A Letter from Barbara Swirski, Founder of the Adva Center –

At a shindig organized by the Adva Center for the 80th birthday of an Adva Center co-founder (yours truly) a few years ago, Professor Shoshana Madmoni, who in the early 1990s helped to develop Adva, a new organization on the Israeli non-profit scene, presented me with a framed copy of the first brochure of lectures and workshops offered by Adva to high schools, colleges, central and local governmental bodies and non-profit organizations. These events emphasized equality between Israel’s social groups.

Some 25 years later, Adva is still working for greater equality, through research, advocacy, and yes, outreach events for similar, as well as different publics.

In the first six months of 2025, these outreach events centered mainly on gender mainstreaming public policy making and budgeting, poverty and inequality in various areas of life and in different parts of the country, and the design and implementation of the national budget.

Regarding gender mainstreaming, it was the Adva Center that brought and taught the theory and practice to the country — from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the U.S. and Australia – adapting it to local needs and conditions.

In recent months, Adva was to be found spreading the good word in three Arab localities: Tur’an, Shfaram and Beit Jann. To take one example, Tur’an is a low-income village of 15,000 residents, 80% of whom are Muslim and 20% Christian, located in the lower Galilee, on the road to Tiberias. The Adva event, implemented in cooperation with the Tur’an local authority and the non-profit organizations Itach-Maaki and Shatil, was attended by senior local officials; its purpose was to encourage gender mainstreaming in the work of the local government of Tur’an.

The study day featured Dr. Yael Hasson, executive director of Adva Center and an expert on gender issues, as the lead speaker. The response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, and one of the issues discussed was how to answer women’s need for public transportation.

And how can I not mention the infamous October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. And then the infamous Israel-Hamas war, which most Israelis hope is really, really over.

After which hopefully, despite all odds, equality within Israeli society can once again take front and center.

Best wishes,

Barbara Swirski