1926 -
Leading Israeli religious feminist; founder of the Israeli Women's Network; academic and pedagogue.
Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, and educated in England at Cambridge University, Alice Shalvi was raised as an Orthodox Jew but her feminist conviction has led her into the more liberal Masorti (Conservative) movement. Shalvi headed English literature departments at Hebrew and Ben-Gurion universities and was the founder of Pelech, an experimental school for religious girls (1975 - 1990) and of the Ohalim movement of neighborhood associations (1973 - 1979); she was also founding director (later chairwoman) of the Israeli Women's Network (1984 - 2000). In the latter position, she was one of the most prominent feminist advocates in Israel, developing a program that covers most forms of discrimination and disadvantage faced by women in Israeli society. An important aim of her work was gaining acceptance of Israeli women's contributions in all sections and at all levels of the armed forces, since army service plays a significant role in Israeli economic, political, and social life. Shalvi has also argued that women in Israel are a distinctive force for peace, and she has engaged in a vigorous dialogue with Palestinian women. In 1997, she became the first female rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Bibliography
Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Inc. Available from http://www.schechter.edu.
— GEORGE R. WILKES
