Team and Vision
The Kiverstein Institute
The Kiverstein Institute was founded in November 2018 by Melinda Jones, a human rights lawyer from Melbourne, Australia. It is named in honour of Melinda’s mother, Geraldine Jones nee Kiverstein.
The Kiverstein Institute is devoted to supporting and strengthening the feminist arena in Jerusalem. Our goal is to advance the status and increase the influence of women in every field of activity and in all sectors of Jerusalem society. This is reflected in our slogan “Proudly Feminist.”
In Jerusalem, our complicated, colourful and beloved city, we see the full range of diversity – political, religious and socio-economic – that can be found nation-wide. We believe that this diversity can be our strength but that it needs the contribution of women from every sector, their creativity and capabilities, to be harnessed to heal the present rifts and raise the city to its potential.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to see as many women as possible in positions of influence in social, political, economic, cultural and administrative spheres, especially in communal administrations and on the City Council.
Our core values
We are committed to gender equality and to equal opportunities for women from all sectors of Jerusalem society.
We stand for diversity and multiculturalism; we will work to overcome discrimination on the basis of gender, nationality, religion or any other category.
Our processes are based on accumulated wisdom - we are always in a process of learning from and listening to to enormous wisdom of the women on whose shoulders we stand, from the past and in the present.
The Kiverstein Institute Team
We are women deeply committed to the values of equality, justice and diversity. It is these values that bind us as a team. Despite our differences and our disagreements our diversity is our strength. We learn and grow from each other.
Melinda Jones
Founder and President
A human rights lawyer, author of 13 books and activist based in Melbourne, Australia. National President of NCJWA, she is both an educator and scholar – teaching on a range of human rights issues as well as Jewish topics. A feminist Modern Orthodox Jewish woman, a mother and grandmother with a strong spiritual connection to LIMMUD and SUZUKI music education.
Peta Jones Pellach
Senior Fellow
Educator, activist and blogger in Jerusalem. Teacher of Torah and Jewish History, committed to peace-making and interfaith dialogue. A founder of Praying Together in Jerusalem. After her mother and sisters, her most important influence was her teacher, Nehama Leibowitz. She also loves Scrabble and Israeli folk-dancing.
Hamutal Gouri
Senior Fellow
Organizational consultant, group facilitator and storyteller for social change. Jerusalemite by birth and resident of Kiryat Yuval. Connected to Jerusalem in heart and action. Feminist activist, peace activist. Cultural researcher and currently studying Spiritual Counselling and Jewish Thought at the Schechter Institute.
Yiska Oppenheim
Director of Digital Media and Marketing
A strategic consultant, with expertise in branding and marketing identity, she specializes in building community networks. Founder of the Facebook community for religious women small-business owners. A resident of Katamonim, a kibbutznik by birth, she seeks to bring the kibbutz experience to Jerusalem.
