Empowering Israeli Women In Workplace And Home (Photo Essay)

By BJLife/Sharon Altshul
Posted on 02/25/16

Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 25, 2016 - Three Israeli groups, Ima Kadima, Women In Wireless and Digital Eve Israel, met at Tmol Shilshom Cafe in Jerusalem, Israel on Wednesday night for their first partnership event. The room was crowded with women eager to meet, eat, and network with other working women they knew mainly from Yahoo, internet and Facebook groups,

A panel discussion was held on two books leading the conversation about women in the workplace, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, who argues that women need to push themselves more in the workplace to be heard and considered, and Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter, who wonders whether women really can “have it all.”

The panel moderated by Jo Friedman, included six participants.  

Stefanie Amini, Co-Founder of Gossip media, a startup marketing agency and Co-Founder & President of Women in Wireless. 

Avigail Levine, head of the marketing for Aleph VC, an 150 million Israeli Venture Capital, who also runs an initiative, Let’s Go Public, a workshop for women in tech focusing on improving negotiations and presentation skills. 

Leemor Machnai, owner of Machnai Weiss & Partners Ltd., a global executive search firm, who is also Co-Chair of Digital Eve Israel and a “no glass ceiling” believer, Leemor believes in women's power to change how things are done, both in business and life. 

Devora Mason, Business Development and Operations manager at Voiceitt and a single mom of five, who specializes in small to mid-size company management in Israel and the US, and who believes that you can have it all, "but if you lean in too far, you might fall over." Mason brought her son along for the evening event.

Cori Widen, CEO of an early-stage, seed funded startup, RoadShows, has a 4 year old and a newborn. She is Founder of ImaKadima, the non-profit organization run by Naava Shafner, that empowers working and career-minded women in Israel and was partner in this event. 

Aliza Levitt Gillman is a cognitive behavioral therapist in a private practice, who also gives seminars and workshops. Both Shafner and Gillman have lived in Maryland.

After the event, Melanie Amini, Stefanie's twin and Co-Founder of Women in Wireless said, "It's really amazing to see how women are coming together to make a difference in each others lives and not just their own. Women around the country are regularly coming to meetups in and around Israel ready to learn, share their experiences, and make a change in themselves in order to help other and that is really wonderful to see. 

We as women should be building each other up and you can see that happening right now in the Israeli tech space."

Shafner of ImaKadima has meetings scheduled in the Knesset to discuss ways to improve family life, not planning only for working women, but thinking of men with families as well. 

The success of this cooperative event showed a larger venue will be needed for future programs. One participant summed up the evening, "I always feel empowered & ready to take on the world after these events."