At the first Zionist Congress in 1897, women did not have speaking rights or voting rights.
To “rectify” that anomaly, in March, the Jerusalem Municipality, in partnership with the major women’s organizations in the country, held the first Women’s Zionist Congress. I had the privilege to be invited and to hear from some remarkable women, including Sarit Sussman, the proud mother of fallen soldier Ben Sussman z”l, who spoke poetically and spiritually, breaking through her grief, and released hostage, Danielle Aloni, who spoke uncompromisingly, with clarity and strength about her captivity – their stories were both harrowing and uplifting.
