As we celebrate Purim and in honor of Women’s History Month, please join the JCRC’s Associate Director, Guila Franklin Siegel in conversation with two groundbreaking Israeli women - Sarah Evron, the first woman to become CEO of the Religious Kibbutz Movement in Israel, and Oshra Yosef Friedman, Deputy Director-General of the Israeli Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women.
This program will focus on the role of women in political and government leadership in Israel, and examine the challenges and opportunities women face in Israeli society today, specifically those of minority populations. Sarah and Oshra will share how they apply their personal background and experience into their daily work, and share the vision they have for the future of Israeli women.
This program is sponsored as part of JCRC’s continued partnership with Gesher. Gesher is a leading Israeli organization that works to create and facilitate dialogue between the religious, secular and Haredi sectors in Israeli society, as well as engage and deepen the connection between Israelis and Diaspora Jewry. Earlier this year, Sarah and Oshra took part in Gesher’s Leadership Institute delegation of Israeli public opinion leaders to the US and the Washington, DC area.
Date & Time
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Location
Online. A Zoom link will be emailed to you upon registration.
Co-Sponsors
Speakers
Sarah Evron CEO, Religious Kibbutz Movement
Sarah Evron is the first woman to become the CEO of the Religious Kibbutz Movement, which encompasses 24 communities and over 15,000 people from all around Israel. As a child, she made Aliya with her family from the UK and grew up attending the Bnei Akiva youth movement in Rehovot. After her army service in the Nahal Brigade, Sarah joined Kibbutz Saad in southern Israel. Over the years, she has successfully served in numerous leadership and managerial roles on the Kibbutz and in the Israeli educational system. The Religious Kibbutz Movement is a mission-driven, community, agricultural, collaborative, religious-Zionist, settlement movement that aspires to enhance humankind and the world. Sarah is married to Asher, and together they have 5 children and 10 grandchildren.
Oshra Yosef Friedman Deputy Director-General, Women’s Advancement Authority for the State of Israel
Oshra Yosef-Friedman is the Deputy Director-General of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women. This is one of the highest-ranking positions within the Israeli government and its national Authorities ever to be attained for a woman of Ethiopian descent. Oshra was born in the village of Ozba in Ethiopia, and immigrated to Israel as part of Operation Moses when she was seven years old, and is the youngest of nine children. She served as an officer in the Education Corps, received a bachelor’s degree in criminology and human resources from Bar Ilan University in 2002, a master’s degree in the field of immigration and social absorption from the Ruppin Academic College, and is currently studying for her doctorate in education and leadership at Haifa University.
Guila Franklin Siegel (gfsiegel@jcouncil.org) Associate Director
Guila Franklin Siegel is the Associate Director of the JCRC of Greater Washington. In that role, she manages the agency’s extensive school-based programming and advocacy, interfaith and intergroup outreach, Holocaust education and commemoration events, as well as the Dr. Stuart Lessans Israel Action Center.
Together with the executive director, Guila oversees and coordinates the JCRC’s wide-ranging efforts to combat antisemitism and all forms of hatred. She works tirelessly to develop relationships and strengthen partnerships throughout the region, enabling the JCRC to better respond to antisemitic incidents wherever they occur. Guila is an expert in crafting complex strategies and shaping public messaging campaigns for a variety of issues impacting the Jewish community.
An attorney by training who holds undergraduate and law degrees from New York University, Guila has nearly 30 years’ experience in Jewish community relations and public policy organizations. Prior to joining the JCRC in 2016, Guila was the founding director of the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation of Greater Washington, a Jewish grantmaking organization dedicated to advancing social change for women and girls, both locally and in Israel.
She frequently authors op-eds and columns related to American Jewish life, especially on antisemitism, educational equity, and disabilities, with her work published in the Washington Post, the Forward and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, among others. She regularly represents the JCRC in panel discussions or other public events.
Guila and her husband, Nathan, live in Potomac, and have three sons.