Prof. Alice Shalvi, a pioneering Israeli feminist activist and Israel Prize laureate, passed away on Monday at 96.
Shalvi, widely hailed as the mother of Israeli feminism, was awarded the prestigious prize in 2007 for her work in education and her efforts to promote women and their well-being.
For decades, Shalvi served as a senior academic faculty member at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Concurrently, she voluntarily led the Pelech girls' school in the city. She positioned the school as a flagship for progressive education in Israel and as the first experimental institution in state-religious education. Shalvi was among the pioneers of religious feminism in Israel.
Alongside her educational endeavors, Shalvi sought to foster understanding among people with diverse views and promote mutual tolerance. In the 1980s, she began initiatives aimed at maintaining open and ongoing dialogue between Jews and Palestinians.
Shalvi founded the Israel Women's Network and led it since its inception in 1984. Its establishment stands as her crowning achievement in advancing women's roles, inserting the issue into the national discourse.
At the Hebrew University, colleagues bid farewell and eulogized, "Prof. Shalvi was a senior academic faculty member and active at the Hebrew University for nearly 40 years within the English studies department. Beyond that, she was a fervent feminist and educator, dedicated to promoting numerous areas in Israeli society, including women's status, Jewish and Zionist education, social equality and coexistence. For her contributions, Shalvi was honored with the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2007.
"Prof. Shalvi didn't just limit herself to academic and research pursuits; she often voluntarily took it upon herself to find practical solutions to the various societal challenges in Israel she sought to address. From establishing the Israel Women's Network, which first brought the issue of women's roles to the public agenda, to voluntarily heading the Pelech girls school in Jerusalem which prioritized quality Torah education alongside a democratic education that promotes creative and free-thinking," they wrote.
They added, "In everything she did and every path she took, Prof. Shalvi worked tirelessly to better society and the individuals within it. Through her actions, her way of life, her belief in the inherent goodness of people and her joie de vivre, Prof. Shalvi exemplified how one can lead a life rooted in Jewish law and tradition while simultaneously promoting human rights, equality, and peace. We will deeply miss her spirit and teachings. May her memory be a blessing."