Hagit continues to advocate at the national level for policies and resources that recognize and support these realities, reinforcing NA’AMAT’s role not only as a service provider, but as a driver for systemic change for women in Israeli society.
Read a summary of the meeting
Leading Through Crisis: NA’AMAT International President Hagit Pe’er on Women, War, and Resilience
In celebration of International Women’s Day, NA’AMAT International and Israel President Hagit Pe’er joined NA’AMAT USA and NA’AMAT Canada for a powerful Zoom conversation about women’s leadership in Israel’s crisis and what it truly means to lead under fire.
Life on the Ground in Israel
Hagit opened by describing the reality Israeli civilians are living every day. Since October 7th, Israel has endured sixty-eight thousand sirens, two thousand missile launches from Lebanon and Iran, and ongoing trauma that has yet to fully heal. Just the night before the event, a 450-kilogram missile struck Arad in the south, injuring approximately fifty people and damaging four buildings. For Hagit, who lives in Be’er Sheva, this is not distant news, it is daily life.
Women Leading, Yet Left Out of Decisions
Despite the crisis, Israeli women are showing extraordinary strength. More than 8,500 women currently serve in IDF combat roles. Women make up fifty percent of the Mossad’s combat force and twenty-five percent of its most elite operational positions. And yet, women hold only six of thirty government minister positions, and there are zero women in Israel’s war cabinet. As Hagit stated plainly: when women are left out of decisions, the consequences are felt by everyone, especially in times of crisis.
This is the heart of NA’AMAT’s advocacy work. Women’s leadership in Israel’s crisis is not just a talking point, it is a matter of policy, survival, and systemic change.
The Impossible Paradox Facing Women
The war has created two deeply painful paradoxes for Israeli women. First, women are being urged to return to work while the childcare system remains closed, which makes it nearly impossible for mothers to do so. Second, daycare centers that are shuttered cannot generate income, meaning workers go without salaries while simultaneously being told the centers must stay closed for safety reasons.
Daycare workers in Israel earn an average of just 6,500 NIS per month. This amount is already far below the national average of 13,500 NIS. When the government offered to cover only seventy percent of those wages, NA’AMAT made a clear and immediate decision: we will not abandon our workers. NA’AMAT has committed to covering the full salary gap, approximately 4.5 million shekels, so that caregivers are not left without income before Passover.
NA’AMAT’s Response
From the earliest days of the escalation, NA’AMAT did not wait for direction. Within days, the organization opened four emergency daycare centers inside hospitals at Rambam in Haifa, Barzilai in Ashkelon, Poria on the Kinneret, and Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer. Female medical workers could continue saving lives knowing their children were safe.
NA’AMAT has also seen a significant rise in calls to its domestic violence hotlines and requests for legal support, as the stress of war, financial instability, and confinement has driven an increase in violence at home. Resilience workshops are being held across the country to help women cope, process trauma, and find strength. All hotlines remain free of charge and fully anonymous. As Hagit noted, many women will not call if they have to identify themselves first.
Safe Rooms
One of NA’AMAT’s most urgent needs is the continued construction of safe rooms at its daycare centers and youth villages, including its campuses at Kinneret and Ayanot. With only 40 to 45 seconds to reach safety when a siren sounds, proper bomb shelters are not a luxury, they are life-saving infrastructure. Buildings struck by today’s missiles are being destroyed, but safe rooms are left standing. NA’AMAT is committed to building more.
The Power of Partnership
Hagit closed with a message of deep gratitude to NA’AMAT’s international partners. NA’AMAT USA, NA’AMAT Canada, NA’AMAT Mexico, and NA’AMAT Brazil have all stepped forward to contribute to the emergency fund. As Hagit said: “We cannot exist without you. This is how serious it is.” The support of the community is not symbolic. It is what allows NA’AMAT to pay its workers, run its programs, staff its hotlines, and build the safe rooms that keep children alive.
“Despair is not a working plan,” Hagit told the group. “We have a mission, and we have to keep going.”
