A women must have money and a room of her own
Virginia Woolf

No More Recycled Military Solutions - Hannah Safran
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31.7.08 Survival of the fittest

When Helena finally managed to break free from the human trafficking ring that had forced her to work as a prostitute for nearly 10 years, she never believed that she would be able to get her life back on track again, especially here."I was a woman in a strange country and did not know anyone," admits Helena. "When the Interior Ministry realized that I'd been a victim of trafficking, they tried to help me but there was only so much they could do."
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1.7.08 Israeli-Syrian cooperation rescues kidnapped prostitute

Political cooperation between Israel and Syria is questionable but human rights cooperation proves successful in search for and release of Russian woman forced into sex trafficking Peace may seem distant, but cooperation between Israel and Syria has already begun. In a rare operation, an Israeli organization assisted in locating a Russian woman who was held against her will in Damascus and forced to work in prostitution
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11.7.2008 Ova Donations Spur Ethical Debate in Israel

As donated eggs run low for infertile couples in Israel, a push is on to widen the ranks of possible donors. But one of the country's oldest women's rights groups fears the possibility of financial exploitation and wants tighter oversight.JERUSALEM (WOMENSENEWS)--Ofra Balaban knows how important a gift of ova can be: She conceived her two sons with eggs donated more than a decade ago.That was before allegations of ova theft in conjunction with a rising demand and donor restrictions contributed to a shortage of ova in Israel.
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27.2.08: Women's rights groups: Katsav ruling made us lose faith in the justice system

Yahel Ash Kurlander, spokeswoman for the Isha L'Isha (Woman to Woman) organization, said the decision to uphold Katsav's plea bargain has "shaken Israeli women's sense of security
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24.11.07: Eilat: Border guard shoots girlfriend

While the day traditionally highlights such attacks against women as the one in Eilat, Yahel Ash Kurlander, spokeswoman for Isha L'Isha-Haifa Feminist Center, commented that it should also focus on all types of violence against women and not just domestic or romantically motivated disputes. The organization published figures late last week showing that a total of 28 women have been murdered so far this year in gender-related incidents, seven more than in the previous year. The statistics collected by Isha L'Isha are based solely on media reports of murders since the beginning of the year and include those women killed either at the hands of their husband, ex-husband, partner or other family member, as well as any sexually motivated murders. The figure also includes so-called Ohonor killings' in the Arab community and those women working in the country's growing sex industry. "We should use the day to remember all female victims of violence," said Kurlander
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23.10.07: NGOs warn against plan to increase Russian visas

Activists working against human trafficking in Israel called on Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch this week to reconsider a move to scrap visa requirements for visiting Russians, fearing the change could increase the flow of illegal sex workers into the country.
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8.10.06 Police suggest 'Druze honor gang' behind woman's killing

"This murder hit us in the face with reality," says Maqbola Nasser, a social worker who lives in Hadar. "A group of independent, active working women has developed here, and in an instant they can be murdered. It supports the message that leaders and obsolete opinions are stronger than we are," Nasser says, but she adds, "The murder won't keep us from continuing our independent, active lives, and that's the message that must be given to other young women who want to live in the neighborhood."
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12.6.07 US praises Israeli anti-trafficking work

"We were not surprised by this improvement in Israel's standing," commented Yahel Ash Kurlander, spokeswoman for Isha L'Isha Haifa Feminist Center, an NGO that is extremely active in combating human trafficking in Israel and contributed to the TIP report. "We are happy that Israel has made strides in legislation and protection for people traded in this way, however the report still shows us that we have a long way to go."
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28.5.07 Amendment to Right of Entry Law racist

Speakers at a meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday night were unanimous in declaring the amendment racist and directed primarily at non-Jews of Russian, Ethiopian and Palestinian background, so as to safeguard Israel's demographic balance and ensure that there will always be a Jewish majority.
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27.5.07 Change to Law of Entry may break up families

"It's still theoretical, but if it passes its subsequent readings, this law could see many families torn apart," Itamar Shachar, spokesman for the Association of Mixed Families' Rights, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Shachar's NGO is one of several groups gathering Sunday to discuss the bill, including representatives of the Association for Mixed Families' Rights, The Coalition of Women for Peace, Women Against Violence, Isha L'Isha - Haifa Feminist Center, Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Hotline for Migrant Workers, as well as numerous politicians.
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16.5.07 Livni backers: She won't let Ramon be 'negotiations' minister

A coalition of women's organizations that has threatened to petition the High Court of Justice if Olmert appointed Ramon expressed shock that the prime minister would put a convicted sex offender in charge of negotiations with the Palestinians.
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17.5.07 Lau informs Olmert he won't be running for president

Speculation that Lau would withdraw from a race he never formally entered has increased in recent weeks, especially following rumors that several women's groups had evidence that Lau allegedly participated in indecent behavior in the past. Those groups had threatened to make their information public only if Lau ran for president.
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14.5.07 Ramon on way back to cabinet

Dorit Abramowitz, a spokeswoman for the women's organizations, accused Mazuz of misleading them. She said they delayed an anti-Ramon campaign, because the attorney-general gave them the impression that he would appeal the moral turpitude ruling, a decision that would have extended Ramon's legal battle and kept him out of the cabinet for up to two years.
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16.4.07 Women's organizations' letter to Olmert and Ramon

Ten women's organizations wrote Olmert and Ramon harshly-worded letters on Sunday, protesting Olmert's reported intention to appoint Ramon. They wrote that the appointment of a convicted sexual harasser would stain Olmert's government. The women who wrote the letter said it pained them that Olmert was "cooperating with a convicted sexual deviant in an effort to maintain his government, while sacrificing the honor and safety of women." They vowed to initiate a massive street campaign and do everything possible to prevent Ramon's appointment.
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10/4/07: National service volunteer fights trafficking in women

Women trafficking and prostitution are one and the same, and the women who are exposed to both phenomena display similar symptoms," 21-year-old Naama Yehezkel says. As an activist for Isha L'Isha - the Haifa Feminist Center, which aids local and foreign women working in the sex industry, she should know. "Women who engage in prostitution usually suffered sexual abuse or neglect at an early age. They're usually looking for a way to survive, and prostitution is just that - a means to survive, but not to live.
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21/1/07:Women hold alternative conference in Haifa, 21.01.07

In a one-day symposium designed as an alternative to the Herzliya Conference, a coalition of women's organizations is set to meet this week to discuss the negative impact this past summer's war had on the economic and social status of disadvantaged women...to continue reading please press here
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19/1/07: Israeli Women Challenge Meaning of Security

When Israel holds a high-level meeting on national security next week, Israeli women's groups will meet on the sidelines to discuss the harmful effects of last summer's war on Lebanon and recommend ways to defuse nuclear tensions in the region... to continue reading please press here
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Isha L’Isha, established in 1983, is the oldest grassroots feminist organization in Israel and one of the leading voices of women’s rights in the country. Isha L’Isha is based in Haifa and works primarily in the northern part of Israel. However, many of our projects focus on implementing system-wide solutions to issues pertaining to women's lives. As a result, Isha L'Isha has a national influence, reaching target audiences throughout the country. 

 

Our mission is to advance the status of all women in Israel by:

  • Empowering them and encouraging them to become leaders in their communities;
  • Advocating for full civil rights and equal opportunities for women;
  • Opposing all forms of violence against women;
  • Developing and encouraging new projects to address women's needs; and
  • Promoting collaboration between women’s organizations. 

Our vision is a society where all women—regardless of religion, ethnicity or cultural background—enjoy equal rights in all fields, including economic, social, and political; a society without gender-based violence; a society in which women's voices are heard, and in which women have full and equal access to all resources.

 

We offer women a safe, supportive environment in which they address their needs, providing room for self-expression and development. Isha L’Isha provides a platform to discuss issues of direct importance to women’s lives and their communities, such as feminism and women's rights, violence against women, reproductive rights, discrimination in work and society, sexual identity, the economy, ecological and environmental issues, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and healthcare.

  

Parallel to this, Isha L’Isha also works on a national level, advocating for women’s rights in all fields. Isha L’Isha’s years of experience in running grassroots projects has earned a national reputation for professionalism and dedication to feminist causes. Our staff members and activists are frequently invited to participate in coalition and Parliamentary meetings to provide the input, ideas and know-how that result from our experience. We are repeatedly called upon to lecture and comment on social events shaping women’s daily lives.