Alice Shalvi
Encyclopedia
Professor Alice Hildegard Shalvi (Hebrew: אליס שלוי, born October 16, 1926) is a leading figure in progressive Jewish education for girls.
, Germany
, to a Zionist Orthodox Jewish family, the youngest of three children. Her family moved to London in 1934, soon after the Nazis' rise to power in Germany.
During World War II, the family lived in Waddesdon
, Buckinghamshire
, and Shalvi completed her schooling at the Aylesbury Grammar School, from which she gained entrance to Newnham College, Cambridge in 1944. She received her B.A. degree in English literature while serving in various capacities in the Cambridge University Jewish Society which ran the city’s synagogue. Between 1946 and 1948 she studied for a post-graduate diploma in social work at the London School of Economics
.
In 1949, Shalvi emigrated to Israel
, and eventually settled in Jerusalem. She became a faculty member in the English department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, and earned her PhD there in 1962.
In May 1950 she met Moshe Shelkowitz (later Shalvi), a new immigrant from New York, whom she married in October of that year. They had six children: Joel (b. 1952), Micha (b. 1954), Ditza (b. 1957), Hephzibah (b. 1960), Benzion (b. 1963) and Pnina (Perl, b. 1967).
and was the founder of Pelech
, an experimental school for religious girls that unconventionally taught Talmud
(1975 - 1990), and of the Ohalim movement of neighborhood associations (1973 - 1979); she was also founding director (later chairwoman) of the Israel Woman's Network (1984 - 2000). In the latter position, she was one of the most prominent feminist advocates in Israel, developing a program that covers most forms of discrimination and disadvantage faced by women in Israeli society. An important aim of her work was gaining acceptance of Israeli women's contributions in all sections and at all levels of the armed forces, since army service plays a significant role in Israeli economic, political, and social life. In the 1990s she founded the International Coalition for Agunah
Rights. Shalvi has argued that women in Israel are a distinctive force for peace, and has engaged in a vigorous dialogue with Palestinian women. In 1997, she became the first female rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Biography
Shalvi was born in EssenEssen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, to a Zionist Orthodox Jewish family, the youngest of three children. Her family moved to London in 1934, soon after the Nazis' rise to power in Germany.
During World War II, the family lived in Waddesdon
Waddesdon
Waddesdon is a village within the Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, 6 miles from Aylesbury on the A41 road. The centre of a civil parish, including the hamlets of Eythrope, Wormstone and Woodham, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with milling, silk weaving and lace making...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, and Shalvi completed her schooling at the Aylesbury Grammar School, from which she gained entrance to Newnham College, Cambridge in 1944. She received her B.A. degree in English literature while serving in various capacities in the Cambridge University Jewish Society which ran the city’s synagogue. Between 1946 and 1948 she studied for a post-graduate diploma in social work at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
In 1949, Shalvi emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and eventually settled in Jerusalem. She became a faculty member in the English department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, and earned her PhD there in 1962.
In May 1950 she met Moshe Shelkowitz (later Shalvi), a new immigrant from New York, whom she married in October of that year. They had six children: Joel (b. 1952), Micha (b. 1954), Ditza (b. 1957), Hephzibah (b. 1960), Benzion (b. 1963) and Pnina (Perl, b. 1967).
Career
Shalvi headed the English literature departments at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBen-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
and was the founder of Pelech
Pelech (School)
Pelech is a high school for religious girls located in the Baka neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel. Alice Shalvi, a British-born professor of English literature at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is credited with turning the school into one of Jerusalem's most prestigious high...
, an experimental school for religious girls that unconventionally taught Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
(1975 - 1990), and of the Ohalim movement of neighborhood associations (1973 - 1979); she was also founding director (later chairwoman) of the Israel Woman's Network (1984 - 2000). In the latter position, she was one of the most prominent feminist advocates in Israel, developing a program that covers most forms of discrimination and disadvantage faced by women in Israeli society. An important aim of her work was gaining acceptance of Israeli women's contributions in all sections and at all levels of the armed forces, since army service plays a significant role in Israeli economic, political, and social life. In the 1990s she founded the International Coalition for Agunah
Agunah
Agunah ; literally 'anchored or chained') is a halachic term for a Jewish woman who is "chained" to her marriage. The classic case of this, is a man who has left on a journey, and has not returned, or has gone into battle and is MIA...
Rights. Shalvi has argued that women in Israel are a distinctive force for peace, and has engaged in a vigorous dialogue with Palestinian women. In 1997, she became the first female rector of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Awards and honors
- In 1989, Shalvi received the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights AwardEmil Grunzweig Human Rights AwardThe Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award is an award made annually by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to "an individual or NGO that has made a unique contribution to the advancement of human rights in Israel"...
, as founder of the Israel Women's Network. - In 2007, she was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for her lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State of Israel. - In 2009, she was co-recipient (with Rabbi Arik AschermanArik AschermanRabbi Arik W. Ascherman is the Director of Special Projects for Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel, an organization where he previously served as Executive Director...
) of the Leibowitz Prize, named to commemorate Yeshayahu LeibowitzYeshayahu LeibowitzYeshayahu Leibowitz was an Israeli public intellectual and polymath known for his outspoken opinions on Judaism, ethics, religion and politics.- Biography :...
, presented by the Yesh DinYesh DinYesh Din is an Israeli human rights group providing legal assistance to citizens of the Palestinian territories. Its name comes from a Hebrew phrase meaning “there is law”...
human rights organization for public activism in the spirit of Leibowitz's political and philosophical teaching. - Shalvi sits on the board of The Israel/ Palestine Center for Research and Information