TA woman chosen to head Ladies Circle International

Sharon Taitz, who was president of Ladies Circle Israel 2009-2010, will take over the prestigious post in August.

By RUTH EGLASH
sharon taitz 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
sharon taitz 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
For the first time in its 81- year-history, Ladies Circle International, a social networking and volunteer organization for women aged 18-45 that spans 36 countries and has more than 10,000 members, has selected an Israeli to become its president.
Tel Aviv lawyer Sharon Taitz, who has been volunteering for the organization for eight years and was president of Ladies Circle Israel 2009-2010, will take over the prestigious post in August. Among her responsibilities will be working and encouraging women from all over the world to take up social welfare projects and contribute to their communities.
“I was elected by women from countries that do not even have strong diplomatic ties with Israel and by women from Arab countries such as Morocco; this just shows the strength of the organization,” Taitz, 37, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview on Tuesday.
“Our motto is friendship and service; we believe that friendship among women will automatically help improve society.”
In Israel, Ladies Circle, which was launched here in 1991, has more than 300 members and 16 “circles,” or chapters, in towns including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Savyon, Petah Tikva and Herzliya. While it has yet to establish groups in certain cities such as Jerusalem or Modi’in, Ladies Circle Israel is active in working with disadvantaged children, Holocaust survivors and socioeconomically weak communities.
“We do not donate money, but we do provide equipment or volunteering,” explained Taitz, adding quickly that none of those involved draws a salary and “everything we have goes straight to those that we help.”
The mother of four added: “I believe this organization is so important because it teaches young people, including my own children, a lesson about the value of helping others. We are doing real work to help the community, and we have very strong connections between the women from all over the world.”
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli delegation of women arrived in New York on Tuesday to participate in the 55th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of the Woman, which runs through March 4.
Among the members of the delegation are Equal Opportunities Employment Commissioner Tziona Koenig-Yair; Prof.
Hagit Messer-Yaron, president of the Open University; Prof.
Miriam Erez, head of the Faculty of Engineering and Industry at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and chairwoman of the National Commission for the Advancement of Women in Science and Technology; Mazal Renford, manager of the Carmel Center, the Golda Meir International Training Center; Ilana Ravid, supervisor for the status of women at the Foreign Ministry; and Marina Rosenberg, of the ministry’s Division for International Organizations; as well as representatives of the Women’s International Zionist Organization and the Council of Women’s Organizations.
Delegates will participate in five central panels, and will also host a special event in cooperation with the International Organization of Migration on the topic “Can education and training create a dignified workplace?” In addition, Koenig-Yair will make Israel’s official presentation and emphasize the Jewish state’s commitment to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women as a basic right and as an effective tool in the struggle against poverty, hunger and disease, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During the conference, the new UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, headed by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, will be officially launched.