Michal Har'el ( he, מיכל מודעי; née Herison; 1931 – 2 March 2012), was the second

Miss Israel Miss Israel ( he, מַלְכַּת הַיֹּפִי, , ) is a national beauty pageant in Israel. The pageant was founded in 1950, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. The pageant was also existing to send delegates to Miss World, Miss ...

, a women's rights activist, and one of three lifetime honorary presidents of Women's International Zionist Organization.

Biography

Michal Herison (later Har'el) was a seventh generation Jerusalemite born to Zipporah Salomon and Osher Samuel Zelman Herison. She was a relative of Yoel Moshe Salomon. Har'el attended Evelina de Rothschild School in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and David Yellin College of Education. She was described by

The Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...

as a "stalwart defender of the City of David during the 1948 siege of Jerusalem." Har'el married Yitzhak Moda'i in 1953. Together they had three children. Their oldest daughter, Harela, died in an automobile accident when she was 22 years old. Her parents established an annual memorial prize at Army Radio, where she worked. A son,

Boaz Moda'i Boaz Moda'i (also Boaz Modai, he, בועז מודעי) is an Israeli diplomat. He was Israel's ambassador to Ireland from 2010 to 2015. Biography Boaz Moda'i is the son of Yitzhak Moda'i, an Israeli politician. His mother, Michal Har'el, was t ...

, served as Israel's ambassador to Ireland from 2010 to 2015.

Fashion career

After working as a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

teacher, she became a beauty queen, winning the title of

Miss Jerusalem Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as " Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...

and then

. Prime Minister

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the na ...

wanted representatives of Israel to have Hebrew names, and so she changed her last name from Herison to Har'el. She travelled the world representing Israel. She toured the United States for two months, raising money for the

United Jewish Appeal The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), ...

, and met such dignitaries as the mayor of New York City. One of the places she visited was London and there she met her future husband, Yitzhak Moda'i, a military attache who later entered Israeli politics and became the country's Finance Minister.

Social activism

In 1968 she joined WIZO Herzliya Pituah and soon became its chairwoman. She focused the organization's efforts to assist recent immigrants who were often impoverished and lacking in knowledge of Hebrew or Israel's bureaucracy. After taking on progressively more responsible positions, Moda'i was elected chair of Israel's WIZO. In addition to visiting and supporting WIZO teams in neighboring areas, she decided in 1983 to begin opening up shelters for battered women in response to problems of domestic violence. In order to secure better funding for WIZO's youth programs and facilities, she lobbied the Ministries of Finance and Education. She was elected World WIZO's fourth president in 1996 and held that position until she became chair of the Council of Women's Organizations in 2004. Moda'i was a member of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act a ...

and served on the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors. She received the Prime Minister's Shield of Volunteerism Award 1999 in recognition of her non-profit leadership and contributions. In 2004 she was named an honorary citizen of Tel Aviv."Israeli women's rights activist and former WIZO head Michal Modai dies at 81"http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-women-s-rights-activist-and-former-wizo-head-michal-modai-dies-at-81-1.416496

Published works

*"Beauty Queen's Diary" (1983) 8

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Har'el, Michal 1931 births 2012 deaths Israeli educators Israeli feminists Miss Israel winners People from Jerusalem Spouses of Israeli politicians Burials at Nahalat Yitzhak Cemetery

Biography

Fashion career

Social activism

Published works

See also

References