The Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO; he, ויצו ') is a volunteer organization dedicated to

social welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

in all sectors of Israeli society, the advancement of the status of women, and Jewish education in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and the

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews afte ...

History

WIZO was founded in England on 7 July 1920 by Rebecca Sieff, Dr. Vera Weizmann (wife of

's first president, Dr.

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israe ...

), Edith Eder, Romana Goodman and Henrietta Irwell to provide community services for the residents of

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

. WIZO branches opened across Europe, such as that run by Julia Batino in Macedonia, but many were closed down in the wake of

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Naz ...

occupation and the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ar ...

. Branches in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

continued to operate during the war. In 1949, after the establishment of the

State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, WIZO moved its headquarters to Israel and Sieff became president of the world WIZO organization. In 1966, she was replaced by Rosa Ginossar. Other past presidents include Raya Jaglom and

Michal Har'el Michal Har'el ( he, מיכל מודעי; née Herison; 1931 – 2 March 2012), was the second Miss Israel, a women's rights activist, and one of three lifetime honorary presidents of Women's International Zionist Organization. Biography Michal H ...

Modai, former

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 I ...

and wife of Israeli politician

Yitzhak Moda'i Yitzhak Moda'i ( he, יצחק מודעי, 17 January 1926 – 14 May 1998) was an Israeli politician who served five terms in the Knesset for Likud and then the New Liberal Party over the course of a 20-year career. Biography Yitzhak Madz ...

. Presidents Evelyn Sommer (WIZO) and Ilana Ben Ami (WIZO Israel) tried to negotiate with Mexican president

Luis Echeverría Luis Echeverría Álvarez (; 17 January 1922 – 8 July 2022) was a Mexican lawyer, academic, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), who served as the 57th president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. Previously, ...

in 1975 to dissuade him from condemning

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

as Racism during the World Conference on Women in Mexico. Despite Echeverría's promises,

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Cur ...

, after the impulse of Arab countries and the support of the

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

countries and the Soviet bloc, adopted

Resolution 3379 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379, adopted on 10 November 1975 by a vote of 72 to 35 (with 32 abstentions), "determine that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination". It was revoked in 1991 with UN General Assembly R ...

against Zionism. Almost 20 years had to pass before the UN Resolution 46/86 revoked the 1975 determination. Among WIZO's early social welfare projects in Mandatory Palestine were the establishment of Tipat Halav well-baby clinics and clothing distribution centers, many still in operation today. WIZO opened the country's first day care center in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

in 1926. In 2008, WIZO, together with two other Women's organizations, received the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cere ...

for its lifetime achievements and special contribution to society and the State of Israel.

Political activity in Israel

WIZO formed a party and ran for

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with th ...

in Israel's first elections in 1949, receiving 1.2% of the vote. It won one seat and was represented by

Rachel Cohen-Kagan Rachel Cohen-Kagan ( he, רחל כהן-כגן; 19 February 1888 – 15 October 1982) was a Zionist activist and Israeli politician, and one of only two women to sign the Israeli declaration of independence. Biography Rachel Lubersky (later C ...

, chairwoman of WIZO at the time. Cohen-Kagan later ran in elections for the fifth Knesset as a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

(though she was a member of the group that broke away to form the Independent Liberals).

Today

Today, WIZO runs 180 day care centers in Israel, caring for 14,000 children of working mothers, new immigrants and needy families. The organization also runs summer camps, courses for single-parent families and therapeutic frameworks for children removed from their homes by court order. WIZO is now the largest women's Zionist organization in the world. In 2008, 36 member countries sent delegates to Israel to celebrate the organization's 88th birthday. The current World WIZO president is Esther Mor, who replaced

Tova Ben-Dov Tova Ben-Dov (Hebrew: טובה בן-דב) Honorary Life President of the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO), the largest women's Zionist organization in the world. Elected as President of World WIZO Executive from 2012-2016. In her ...

, in 2016.

References

External links

Official website (in English)
{{Authority control Jewish organizations Organizations established in 1920 Women's organizations based in Israel Israel Prize recipients that are organizations Israel Prize for lifetime achievement & special contribution to society recipients Women's rights organizations Defunct political parties in Israel International women's organizations Jewish women's organizations World Zionist Organization

History

Political activity in Israel

Today

See also

References

External links