‘A seat at the table’: Latin American Jewish women call for a new era of leadership

Five Latin American Jewish women on President Isaac Herzog's Voice of the People council called for a new era of inclusive Jewish leadership, emphasizing the need for greater female representation, diversity, and inclusion in communal leadership. Speaking in Budapest, they described the council as a 'seed for a cultural shift' and linked the need for inclusion to the period following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

Five Latin American Jewish women on President Isaac Herzog's Voice of the People council called for a new era of inclusive Jewish leadership, emphasizing the need for greater female representation, diversity, and inclusion. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on the sidelines of the council's gathering in Budapest, the women reflected on obstacles they have faced in their communities and the importance of ensuring women's voices are not lost. The council, which brought together 150 participants from Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, concluded its first term in Hungary in October. The women described the council as a 'seed for a cultural shift' in Jewish leadership, noting that it includes equal numbers of women and men, LGBT people, and people with disabilities. They linked the need for inclusion to the period following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, with one participant describing how her community has become more inclusive even as antisemitism strained relationships elsewhere. The article notes that although women hold leadership positions across the Jewish world, the five described persistent barriers to their advancement.