Israeli women of power include historical figures like Golda Meir and Dalia Itzik, and contemporary leaders like ministers Gila Gamliel and Miri Regev, and military leaders like Dana Ben Ezra

. Beyond politics and the military, influential women also work in academia and technology, such as professors like Zemira Mevarech and entrepreneurs like Idit Harel. 

Politics and government

• Golda Meir: Israel’s first and only female Prime Minister, she was also a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and served as Foreign Minister and Minister of Labor.
• Tzipi Livni: Served as a Member of Knesset for over two decades and held positions such as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and has been a leader in the political opposition.
• Ayelet Shaked: Has held multiple ministerial roles, including Justice Minister, and has been active in various political parties.
• Gila Gamliel: Served as Minister of Intelligence, Minister of Information, and Minister of Welfare and Social Services.
• Miri Regev: Has held various ministerial positions, including Minister of Culture and Sport and Minister of Transport.
• Dalia Itzik: Served as the first female Speaker of the Knesset and as Acting President of Israel. 

Military and security

• Dana Ben Ezra: As a reserve lieutenant colonel, she was the first female battalion commander on the Lebanese border.
• Tzipi Livni: Before her political career, she was an IDF officer and a member of the Mossad. 

Academia and technology

• Idit Harel: An entrepreneur and educator, she is the CEO of Globaloria, an online learning platform for children, and a pioneer in educational technology.
• Zemira Mevarech: A researcher in education, she has won international acclaim and specializes in mathematical and meta-cognitive methods of teaching.
• Shula Michaeli: Dean of the faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, she has made significant contributions to deciphering mechanisms in parasites, potentially leading to new drug development. 

Israeli women hold significant positions of power across government, judiciary, military, business, and academia. While progress in political leadership has been slower compared to other Western nations, women have achieved key roles and broken many barriers

. 

In Government and Politics

Golda Meir was the first and, to date, only female Prime Minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Labour. 

Other prominent political figures include:

• Tzipi Livni: Served as Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Justice, making her one of the most powerful female politicians in Israeli history.
• Ayelet Shaked: Held the position of Minister of Justice (2015-2019) and was known for advocating for conservative judicial appointments.
• Miri Regev and Gila Gamliel: Both are current ministers, with Regev serving as Minister of Transportation and Road Safety and Gamliel as the Minister of Intelligence.
• Shulamit Aloni: A trailblazer for women’s representation, she was the first woman to serve in an Israeli government after Golda Meir in 1974, holding portfolios such as Education and Communications.
• Omer Yankelevich: In 2020, she became the first ultra-Orthodox woman to hold a ministerial position, serving as the Minister of Diaspora Affairs. 

In the Judiciary

Women have a strong presence in the Israeli judicial system, comprising a majority of all judges. 

• Dorit Beinisch: Was the first woman to serve as the President of the Supreme Court of Israel, a position she held from 2006 to 2011.
• Esther Hayut: Served as the President of the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2023.
• Gali Baharav-Miara: In 2022, she was appointed as the first woman to serve as the Attorney General of Israel. 

In the Military (IDF)

Women have been integral to Israel’s defense forces since its inception, with a significant turning point in 1995 when a legal fight led to women being allowed into elite combat roles. 

• Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi: Holds a high-ranking leadership position as a military general in the IDF, continuing to shape the role of women in the armed forces.
• Female soldiers currently serve in a variety of front-line combat units, and their bravery, particularly during the October 7th attacks, has been widely noted. 

In Business, Academia, and Culture

Israeli women have also made significant strides in other fields: 

• Ada Yonath: A crystallographer and the first Israeli woman to win the Nobel Prize, recognized for her pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome.
• Adi Soffer Teeni: The general manager of Facebook Israel, overseeing the company’s local operations and its Tel Aviv branch.
• Karina Odinaev: Co-founder and COO of Cortica, a company at the forefront of AI and computer vision technology.
• Ofra Haza: An iconic international singer-songwriter who helped popularize Mizrahi culture globally.
• Henrietta Szold: An influential figure in the early Zionist movement, she established Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which has played a crucial role in the development of Israel’s healthcare system.