All of these women have overcome daunting barriers to become groundbreaking members of Israel’s parliament, called the Knesset. The central role played by ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which do not run women for elected office, has made the political landscape challenging for women, Talshir said. “My new challenge is to be a minister for every new immigrant that arrives in this country.”Omer Yankelevitch, Israel's first female ultra-Orthodox minister, walks through the Knesset building. (Sharon Pulwer for The Washington Post)Omer YankelevitchChange is slow in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, which strictly adheres to Jewish religious law and long-held traditions, particularly regarding women. “At the end of the day, I am an ultra-Orthodox woman from a secluded society, and the path I took to get here was very complex,” she said.

Source: Ethiopian News August 07, 2020 12:56 UTC