After October 7, Women's Month is painful, says Israel Lemonade Fund CEO

• Published date: 21 March 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

How do you believe women's voices and contributions can be pivotal in shaping a more inclusive and equitable society, particularly in male-dominated industries like tech

I am not in tech, but I did break into a field that was almost completely dominated by men. I became an architect at a time when only 3% of licensed architects in the US were women. Our generation broke glass ceilings, and we helped younger women architects enter the field by hiring and mentoring them. We have a way to go but at least people are no longer shocked that the woman in the office is the architect, not the receptionist.

In 2011 I founded a charity, the Israel Lemonade Fund, Israel's first and only breast cancer emergency relief fund, in response to an almost exclusively female need. The impetus was my bout with breast cancer in 2010 when I saw that it was terrifying to be very sick. How does a woman cope, I wondered, if she is also stressed about money if she is poor?

Especially in Israel, with our high rate of genetic women's cancers, young women are hit disproportionately, mid-career. A serious illness can drag a formerly solvent family into poverty very quickly, as parents (patient or spouse) lose time from work, in addition to having to deal with extra illness-related expenses such as childcare, transportation to treatment, etc. Now, 13 years later, the Lemonade Fund is nationwide, providing an economic safety net for any Israeli citizen regardless of religion, ethnicity, or sex so that Israeli breast cancer patients can breathe while they are in treatment, and focus on recovery.

The Lemonade Fund started around my dining room table, a grassroots group of women helping other women. These are two examples of how women can help other women and change the world.

As we commemorate Women's Month, could you share a personal experience or story highlighting the impact of women's leadership and innovation in your field and how it has contributed to positive change?

This year, I must confess, Women's Month is painful. I am shocked and disappointed at women's groups around the world.

I had always thought that the bonds that hold women together are stronger than any that could divide us. Despite not always agreeing with the politics of my sisters, I marched with them shoulder to shoulder on women's issues. Beneath our different skins, religions, clothing, and flags, we shared the same biology. We were all equally vulnerable physically and I never questioned that we would all defend...