The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

In those days, military service for women was two years and three years
for men; now it is a little bit less. I had the rare opportunity to see how
things work inside. I was part of the system; I was happy that they kicked
me out, but it was another era. There was no third path, only at a personal
level could you keep a distance in your heart and mind.
In 1983, the army had a general ceremony to present awards for the
war in which you had participated. I went to the ceremony, and we were
supposed to wear our best uniforms, but I decided not to participate and
escaped. The result was that I was restricted to base for three weeks –
but had I been a man, I would have served time in jail. It was my way to
keep my distance. I was in a constant dilemma, and even today, I don’t
want to be totally separated from my own society. I feel I’m part of the
Jewish collective. Hebrew is the language I think best and express myself,
and it’s Zionism that created the revival of Hebrew and its culture.
I don’t want to get out of Israeli society.
After leaving military services, I was more involved in women’s issues.
I became the director of the Jerusalem Women’s Rape Centre, which
was very interesting work, based on voluntary work; the hotline is avail -
able twenty-four hours a day. In this centre, you meet women from all
parts of the society; some of them are feminists, some are social activ -
ists. The feminist movement in Israel consisted of women of all parts
of the society, with and without a political background.
In 1993, sixteen years ago, I had my daughter; my husband was also a
political activist. In 1995, I joined Bat Shalom.
The Madrid Conference seemed to be similar to the moment when
Sadat came to Jerusalem, the first time Israel acknowledged other political
actors. At the Madrid Conference, the Palestinians were for the
first time recognized. The enemy was now visible, and not a ghost.
It was a very interesting period. The Oslo Accords also liberated people
inside Israel, as they addressed many liberation issues such as the gay
movement; but beyond that, Israeli society felt accepted in the region,
and no longer alien.
261