WIFP’s Event – Beyond Conflict: Women in Palestine and Israel

Yaara Elazari and Abeer Shehadeh organized, moderated and presented at our event with the support of other WIFP folks including Martha Allen, Cherrie Yu, Kavya Padmanabhan, Riley Horan and Helena Leslie. Participants from New Story Leadership for the Middle East (http://www.newstoryleadership.org) were at the heart of the program and their photographers recorded the event.

Yaara Elazari is a 26-year-old Israeli studying Music and International Relations at the Hebrew University. Abeer Shehadeh is a 22-year-old Palestinian-Israeli who graduated from Haifa University with a degree in Literature and Political Science.

Muhannad Alkharraz is a 26-year-old Palestinian with a Fulbright Scholarship at Wisconsin University studying Policy and Economics at Freshwater Resources.

Muhannad spoke about his mothers’ personal experience living in a conflict zone. He spoke about the hope that emerges from sorrow

Chen Bareket is a 28-year-old Israeli who graduated from Hebrew University with a degree in Political Science and Sociology. He worked in both the public and third sectors. Chen spoke about the role of women in the Israeli society: obstacles and problems from a male perspective.

 

 

 

 

Sivan Atzmon is a 32-year-old graduate with honors from Tel Aviv University with a MSC in management and a Certificate in Education. She is a key founder of Victory15, a campaign for change in the 2015 Israeli elections, and she is passionate about creating social change through theatre. She spoke about the beauty model and expectations in Israel and her personal experience. 

Yaara Elazari provided a PowerPoint presentation about women in Israel and discussed women’s involvement in politics and society, with a historical perspective.

 

Yaara also spoke about the experience of leadership in a male-dominated organization after serving in the IDF for four years as an officer in the Liaison Department.

Abeer Shehadeh gave a PowerPoint presentation about women in politics in Palestine.

  

Abeer also spoke about the difficulties young Palestinian women have in Israel while attempting to obtain high educational, social and professional positions.

During the discussion section of the program, many contributed valuable responses to questions.

Some of the WIFP folks gathered after the event.