For Yom Ha’Atzmaut -- Israel’s 67th Independence Day – I decided to create a list of 67 inspiring women in Israel. To do this, I crowdsourced this assignment, with a simple Facebook status update, “Who are the most amazing Israel women that you know? The ones changing the world for good?” Well, the answers came fast, with the most beautiful, loving energy. I was so moved. And once I started collecting them into a list, the numbers far surpassed 67. In fact, the list became closer to TWICE 67. So actually, here is a list of 134 amazing Israeli women for you to get to know this Yom Ha’atzmaut – and at a certain point I really just had to stop (apologies in advance to those I left out who deserve a place here. There are many of you….).

The women on this list are activists, educators, artists, scientists, rabbis, writers, and “firsts”, and leaders in a whole range of fields. Some of the women I know well and love, and some I am meeting myself for the first time in this list. They are all worth getting to know. Get ready to be inspired.

[PS Feel free to leave comments with names of other women who should be on the list!]

Social activists

"Firsts" -- Breaking Glass Everythings

Thought Leaders

Artists

Politicians

Jewish educators and scholars

Lawyer-Activists

Rabbis

Scientists

Writers

Miscellaneous

 Social activists

1. Linor Abargil. Israeli beauty queen who won the Miss World beauty pageant in 1998, shortly after being raped. Since then, she has become a global advocate in the fight against sexual violence with the film “Brave Miss World”. 
2. Daphni Leef. Social activist, video artist, and editor. In July 2011 she was one of the organizers of a tent camp in central Tel Aviv, sparking the 2011 housing protests in Israel. 
3. Beth Steinberg. Executive Director and co-founder of Shutaf, Inclusion Programs for Children with Special Needs in Jerusalem. As a parent of a child with special needs, she struggled to find workable, appropriate activities for her child. Beth believes that a well-run inclusion program can help educate and change values, creating meaningful and lasting social change.
4. Rachel Schitskovsky-Ivker. Founder of Hadadi, Breast Cancer support center, a comprehensive center that combines both emotional and material support for women coping with breast cancer – everything  beyond the medical - a supportive community, information, support for family members, specialty accessories for coping with the side-effects of treatment, and other services. 
5. Ilana Pinshaw. Director of Microfy, an Israeli based NGO that helps Israeli and asylum seeker entrepreneurs living in the Tel Aviv area become economically independent through loans, training and mentoring. 
6. Efrat Degani-Toperoff.  Programme Officer at Yad Hanadiv,  Co-Founder and Chair of Bema’aglei Tzedek and Co-Founder of the Good Neighbour Association and the Psifas Israeli Fund, and a member of the Youth Forum of President Shimon Peres. 
7. Avigail Sperber. Filmmaker and activist advocating for religious lesbian women. Founder of Bat Kol organization for religious LGBT community, and creator of award-winning film, “Probation time” about her adopted sister. 
8. Phyllis Heimowitz. Founder of “The Non-Profit Organization for Emotional Support of Fiancées (Girlfriends) of Fallen Soldiers of the Israel”, along with her daughter, Tamar Richter, in response to a family tragedy.  In late 1997, just weeks after Lt. Avi Book was killed by Hezbollah fire in Lebanon at the age of 22. Though no blood relation to the family, Avi - an officer in an elite combat unit - had been the boyfriend of Michal Heimowitz, Phyllis' daughter and Tamar's sister. In the week when Michal and Avi had planned to celebrate their engagement, his family sat shiva.... and then started this organization. 
9. Anat Hoffman. Head of Israel Religious Action Center, and Women of the Wall. A firebrand, fighting for the status of women in Israel. Actually, in some ways she is leading the fight. Without her work, the struggle would not be where it is today.
10. Shari Eshet.  Director of Israel branch of National Council of Jewish Women, advocate for advancing gender equality across Israel, coalition building and political and religious equality for women.
11. Brigadier General. (ret) Hadas Ben Eliyahu. Retired IDF military commander, expert in gender dynamics in the military, sociologist and researcher, leading the movement for gender mainstreaming in the military and the rest of society. 
12. Barbara Swirski. Founding director of The Adva Center, which promotes research to advance gender mainstreaming in Israel, as well as the author of several books on the subject. 
13. Susie Dvoskin. After the death of her daughter in a hit and run accident, she started the Israel Women's Triathlon, with the theme "every woman can." It now has over 1000 competitors every year. She herself regularly competes in triathlons, in spite of being very ill. She is positive and upbeat and an inspiration.
14. Deborah Golan. Co-founder and president of Atid Bamidbar, a Yeroham-based organization serving the entire Negev region, to empower the local community, connect diverse Negev communities around Jewish and Israeli culture, and promote communal, cultural, educational, and tourism initiatives. 
15. Racheli Ibenboim. Co-founder of Lo Nivcharot Lo Bocharot, the first haredi feminist organization. Before then, Executive Director of Meir Panim, providing over 1 million meals per year to needy families in Israel. And she’s not yet 30! A powerful, insightful and brilliant woman to watch. 
16. Esty Shushan. Journalist, social activist, and co-founder of Lo nivcharot, lo bocharot, movement to get haredi women into the Knesset. One of the leaders of the new haredi feminist movement. 
17. Sherri Mandell. Founder of the Koby Foundation and author of “The Blessing of a Broken Heart”, sought out speaker and author about grief, and mother of 13-year-old Koby Mandell, z”l, who was killed by terrorists in 2001. 
18. Yael Ukeles. Co-founding Director of Kayama Moms, along with Dina Pinner and Dvora Ross supporting Jewish single mothers by choice. Before that, founded Derech Hateva, a wilderness adventure camp that empowers girls through outdoor challenges. 
19. Dina Pinner. Co-founding Director of Kayama Moms, along with Dvora Ross and Yael Ukeles, a support and activist group for Jewish single mothers by choice. She is a teacher, poet and graphologist.  
20. Debbie Gross. Founding Director of the Crisis Center for Religious Women, expert on abuse and violence in the religious world.
21. Miri Shalem. Founder of Women Dance for Change, based in Beit Shemesh, empowering women through dance. Formerly Director of the Beit Shemesh community center, where she advanced programs for women’s empowerment, and founder of the Beit Shemesh Women’s Council. Today, works as director of the Institute for Zionist Strategies.
22. Amal Reichan. Teacher of Arabic language, and a mother of four from Yaffo. Believes that "Women are the base of the world's existence".One of the founders of Women Wage Peace. And a great speaker.
23. Gal Lusky. Founding director of Israel Flying Aid, which brings Israeli rescue workers for immediate emergency relief to disaster sites around the world, such as Haiti, New Orleans, Indonesia, and even places that the Israeli government is not allowed to go. 
24. Ruth Ebenstein. Survivor of breast cancer, who used her illness to build bridges and create peace, embarking on a mission to connect Jewish and Muslim women around healing. “Breast cancer survivors transcend conflict”. An incredibly beautiful woman. 
25. Efrat Roman. Founder of Cure Diva, and cancer survivor, aiming to change life of the women touched by cancer by helping them keep their dignity and lifestyles intact.  
26. Robi Damelin. Robi Damelin's son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper while he was guarding a checkpoint near a settlement during his army reserve service. Robi is an active member of "The Forgiveness Project," a group of 500 Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost close family members and who work together for reconciliation and a just resolution to the conflict. She speaks with a Palestinian partner in communities and schools throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories, as well as internationally.
27. Yudit Sidikman. Founding director of El Halev, advancing women’s empowerment through martial arts, four-time black belt in Judo and feminist philanthropist. 
28. Anat Thon Ashkenazy. Program director at Itach-Maaki - Women Lawyers for Social Justice, and the coordinator of the 1325 Israel project, to advance UN Resolution 1325 that calls for women’s inclusion in all matters relating to peace, war and security. 
29. Lisa Richlen. Advocate for African asylum seekers in Israel.
30. Shira Ben Sasson Furstenberg. Jewish pluralism officer at the New Israel Fund and organizational consultant with Shatil, working to promote Jewish pluralism and religious freedom and equality for all streams of Judaism, and to combat gender segregation, racism and the evils of religious extremism.
31. Keren Hadad-Taub. Mikveh attendant and co-founder of Advot, a coalition to create better mikveh practices for both dunkers and attendants. Advocate for both groups of women. 
32. Yaffa Kelner Rosenblum. Co-founder of Kolech, with a long list of initiatives and achievements, including building and managing the web-portal, creating national outreach program, and more. One of my personal heroines. Did I mention she is in her 80s? 
33. Dr. Erela Shadmi. Veteran feminist peace activist, expert in gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation 
34. Samah Salaime Egbariya. Social worker and Director of the Na’am Ngo [Arab women of the Center] in Lydd/Lod/Lydda , as well as a resident of Neve Shalom – Wahat al Salam, the only joint Arab-Jewish village in Israel. During the 2014 war, she coordinated dialogue groups between women in Israel and women in Gaza.
35. Nili Philipp. Patent attorney living in Beit Shemesh who was hit in the head by a rock while riding her bicycle down the street near her house – where there was a sign forbidding women from being on that street. As a result, she galvanized women in her town to sue the municipality, and in February this year won the first ever lawsuit in Israel against a municipality for signs about where women can or cannot be or what they can or cannot wear. A crucial victory for the future of women in Israel. 
36. Sivan Borowich-Ya’ari. Founder and president of Innovation: Africa . organization that brings Israeli innovation to African villages. Founded in 2008, in seven years Innovation Africa has provided light, clean water, food and proper medical care to more than 700,000 people in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, South Africa,the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal.
37. Corrine Saurer. Runs the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (JIMS), a think tank dedicated to promoting liberal economic ideas, together with her husband, Rob.  The JIMS is one of Israel’s few free-market think tanks devoted exclusively to promoting the ideals of classical liberal economic ideas in a country that has traditionally edged towards socialism. 
    
    

    "Firsts" -- breaking glass everythings
    

38. Prof. Ada Yonath. The 2009 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry.  First Israeli woman to win Nobel prize. 

39. Pnina Tamano-Shata. Lawyer, Israeli politician and former member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid. former journalist in Channel 1 and the first Ethiopian-Israeli presenter '
40. Ruth Colian. First haredi woman to run for a haredi polical party in the Knesset, and founder of first ever haredi women’s party, U’Bezchutan. Failed to get over the threshold, but nevertheless helped catapult a movement. 
41. Rabbi Kineret Shiryon. Rabbi of Yozma congregation in Modi’in. very well-loved in her community and considered a feminist spiritual innovator. Also has a few "firsts" to her credit: She is the first women in Israel to serve as the head of any Israeli rabbinical council (she was the first woman to head the IMPJ's Maram (מר"ם: מועצת הרבנים המתקדמים) And she is the first woman to practice as a rabbi in Israel.
42. Rabbi Miri Gold. First non-Orthodox rabbi on the government payroll. 
43. Rabbi Alona Lisista. Teacher at Hebrew Union College, advocate for interdenominational dialogue and understanding, and the first female rabbi in Israel to join a religious council 
44. Lucy Aharish. An Israeli Arab news presenter, reporter, and television host. She currently presents the Evening Edition of the news broadcaster i24news. First Hebrew-speaking Arab news presenter on Israeli television. 
45. Dr. Hadas Malada-Mitzri.  Officer (First Lieutenant) in the IDF, and the first woman from the Ethiopian community to serve as a physician. 
46. Shira Gergi. Safed councilwoman, first haredi woman to serve on a municipal council in Israel, first woman on the Safed council in twenty years. 
47. Amal Elsana Alh’jooj. The first Bedouin woman to attend Ben Gurion University, Amal  is Director of North American Relations for AJEEC-NISPED (the Arab–Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation – Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development). Prior to this appointment, she served as the organization’s first executive co-director and founding director of AJEEC. Amal was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize together with 1,000 other social activists.
48. Dr.  Sarab Abu Rabia-Queder, a lecturer at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, The first Bedouin woman to hold a doctorate describes herself as an “insider-outsider in three cultures.” 
49. Dr. Rania Okby. First female Bedouin physician in the world,graduated from Ben Gurion University in 2004. 
50. Naama Shafir.  the first female Orthodox Jew to earn an NCAA scholarship and to play American women’s Division I basketball. 
51. Mira Awad. An Israeli Palestinian singer, actress, and songwriter. In 2009, she represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest along with Jewish Israeli singer Achinoam Nini, singing There Must Be Another Way. She was the first Arab Israeli to represent Israel at Eurovision, singing the first Israeli Eurovision song with Arabic lyrics.
52. Hanit Binyamin. First woman locomotive engineer in Israel, bursting 67 years of male-dominated hegemony in the coveted profession of train conductor. 

    Thought leaders 

53. Prof. Ruth Gavison. Professor of Human Rights at Hebrew University Law School, and   Founder and President of the Metzilah Center of Zionist, Jewish, Liberal and Humanist Thought. Has written many crucial papers on issues of civil rights in Israel, and is a key thought leader on religion and state in Israel. 
54. Prof. Alice Shalvi. Leading Israel feminist activist and educator, founder of the Israel Women’s Network, founder of Pelech school, founder of ICAR (International Coalition of Agunah Rights), founder of the English department at Ben Gurion University and an expert in Shakespeare, and more….Prof. Shalvi was my mentor and I still think of her that way.   
55.  Prof. Naomi Chazan. Former Meretz Knesset member, Professor emerita of Political Science and African Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, former Dean of the School of Government and Society at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, former President of the New Israel Fund formerly headed the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was a visiting professor of Government at Harvard University, a research fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard, and was a member of the Israeli delegation to the UN Conferences on Women in Nairobi and Beijing.  Leading thinker on women’s issues and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
56. Adina Bar Shalom. Daughter of the late Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, founder of the Haredi College of Jerusalem, winner of the Israel prize leader of haredi women and potential political leader. 
57. Hamutal Gouri. Director of the Dafna Fund, co-founder of Women Waging Peace, consultant for feminist organizations around Israel, one of the leading experts on gender and social change. 
58. Dr. Hannah Kehat. Founder of Kolech, religious women’s forum, and author of several books on religion and gender in Israel. Courageously created the religious feminist movement and is a thought leader on issues of gender and religion in Israel.
59. Dr. Esther Eilam.  Founder of the first Rape Crisis Center in Israel, one of Israel’s leading activists, founder of many other feminist initiatives in Israel, especially  around Tel Aviv 

     Jewish educators and scholars

60. Dr. Aviva Zornberg. Dr. Aviva Gottleib-Zornberg is one of leading experts worldwide on biblical interpretation, author of several epoch books on bible. She lectures around the world as well as at Matan, Pardes Institute and the Jerusalem College for Adults.  Dr. Zornberg also holds a Visiting Lectureship at the London School of Jewish Studies. She travels widely lecturing in Jewish, academic and psychoanalytic subjects.
61. Prof. Renee Levine Melammed. Professor of Women’s Studies at the Schechter Institute of Jerusalem and head of the Women’s Studies program, author of several books on the subject and expert on Sephardic women’s history and culture. Academic editor of Nashim.  
62. Dr. Tova Hartman. Leading Orthodox feminist thinker and writer. Associate Professor at Kiryat Ono College, formerly professor of gender and education at Bar Ilan University and Hebrew University, leading author on issues of gender, psychology and religion, and founder of Shira Hadasha, one of the first partnership minyanim in the world.
63. Prof. Tamar Ross. Professor of Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University and considered one of the world's greatest experts on religious feminist philosophy. 
64. Dr. Ronit Irshai. Lecturer in the gender studies department at Bar Ilan university, specializing in fertility and Jewish law. 
65. Dr. Raquel Ukeles. National Library’s Curator of the Islam and Middle East collection, expert in medieval Islamic law. 
66. Dr. Debby Koren. Writer and expert in issues of halakha and gender. Has written several key papers on issues such as women saying Hallel, and more. 
67. Dr. Elisheva Baumgarten. Lecturer in Jewish history at Hebrew University, specializing in gender issues in medieval Jewish life, and author of two books on the subject. Former head of the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Center for the Study of Women in Judaism at Bar-Ilan.
68. Dr. Debbie Weissman. Feminist educator, expert in the history of Jewish women’s education, one of the founders of the Yedidya synagogue in Jerusalem.  
69. Dr. Rivka Neria Ben Shachar. Researcher on issues of religion and gender in the Orthodox world. Teaches in the communications department of Sapir College.
70. Shani Taragin. Sought out tanakh teacher, lectures at MaTaN, Migdal Oz, Sha'alvim for Women, Lander's College, and the Womens' Beit Midrash in Efrat and Ramat Shilo. Serves on the local religious council dealing with issues of Jewish law and education.
71. Yehudit Schneider. Author and kabbalist known for her insights into Jewish mysticism (often with a view to gender), founding director of A Still Small Voice, a correspondence school  that provides weekly teachings in classic Jewish wisdom to subscribers around the world, founder of The Golden Thread, a homeopathic remedy based in Torah and kabbalistic sources, and host of Meditation Retreats on Jewish mysticism. 
72. Dr. Meesh Hammer Kossoy. Beloved Talmud teacher at Pardes Institute.
73. R. Yemima Mizrachi. Rabbanit Yemima was voted one of the most influential women in Israel and she's one of the most in-demand speakers today, attracting hundreds of women to her Shiurim, where she presents very deep messages with a sense of humor. 
74. Dr. Deena Zimmerman.  Veteran pediatrician, halakha consultant and leading expert on maternal health. 
75. Oshra Koren. One of the first graduates of the Matan Jerusalem’s Scholars Program, founder and Director of Matan HaSharon founded in 1993, where she teaches Talmud and Tanakh. Oshra is known as an exciting and innovative Jewish educator.  
76. Yardena Cope-Joseph. Teaches Talmud and Jewish Law at Matan, and founded the non-profit organization Mifnim - dedicated to finding solutions to contradictions between Jewish and civil law. 

     

    Artists 

77. Achinoam Nini. World-famous Israeli singer (goes by “Noa” outside of Israel), and outspoken advocate for human rights and women’s equality in Israel. She represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 jointly with singer Mira Awad (see above in “Firsts”), with the song "There Must Be Another Way." 
78. Yehudit Ravitz. Feminist singer and songwriter, one of the most popular female artists in Israel
79. Rena Bannet. Beautiful, Jerusalem-based artist.
80. Andii Arnovitz. Orthodox feminist artist specializing in highlighting gender issues in Israel, especially against religious life. 
81. Mierle Laderman Ukeles. Longtime feminist Jewish artist who recently moved to Israel, following her amazing daughters Yael and Raquel (see above). 

    Politicians 

82. MK Stav Shafir. Labor. Leading advocate for social change, economic transparency. One of the leaders of the famous tent protests. A feisty and fighting member of the Knesset Finance committee who we will all thank one day. Oh, and she’s not yet 30. 
83. MK Merav Michaeli. Labor. Leading Israeli feminist thinker and activists. Former television personality. 
84. MK Michal Rozin. Meretz. Former director of the Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. Voted one of the top legislators in Israel. 
85. MK Zehava Galon. Head of the Meretz faction. One of the leading feminist legislators, tireless advocate for gender, social inequalities, and peace.
86. MK Tamar Zandberg. Meretz. One of the top legislators in the Knesset, very gender focused.
87. MK Dr. Aliza Lavie. Yesh Atid.  Former academic, author and television personality. Her work focuses on gender issues and multiculturalism in Judaism and Israeli society.  Served as head of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women where she advanced a wide range of powerful feminist legislation.
88. Anett Haskia. Arab-Israeli hairdresser and the lone Muslim who ran on the Jewish Home slate in the previous election. A proud Israeli who lives on a kibbutz. Her three  children served in the Israeli army. 
89. Dr. Laura Wharton. Jerusalem city Council woman, political science lecturer at Hebrew University, and advocate for gender equality and other social issues. 
90. MK Rachel Azaria. Kulanu. New Knesset members. Former Jerusalem Council Woman. Religious feminist. Strong advocate for working mothers and families.  
91. Ifat Zamir. Head of We Power (amutat Ken) that advocates for more representation for women in Israeli politics. 

     Lawyers and legal activists

92. Dr. Susan Weiss. Founding director of Center for Women’s Justice, former founding director of Yad L’Isha, leading expert on gender, feminism and law in Israel. Long-time advocate for agunot,  author,  and innovator in the use of tort law to leverage power for women in the divorce process in Israel. Won several key High Court petitions on behalf of women’s rights in Israel. 
93. Orly Erez-Likhovski. Legal counsel for IRAC (Israel Religious Action Center). Has led several key legal actions regarding women and religion in Israel, including the landmark Kol Berama class action lawsuit against the exclusion of women on radio (which she won), the landmark Beit Shemesh lawsuit against signs on the street forbidding women from being there (which she won), and many other key lawsuits that can potentially stave off increasing religious radicalism and practices of women’s exclusion in Israel. 
94. Ricky Shapira Rosenberg. Legal counsel for Kolech and IRAC, works with Orly Erez Likhovsky on key lawsuits regarding gender and religion. Authored a very important book documenting gender segregation in Israel, presented to the Knesset in 2011. 
95. Roni Aloni Sedovnik. Feminist lawyer specializing in victims of childhood sexual abuse. Former Jerusalem councilwoman. 
96. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. Israeli activist attorney Director of Shurat Hadin Law Center. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner has become the undisputed leader of the fight against Palestinian and Islamic terrorist organizations in the courtroom, as well as a beacon of hope for terror victims throughout the world. .
97. Dr. Rachel Levmore. Rabbinical court advocate and agunah activist. 

    Rabbis 

98. Rabbi Susan Silverman.  Reform rabbi, activist, member of Women of the Wall, author and advocate for Jewish parenting. 
99. Rabbi Naamah Kelman-Ezrachi. Dean of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion campus in Jerusalem.
100. Devora Evron. Studying to become the first Orthodox woman rabbi in Israel. (Has already passed most of the semicha exams!)
101. Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan. Founder and spiritual leader of Nava Tehila in Jerusalem, author, longtime interfaith activist, proponent of Renewal Judaism.
102. Rabbi Tamar Elad Appelbaum. Founder of ZION: An Eretz Israeli Congregation in Jerusalem; and Vice President of the Masorti Rabbinical Assembly, former rabbi of Congregation Magen Avraham in the Negev, and as Assistant Dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem.  
103. Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker. Head of Kehilla Ramat Zion in French Hill, Jerusalem. 
104. Malka Puterkovsky. Leading halakhic authority (poseket), in many ways a rabbi even without the title.

     Scientists 

105. Dr. Osnat Zomer-Penn. Researcher genetic origins of autism, winner of the L’Oréal -UNESCO prize for women in science. 
106. Prof. Varda Rotter. Professor of biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rotter chairs cancer research at Weizmann and focuses her studies on the p53 tumor suppressor gene that helps protect healthy cells from developing cancer 
107. Dr. Shafi Goldwasser. Weizmann Institute of Science, studies computational complexity theory, cryptography and computational number theory. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Turing Award for coinventing zero-knowledge proofs. In addition to her work at the Weizmann Institute, Goldwasser also teaches at MIT 
108. Prof. Eva Jablonka. Professor of History of Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel Aviv University, Jablonka focuses her studies on epigenetic inheritance - the study of heritable changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the DNA sequence, winner of the Landau Prize of Israel and Marcus Prize. 
109. Prof. Miriam Erez. Professor of psychology, her research focuses on motivation, cross-cultural organizational psychology and innovation and creativity. In 2005, she was awarded the Israel Prize for management. She also received the 2002 Distinguished Scientific Contributions to International Advancement of Applied Psychology award. 
110. Prof. Tali Sharot. Researcher studying the neuroscience of optimism, emotional memories and cognitive dissonance. She has published numerous books, including: The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain and The Neuroscience of Preference and Choice. 
111. Prof. Ruth Arnon. Immunology professor at the Weizmann Institute of Scienc, her  research focuses on synthetic vaccines and multiple sclerosis (MS), development of an influenza and anti-cancer vaccine. Her lab created a vaccine (Copaxone) that alleviates pain from MS and was later approved by FDA.
112. Prof. Michal Schwartz    Chairs the immunology department at the Weizmann Institute and focuses her research on the innate and adaptive immunity in central nervous system (CNS) plasticity in health and disease. She is a world pioneer in showing that blood microphages are needed for spinal cord repair and she also pioneered the concept of “protective autoimmunity” that led to a paradigm shift in the perception of key issues in immunology, neurobiology and adult neural stem cells.

      

     Writers 

113. Dr. Ruchama Weiss. Columnist at Ynet specializing in feminist interpretations of Judaism. 
114. Ariana Melamed. Author, political commentator, arts critic, columnist in Yediot, specializing in social issues, advocacy for special needs children, and economic inequalities.
115. Prof. Tamar El-Or. One of Israel’s leading anthropologist, Professor of Anthropology at Hebrew University, author of many books on different aspects of Israeli culture and society. Oh, and one of my doctoral advisors. Lucky me J
116. Bambi Sheleg. Founder of Eretz Acheret magazine, focusing on pluralism, social inequalities, and investigative journalism. 
117. Rivkah Lubitch. Former columnist for Ynet focusing on exposing  the inner workings of the Beit Din in Israel, and an advocate for women, agunot, and mamzerim (those blacklisted in Israel and unable to marry). 
118. Amanda Borschel-Dan. Jewish World editor at Times of Israel focusing on Jewish life. 
119. Allison Kaplan Sommer. Journalist with Ha’aretz focusing on society, family, Judaism and gender. 
120. Michele Chabin. Columnist for USA Today focusing on Israel and gender. 
121. Lisa Goldman. Writer specializing in the Arab-Israeli conflict. 
122. Judy Maltz. Feature writer at Ha’aretz focusing on Jewish world.
123. Dr. Bonna Devora Haberman. Author of several very compelling books about women in Israel. One of the founders of Women of the Wall 
124. Hannah Katsman . Blogger, “A Mother in Israel”, strong advocate for maternal health, child sexual abuse, and many important issues to women in Israel.
125. Shoshana Keats Jaskoll. Blogger at Times of Israel. Calls out the truth. I’m a fan. 
126. Ilene Prusher. Author of “The Baghdad Fixer”, and director of content on TLV1. Big thinker. 
127. Sarah Tuttle Singer. Times of Israel Media Editor. One of my favorite writers in Israel, with a beautiful perspective of life, family, and air. Has the unique ability to turn a walk down the road into an existential commentary on the world, Jews, women, and life. 
128. Lahav Harkov. Exciting young talent, Knesset reporter at Jerusalem Post, often focusing on feminism and the status of women. 

      

      Miscellaneous

129. Rachel Fraenkel. Mother of Naftali Fraenkel, z”l, one of the three boys kidnapped in 2014 by Palestinian terrorists in a series of events that sparked the Operation Cast Lead war. Outspoken advocate for calmness and compassion. 
130. Rebecca Rachmany, CEO Gangly Sister. She writes, “In a perfect world I’d be: Running the whole thing, and by “thing”, I mean the whole world. I’d do a better job than the UN. OK, maybe that’s not saying much, but I would.” I love that. Check out her company 
131. Miriam Lottner. Avisor to Gangly Sister, self-described Entrepreneur, geek twin mom, lover of all things STEM. I love these women, and I say that just from the stuff they produce. Check them out here 
132. Keren Neubach. Journalist, television presenter for the Israeli (government) Channel 1, and radio presenter for Reshet Bet. 
133. Yehudit Yuval Recanati. Founder of The Gandyr Fund a unique new combination of philanthropic organizations in Israel and abroad promoting civic service in Israel.  
134. Avital Sharansky. Wife of Natan Sharansky, recipient of the Emma Lazarus award by the American Jewish Historical Society. 

What do you think?
Have anyone to add? Write about them in the comments!

Happy Yom Ha'atzmaut!