy to be able to finally meet in person as a women's network. For participants, developing leadership and activism is critical because of the systemic challenges immigrants face each day. The leadership program is their “entrance ticket” to Israeli society and personal growth. Despite the IDF operation “Guardian of the Walls” in May 2021 and COVID-19, PKI managed to provide a rich and meaningful leadership program. 

On Shavuot this year leadership training participants joined advanced PKI leaders for four webinars with prominent keynote speakers including psychologist Ella Berchansky, co-founder of the Russian speaking Women’s League, Assia Isstoshina, researcher of the Women’s Security Index, and Lena Russovsky, journalist, author and founder of the biggest Russian speaking women’s community on Facebook. Topics included: 

  • Scroll of Ruth from the perspective of the 21st century- women's status in marriage and divorce in Israel;

  • Attitude to women’s age in Ruth’s Scroll and in modern society

  • Women's leadership past and present

  • Russian speaking women in Israel- modern Moabites?

  • Cross generational relationships between women- inspired by Naomi and Ruth

  • Women heroes in Jewish texts and real life

Since June 2021 the PKI leadership cohort has been meeting in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (participants travel to meet in-person). The meetings are led by Rabbi Olya Weinstein, PKI Executive Director, and Lora Lansky, a PKI trained activist and artist. 

The topics include:

  • Jewish text study sessions as leadership inspiration, for example the daughters of Zelophehad and the importance of women’s voice

  • Torah commentaries by women

  • Women's status in State and Religion issues in Israel 

  • Personal development through art

In October and November, PKI will continue the PKI Women`s film festival that it started in the first part of the funding year. The PKI team picked a new documentary film “Woman of Valor” (Eshet Hayil), the story of Ultra-Orthodox women who decide to run for Israeli parliament, despite being forbidden to do so by their community. These women pay a very high personal price. The film’s script writer, Anna Somershaf, immigrated to Israel from Russia as a child and will be interviewed by Rabbi Weinstein on a webinar for the national PK network. The film festival is open to Russian-speaking women in all countries where PK has programming.

PKI leadership has developed meaningful ties and collaborations with two municipalities- Petach Tikva and Holon. In Petach Tikva, the Mayor of the Municipal Council, Rami Greenberg, head of the Gender Equality department of the Municipality, Rahel Alon, and adviser to the Mayor on the field of Immigration and Integration (and PKI Board member) Margarita Slavkin have become very involved PKI partners. This collaboration has resulted in a group of 22 women- immigrants from Russian-speaking countries that have already met twice for programming onJewish life and high holidays. 

In Holon, the department of integration and its staff has been happy to partner with PKI in building a meaningful Russian-speaking women's leadership group in the city. The first meeting of this group was held right before Rosh Hashana and Rabbi Olya Weinstein presented a Rosh Hashana Seder. This was the first ever Rosh Hashana celebration for most of the group’s participants as many have been in Israel for less than a year. Participants are 30-50 years old and are mostly from academic and arts backgrounds. The Vice Mayor of the City Council, Michael Sutovsky, visited this festive activity and expressed his gratitude to PKI for implementing rich Jewish and leadership content. The group will meet on a monthly basis and develop women’s leadership based on Jewish texts and Jewish life and holidays.