women that were awarded Na’amat scholarships for higher education this year. Out of a record 600 applications, Na’amat chose 180 women to receive scholarships to pursue bachelor and master’s degrees and four working toward doctorates. This year also brings a record number of women, 120, studying in the fields of science, technology, medicine and engineering. Among the recipients are a number of single mothers and women from disadvantaged back-
My research will focus on the work of three architects: Genia Averbuch, Elsa Gidoni-Mandelstamm and Lotte Cohn, who, between the years of 1924-1955, designed 16 projects of institutions for women and their welfare under the auspices of women’s organizations in Eretz Israel (four of the projects designed for Moetzet Hapoalot, later to be called Na’amat). The professional advancement by Zionist women’s organizations created an opportunity for them to make a new expression of modernistic creativity that reflected social values. All the major institutions established by the women’s organizations, such as a workers’ kitchen, a domes-
grounds who would find it difficult to continue their studies without the scholarship. All the awardees expressed their deep appreciation to Na’amat for its financial aid and moral support. “In Na’amat, we strive to encourage young students to enter the world of science,” emphasized Shirli Shavit, director of Na’amat ’s International Department, as she opened the award ceremony in June. “We believe that one of the
tic science school, women pioneers’ houses (owned by Moetzet Hapoalot and Leni/Women’s League for Israel), offices of the organization, children’s villages; and even smaller projects like infant welfare centers were planned by women architects. This was an indication of the trust and close relationship between the women’s organizations and the women architects. The work of the women architects in the modernism spirit was an overt visual representation of advancement; however, the research argues that their major achievement was in their success in accomplishing modern social values through functional design
positions. The law protects women against this kind of discrimination, but law enforcement is difficult and complicated since it requires the exposure of workers’ pay slips. Second, we have to take care of those structural limitations that make it difficult for women to get integrated and to be promoted in a just and egalitarian way in the working world. It is my intention to work to identify these limitations and to correct them by focusing on those obstacles that characterize each and every activity and profession. Another topic that is closely related to the wage gap is the fear many women still feel when it comes to dealing with financial matters, both on the national level as well as on a micro one, in their own homes. The time has come for women to stop addressing money as if it were “not their field.” Women tend to refer to economic matters as if they existed in a maleoriented domain. I aspire to see a woman serving as minister of finance in Israel. I have no doubt that a woman
that was not merely stylish. The research will present the cultural and social role that the women architects filled in realizing a new social vision, which is an important part of the history of international modernism and of Eretz Israel’s modernism in particular. The research also examines the expression of social modernism in residential design by the women architects in Eretz Israel, and especially in the planning of the urban apartment and in designing the kitchen. These years were like a theoretical and practical research laboratory in which typical low-budget housing was researched and built. The research will present
most unique resources that can be found here in abundance is the human resource, and we have to place this factor on top of our priorities list. Who knows... perhaps the next Nobel Prize winner is sitting here right now.” She continued: “I want to thank heartily all our haverot abroad, and to express our most profound recognition for their tireless volunteer work, and their commitment and devotion to the future of our movement and the future of our children. It is due to the strenuous work and the fund-raising efforts that the work of the women have been carried out by architects in planning and our members in the United designing the domestic States and Canada for many sphere and the modern years that we can be proud kitchen in particular. It of our Scholarship Fund.” examines the relationSeveral Na’amat ship between designing World Movement leaddwellings and gender and ers attended the award family life. ceremony. The United The significant achieveStates was represented by ments with respect to Elizabeth Raider, Na’amat dwelling and settlement USA national president; planning, the experimenHarriet Green, chair of tal design of the modern National Funds, Gifts and kitchen as a paradigm of Bequests; and Lynn Wax, modernist design, and the chair of Club and Council creation of architecture of Fund-raising. Officials from social institutions for the Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, modern women were all Belgium and Mexico also part of their ultimate conattended, as well as Masha tribution to the advanceLubelsky, president of the ment of a new modernism Na’amat Scholarship Fund. that led to the formation and physical realization of a new social vision.
in office would bring about a significant change in the national priorities — allocating more resources to social issues, out of the understanding that the macro consists of individuals. Now I would like to refer to female representation in general. For me, the exclusion of women does not only refer to placing women in the back seat on a bus. Exclusion of women also implies placing them in the back seat of politics, economic institutions, the capital market and even in the back seat of society in general. It is said that dreams may sometimes come true. So, I will now share my dream with you. I dream of a law that would ensure at least 40-percent representation of the less represented sex. Do you know why this is a dream? Because there is a long way until the time when men will be the ones whose representation has to be ensured. But this really is not a dream, because this model has already been successfully implemented in Norway as well as other Scandinavian countries.
Whenever women dare strive toward high goals, they are told that they are dreamers. Nevertheless, all successes, all changes and all revolutions start as dreams. Considering this, I am a dreamer. I dream of a woman minister of finance and a woman governor of the Bank of Israel. I dream of a woman mayor in the Arab sector and a woman chief of the intelligence in the army. And I really do not think this is merely daydreaming. This is possible and it will be. This will become true if we dare to strive and fight for it, if we dare look forward and say: Yes, we want this and we can do it. Together — we can. I invite you, your daughters, your friends and all other women to join the journey — a journey where we will discover our hidden strengths and capacities and realize our potentialities. This is also a journey to realize the potential of the State of Israel. Because as long as we, the women, do not enjoy full equality, the State of Israel will not actually be the country that it is able to be and the country it must be.
FALL 2012
Na’amat Woman
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