WIZO NSW

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Israeli Lives Impacted

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Oct06

WIZO Impact Report

Dear WIZO chaverot and donors, The State of Israel is currently experiencing a historic time: a tumultuous year of war, which began at an unprecedented ...

Oct06

WIZO Review October 2024

Dear WIZO members, our partners around the world, This edition of the WIZO newsletter is being published on the morning after an historical missile attack ...

Sep30

WIZO Shana Tova U’metuka

Dear Members and friends Rosh Hashanah 5785 this year looks different to every other year, as we have so much uncertainty and concern for our ...

We are at a critical point right now. This is the time to step up and be a true WIZO woman.

Please be part of this vital initiative in 2024 by donating below.

What is WIZO

WIZO is a non-partisan, international Zionist movement of women who volunteer for the benefit of society in Israel. Since 1920, the year WIZO was founded in the United Kingdom, WIZO, with the support of its members throughout the world, helped the Jewish Community in Eretz Israel to educate society towards humanitarianism and equal rights; supporting women, children and youth within the framework of the community.

Today, WIZO embraces Israeli society with both arms; one arm cares for, serves, assists and supports, whilst the other fights, struggles and strives for the benefit of the children, women, elderly, new immigrants and all sectors of society in Israel. WIZO is an active leading force for social and educational activism and for the struggle to improve the position of women in Israeli society, and is one of the most important agents for change in Israel.

WIZO, the Women’s International Zionist Organisation, is a non-party international movement dedicated to creating a brighter tomorrow for those in Israel who need our help.

A Zionistic, humanistic Israeli society based on equal opportunities, focused on education and welfare for women children and youth, in cooperation with the diaspora and all friends of Israel.

WIZO is the largest welfare organisation in Israel, partnering with the Israeli government for a stronger and better Israeli Society.

Women of Influence

In honour of World WIZO’s 100th birthday celebrations in July 2020, WIZO NSW is proud to recognise the most influential, inspirational and visionary women of the past century.

1. Gal Gadot

Gal is the Israeli girl turned Hollywood star who’s inspiring young Jewish girls everywhere. Born in 1985 in Rosh HaAyin, Gal’s life changed when she ...

2. Golda Meir

A list of this kind simply has to have our Golda on it. Israel’s fourth Prime Minister, she was the first woman to be elected ...

3. Sheryl Sandberg

Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, has inspired a generation with her best-selling books, ‘Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead’ & ‘Option B: Facing ...

4. Hannah Szenes

Hannah Szenes: Poet, Special Operations Executive and national heroine in Israel, where several streets, a kibbutz and the headquarters of the Zionist Youth Movement bear ...

5. Pink

Before she was one of the world’s best-selling artists, Pink was an aspiring young Jewish singer known as Alecia Moore. The singer broke out in ...

6. Dr Ruth Westheimer

This German sex therapist is better known as ‘Dr Ruth’, and her widely published advice on all things to do with sexuality has made her ...

7. Hedy Lamarr

Described by director Max Reinhart as ‘the most beautiful woman in Europe’, Hedy Lamarr was the Austrian-American Jewess whose wartime films made her one of ...

8. Betty Wilkenfeld

From Ballet shoes to Israeli welfare, Betty was single minded, committed and passionate. Arriving as a young girl in Australia in the 30’s and working ...

9. Susan Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki is one of the biggest names in tech, as one of Google’s founding team and current CEO of digital giant, YouTube. Born in ...

10. Helena Glaser

Honorary President World WIZO, President World Zionist Council, and a Member of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, Helena Glaser is the epitome of generosity, ...

11. Estée Lauder

Who hasn’t used an Estée Lauder product at least once in their lifetime? Lauder’s company has endured as one of the world’s most prominent cosmetics ...

12. Raya Jaglom

Raya Jaglom was the second-longest serving president of World WIZO, a tireless fundraiser who maintained her connection to our organisation until her death, aged 98. ...

13. Joan Rivers

Comedian, actress, writer, producer, TV host – Joan Rivers wore many hats in her 81 years. Born Joan Alexander Molinsky, she authored 12 best-selling books ...

14. Rose Toms

Rose Toms is the President of WIZO Kesher on the Sunshine Coast. Kesher is a non-Jewish group of women who are active members of WIZO ...

15. Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson is the ‘domestic goddess’ who captivates audiences around the world with her best-selling recipe books and inimitable cooking demos. Born in 1960 to ...

16. Gilla Liberman

Gilla Liberman was one of the foundation members of NSW WIZO Yaffa in the late 70s. A teacher by profession, her interest in children’s wellbeing ...

17. Barbra Streisand

Our Barbra isn’t just one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. She’s the writer, producer & star of one of the greatest Jewish ...

18. Rony Bognar OAM

Born in Israel, and the child of Holocaust survivors, Rony has constantly worked and volunteered in Jewish organisations for the betterment of the Sydney Jewish ...

19. Bette Midler

Ever sung along passionately to Bette’s classic, ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’? Us too. Bette’s career began in New York City where she built up a ...

20. Barbara Walters

Few broadcast journalists are as widely respected as legendary American interviewer, producer and TV host, Barbara Walters. Walters began her career as a writer/ producer, ...

21. Dr Gisella Perl

Dr Gisella Perl was the brave Auschwitz inmate who, as a gynaecologist, helped hundreds of fellow female prisoners, despite lacking even the barest necessities there ...

22. Tova Ben-Dov

Tova Ben-Dov is surely one of WIZO’s finest. When she joined WIZO in 1965, Tova knew she was making ‘a lifetime commitment’ – WIZO quickly ...

23. Judy Sheindlin

Judy ‘Judge Judy’ Sheindlin has been arbitrating real-life disputes on TV for 25 years, with her famed wit and sharp commentary. A retired Manhattan family ...

24. Ruth Bader Ginsberg

From humble Brooklyn beginnings to a seat on the U.S Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg is an inspiration to any woman who’s ever aspired to ...

25. Esther Mor

They say big things come in small packages! A petite, softly spoken woman, this is certainly true of Esther Mor who was just recently re-elected ...

26. Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis is the Ukraine-born, American-raised beauty who found fame on TV sitcom ‘That 70s Show’. Today, she is known for being the voice of ...

27. Carole King

Carole Joan Klein (later King) is the most successful female singer-songwriter of the second half of the 20th century, composing a stream of chart-topping songs ...

28. Janette Kay

Janette is a real WIZO stalwart. This amazing woman joined WIZO in 1984 after bumping into an old school friend who told her about a ...

29. Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist and according to Time Magazine, one of the most influential people in ...

30. Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t just an award-winning Hollywood actress with an Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy under her belt. She’s also a powerful businesswoman who founded ...

31. Josie Lacey OAM

A Romanian child refugee fleeing from Nazi Europe and arriving in Australia in 1939 could be the beginning of a major Holocaust inspired movie, but ...

32. Diane Von Furstenberg

The Belgian Jewish daughter of an Auschwitz survivor, Diane von Furstenberg has been listed as one of Forbes magazine’s most influential people in the world. ...

33. Natalie Portman

Israeli-American actress and filmmaker, Natalie Portman, has starred in multiple blockbusters since debuting on-screen at the age of 12, in Leon: The Professional. Portman’s status ...

34. Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore stole everyone’s hearts as Gertie in 1982’s E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial. The god-daughter of Steven Spielberg, Barrymore comes from an esteemed family ...

35. Anne Frank

Jewish schoolgirl Anne Frank famously journaled her experience of the two years she spent hiding from the Nazis during World War 11, in a cramped ...

36. Marianne Van Der Poorten

Marianne devoted almost 70 years of her life to WIZO….not many across the globe can claim that!Simply put, Marianne has inspired and mentored countless WIZO ...

37. Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel is the voice of Frozen movie heroine Elsa and her ubiquitous, award-winning song, ‘Let It Go’. Menzel is a popular and decorated stage ...

38. Adele Rosenfeld

For many years Adele was known as the go-to person in the WIZO office. Having worked in the office for an incredible 27 years she ...

39. Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer’s career in making the world laugh began in earnest as a contestant on a reality tv competition for stand-up comedians in 2007. Today, ...

40. Peggy Guggenheim

One of America’s most famous families, the Guggenheim name is familiar to many. Marguerite ‘Peggy’ Guggenheim, the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, inherited her share of ...

41. Anat Vidor

With her flair for fashion and fast expressive speech, Israeli born and raised Anat exploded into our lives as Executive Director of WIZO NSW. With ...

42. Lauren Bacall

You may not have heard of Betty Joan Perske, the young Jewish girl from The Bronx – but Lauren Bacall, as she would later become ...

43. Fran Drescher

Fran Drescher’s voice is instantly recognisable. She played the loveable central character on popular sit-com, The Nanny, with a thick New York accent that became ...

44. Janet Yellen

Janet Yellen is the esteemed economist nominated by President Obama to serve as Chair of the Federal reserve from 2014-2018. She was the first woman ...

45. Gloria Newhouse

In the late 1970’s Gloria was invited to a ‘get together’ to learn about an organisation called WIZO which worked for the betterment of Israeli ...

46. Bar Refaeli

Supermodel Bar Refaeli is Israel’s highest paid model, as well as being an active businesswoman and investor in both her homeland and abroad. Bar was ...

47. Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn is Hollywood royalty, but that’s not how she sees it. Hawn, granddaughter of Jewish-Hungarian immigrants, is known the world over for her box-office ...

48. Scarlet Johansson

Forbes magazine regularly names Scarlett Johansson in its Celebrity 100 list of powerful public figures and no wonder – she’s the world’s highest-paid actress and ...

49. Nora Ephron

Sleepless in Seattle. When Harry Met Sally. Nora Ephron was the incredibly talented writer, journalist and filmmaker who wrote the screenplays for these classics of ...

50. Joy Balkind OAM

Joy has been a member of WIZO for over 70 years. Joy served as Honorary Treasurer of her group and then became Honorary Treasurer of ...

51. Zsa Zsa Gabor

When you hear the name ‘Zsa Zsa Gabor’, thoughts most likely turn to her many, many husbands and her flashy, unrepentant glamour. But did you ...

52. Evelyn Sommer

Evelyn is the Founding President of WIZO USA. Born in Parana, Argentina in 1937, she graduated in Latin American Studies from Columbia University, New York. ...

53. Jo Gostin OAM z’l

Cairo born Jo Gostin was Foundation President of her group WIZO Ziona in 1969. Jo believed that “a commitment to WIZO provides more pleasure and ...

54. Helena Rubinstein

Helena Rubinstein was eldest of eight daughters born to Polish Jews on December 25, 1872. When young Helena emigrated to Australia from Poland in 1896, ...

55. Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand was a writer and philosopher, best known for her famous novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum in 1905, to ...

56. Ruby Rich Shalit MBE z’l

Ruby was WIZO’s first State President and at the same time WIZO’s Federal President in 1937 when WIZO was formed in Sydney. She was a ...

57. Josie Lacey OAM

A Romanian child refugee fleeing from Nazi Europe and arriving in Australia in 1939 could be the beginning of a major Holocaust inspired movie, but ...

58. Nelly Weiss OAM z’l

This refined and intelligent woman with a happy disposition was also a proud Jew who had a passion for her people both in Israel and ...

59. Michal Modai

From Beauty Queen to Queen of WIZO! A seventh generation Jerusalemite, Michal Modai was the second ever Miss Israel crowned in 1951. She joined WIZO ...

60. Esther Wakerman

Esther was born a Sabra in 1951 to Sara and Joseph Moldovan, both Holocaust Survivors who had married after the war and immigrated to Israel. ...

61. Denise (Denny) Govendir z”l’

Denise began working for WIZO in the 1970’s as an office administrator. WIZO NSW was growing and her efficiency, organisational skills, friendly personality and passion ...

62. Nilly Berger

Born in Israel, Nilly’s bond with her homeland even as a young child was fostered by family and her Zionism always strong. She effortlessly chose ...

63. Deborah Lipstadt

Deborah was born in 1947 to Miriam and Erwin Lipstadt. She is an American historian and author and writes predominantly about Holocaust Denial and antisemitism ...

64. Judy Feld Carr

Nothing in Judy Feld Carr’s background would suggest that this Canadian woman would rescue more than 3500 Syrian Jews between 1975 and 2000. A mother ...

65. Elizabeth Alice McGraw

Ali was born in 1939 to a Jewish mother Frances, and father Richard McGraw. Her grandparents were emigrants from Budapest. McGraw’s mother chose not to ...

66. Elza Levin

A true WIZO woman, an Eshet Chayil, a woman who has given most of her adult life to a cause she has believed in so ...

67. Safra Catz

An American billionaire banker and technology executive,Catz was born in Holon Israel but moved to USA at the age of 6. She is married and ...

68. Rosalind Elsie Franklin

Rosalind was an English Chemist and X-Ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA. Born in 1920 in ...

69. Betty Friedan

Bettye Naomi Goldstein was born in 1921 in Illinois to Harry and Miriam Goldstein, whose Jewish families came from Russia and Hungary. Harry owned a ...

70. Vitka Kempner

Vitka was born in 1920 in Poland to observant Jewish parents. Vitka was 19 when the Germans invaded Poland and fled to Lithuania. When Lithuania ...

71. Faye Schulman

Faye Schulman (born 1919) is a Jewish partisan photographer, and the only such photographer to photograph their struggle in Eastern Europe during the Second World ...

72. Gloria Steinem

Gloria Marie Steinem was born in 1934, the daughter of Ruth and Leo Steinem. She is an American feminist journalist and social political activist who ...

73. Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is a talented actress, best-known for her role as ‘Penny Lane’ in the Hollywood movie ‘Almost Famous’ which earned her an ‘Academy Award’ ...

74. Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Kudrow is an American actor, best known for her role in the television sitcom ‘Friends.’ Her portrayal of ‘Phoebe Buffay’ in ‘Friends’ not only ...

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WIZO NSW, The Women’s International Zionist Organization, is a worldwide non-profit organization that operates over 800 social welfare projects in Israel.