Ruchama Marton
Encyclopedia
Ruchama Marton (born 1937) is an Israeli psychotherapist, psychiatrist
, and feminist, and the founder of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
.
in 1929. In Jerusalem she attended the Lemel School, a non-religious school for girls. Her family then moved to Tel Aviv
, where she attended high school.
During her military service, she was a soldier in the Givati Brigade
and served during the Sinai War in 1956. She saw members of her regiment killed in the Air Force
bombing of the IDF
, and witnessed the murder of Egyptian prisoners of war who had surrendered and were unarmed by soldiers from the battalion in which she served In the battlefields of Sinai the first seeds of her anti-militarist (but non-pacifist) attitude and her lifelong commitment to fighting for human rights
began. At a time when criticism of the army was practically unheard of, she openly protested the execution of the Egyptian prisoners.
After her military service, Marton studied medicine
at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and completed medical school in 1963. During this time, she gave birth to her daughter, Orna, and her son, Yuval.
While a student in medical school, Marton became active in struggles for women's rights
. Together with Professor Dreyfus, she organized activities to change the medical school's policy that only 10% of students could be women. Marton struggled with this policy for many years and was eventually successful. She also organized a fight against an existing ban that forbade female students from wearing pants. This battle almost cost her her place at the medical school, which was at the time the only medical school in Israel, though the university eventually removed the ban.
From 1974 to 1986 she worked as a senior psychiatrist
at the Mental Health Center "Shalvata" in Hod Hasharon
. While there, she tried along with Professor Davidson, director of the hospital, to promote community attitude and access, which was then not accepted in the field of psychiatry
. Their idea was to create mental health clinics outside of psychiatric hospitals or centers where patients could go for care.
In her work at the hospital she initiated professional survey of private psychiatric hospitals in the Sharon area on a team that included a psychiatrist
, a psychologist
and a social worker. The goals of the study were to determine whether hospitalization is justified, whether the medication patients received was appropriate, and whether patients could be released if there was improvement in their mental state. This survey was the first of its kind in Israel
From 1975 until 1990, she taught a post graduate program in psychiatry
at the Institute of Psychotherapy
at Tel Aviv University
. At the School of Medicine she made extensive efforts, together with Professor Micha Neumann, director of the university clinic in the Shlvata hospital, to change the criteria for acceptance to medical school, so that a student's grades from humanities
courses would bear equal weight to grades in math and the sciences. She believed that the change would improve the quality of the relationship between doctors and patients. In addition, for two years she directed a dynamic group of medical students in processing their experiences with patients in hospitals. After the success of these groups, group dynamics became an accepted part of training.
Along with her public activities, Marton pursued academic work in human rights and was a research fellow at the Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College
of Harvard University
from 1997 to 1998, as well as a Research Fellow for Peace and Human Rights at the Research Center for the Middle East
at Harvard in 1998 and 1999, and human rights fellow and visiting scholar at the University of Chicago
from 1999 to 2000.
, promoting the right to health
, the rights of women and the struggle for peace
. From 1976 to 1990, she was a member of the Israeli-Palestinian Council for Peace, and was extensively involved promoting dialogue through seminars and meetings with representatives of the PLO. She was a volunteer in the Tel Aviv
center for female victims of sexual assault
and in another grassroots group called ELA
, or Citizens for the Rights of the Hatiquva neighborhood.
In 1980 – 1981 she co-founded "Liberated Territories" - a group which published a weekly article in the Haaretz
newspaper showing a radical
view of the problems of Israeli society. In 1982 to 1984 she was a co-founder of the "Committee Against the War in Lebanon", which started opposition to the 1982 Lebanon War
. In 1983 to 1984 she was a co-founder of "Alternative
", a bi-national, extra-parliamentary organization that strove to promote peace through a two-state solution
. In 1984 to 1987 she was a co-founder and a member of "Forum, Teachers from Tel Aviv University
", an organization for peace
and human rights
. In 1988 she founded the Association of Israeli-Palestinian Physicians for Human Rights, later known as Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
, a human rights organization working against the occupation
of the Palestinian territories
and defending the right to health
. She served as the organization Chairwoman for its first ten years. In 1989-1991 she was a co-founder of "Palestinians and Israelis Together for Peace," where she organized seminars and discussion groups to help advance the peace process. In 1989 she co-founded "The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel", which still exists today, and was designed to create a lobby
to stop torture
in Israel. She was one of the founders of the committee against the closure of Bir Zeit University and in 1989 she co-founded "Verification", an organization of mental health
workers for peace.
In 1993 she co-founded "One in Nine: Women for Women with Breast Cancer"- a lobby and support group
for women suffering from breast cancer
. In 2005 she co-founded the "Committee for Political Prisoners." In 2006 she co-founded the "ICRR
," the Committee for the Rights of Residency. She was also member of the "International Committee for Palestinian NGOs."
Ruchama Marton was among the founders of the Progressive List for Peace
, a bi-national party to the Knesset
in 1984, which elected two representatives to the Knesset.
(PHR-IL). She put together a group of Israeli
and Palestinian
doctors, working together in full equality
and solidarity
. The organization works towards a common goal of fighting against the occupation
and promoting human rights
and health
. Physicians for Human Rights sees the occupation as a "sickness," creating injustice and human rights violations. The organization works to maintain and defend human rights, with a focus on the right to health. Ruchama Marton bequeathed to the association a broader understanding of the concept of health - not just as medicine, but in the spirit of the World Health Organization
- as "physical, psychological and social well-being" including access to water
, sanitation
, education
, electricity
, sewage
, work
, and free mobility.
PHR was the first Israeli NGO run by a woman, as well as the first that introduced the concept of human rights to the Israeli public, and through its activity along the years contributed much the public discourse about human rights. PHR-IL has worked to protect human rights in general, as well as the right to equitable healthcare and to bodily integrity
, dignity
and mental health
.
In her public work, Marton has co-worked with Palestinian and international organizations dealing with mental health and human rights. She is on the board of the Mental Health Center in Gaza
. PHR's partnership with organizations in Europe
and the United States
led to the "Network of International Organizations for Health and Human Rights" in 1992, of which Marton is a board member. She has been invited many times for meetings with the United Nations
(in Geneva
, Vienna
, Strasbourg
, New York
and more) to discuss and analyze the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
.
30th, Washington DC.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, and feminist, and the founder of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel , known in Israel as PHR-I, is a non-governmental, non-profit, humanitarian organization based in Jaffa...
.
Early Life and Work
Ruchama Marton was born in Jerusalem, to Bilha and Aaron Smuelevitch who arrived from PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1929. In Jerusalem she attended the Lemel School, a non-religious school for girls. Her family then moved to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, where she attended high school.
During her military service, she was a soldier in the Givati Brigade
Givati Brigade
The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets...
and served during the Sinai War in 1956. She saw members of her regiment killed in the Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
bombing of the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, and witnessed the murder of Egyptian prisoners of war who had surrendered and were unarmed by soldiers from the battalion in which she served In the battlefields of Sinai the first seeds of her anti-militarist (but non-pacifist) attitude and her lifelong commitment to fighting for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
began. At a time when criticism of the army was practically unheard of, she openly protested the execution of the Egyptian prisoners.
After her military service, Marton studied medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and completed medical school in 1963. During this time, she gave birth to her daughter, Orna, and her son, Yuval.
While a student in medical school, Marton became active in struggles for women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
. Together with Professor Dreyfus, she organized activities to change the medical school's policy that only 10% of students could be women. Marton struggled with this policy for many years and was eventually successful. She also organized a fight against an existing ban that forbade female students from wearing pants. This battle almost cost her her place at the medical school, which was at the time the only medical school in Israel, though the university eventually removed the ban.
From 1974 to 1986 she worked as a senior psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
at the Mental Health Center "Shalvata" in Hod Hasharon
Hod HaSharon
Hod HaSharon is a city in the Center District of Israel.Officially declared a city in 1990, Hod HaSharon was created from the union in 1964 of four neighboring villages: Magdiel, Ramatayim, Hadar, and Ramat Hadar...
. While there, she tried along with Professor Davidson, director of the hospital, to promote community attitude and access, which was then not accepted in the field of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. Their idea was to create mental health clinics outside of psychiatric hospitals or centers where patients could go for care.
In her work at the hospital she initiated professional survey of private psychiatric hospitals in the Sharon area on a team that included a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and a social worker. The goals of the study were to determine whether hospitalization is justified, whether the medication patients received was appropriate, and whether patients could be released if there was improvement in their mental state. This survey was the first of its kind in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
From 1975 until 1990, she taught a post graduate program in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at the Institute of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. At the School of Medicine she made extensive efforts, together with Professor Micha Neumann, director of the university clinic in the Shlvata hospital, to change the criteria for acceptance to medical school, so that a student's grades from humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
courses would bear equal weight to grades in math and the sciences. She believed that the change would improve the quality of the relationship between doctors and patients. In addition, for two years she directed a dynamic group of medical students in processing their experiences with patients in hospitals. After the success of these groups, group dynamics became an accepted part of training.
Along with her public activities, Marton pursued academic work in human rights and was a research fellow at the Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
from 1997 to 1998, as well as a Research Fellow for Peace and Human Rights at the Research Center for the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
at Harvard in 1998 and 1999, and human rights fellow and visiting scholar at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
from 1999 to 2000.
Public Activities
Ruchama Marton has participated since 1962 in many organizations working in the field of human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, promoting the right to health
Right to health
The right to health is the economic, social and cultural right to the highest attainable standard of health. It is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.- Definition :...
, the rights of women and the struggle for peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
. From 1976 to 1990, she was a member of the Israeli-Palestinian Council for Peace, and was extensively involved promoting dialogue through seminars and meetings with representatives of the PLO. She was a volunteer in the Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
center for female victims of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
and in another grassroots group called ELA
ELA
ELA or Ela may refer to the following:In organizations:*Euskal Langileen Alkartasuna, a Basque trade union*English Lacrosse Association, the governing body for lacrosse in England*Epanastatikos Laikos Agonas, see Revolutionary Nuclei...
, or Citizens for the Rights of the Hatiquva neighborhood.
In 1980 – 1981 she co-founded "Liberated Territories" - a group which published a weekly article in the Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
newspaper showing a radical
Radical
Radical, from Late Latin radicalis "of roots" and from Latin radix "root", may refer to:In chemistry:*A radical is an atom, molecule, or ion, that is likely to take part in chemical reactionsIn mathematics:...
view of the problems of Israeli society. In 1982 to 1984 she was a co-founder of the "Committee Against the War in Lebanon", which started opposition to the 1982 Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
. In 1983 to 1984 she was a co-founder of "Alternative
Alternative
Alternative may refer to:* Alternating -Genres of music:* Alternative rock* Alternative metal* Alternative hip hop* Alternative country* Alternative dance* Alternative bouyon-Mathematics and science:...
", a bi-national, extra-parliamentary organization that strove to promote peace through a two-state solution
Two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
. In 1984 to 1987 she was a co-founder and a member of "Forum, Teachers from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
", an organization for peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. In 1988 she founded the Association of Israeli-Palestinian Physicians for Human Rights, later known as Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel , known in Israel as PHR-I, is a non-governmental, non-profit, humanitarian organization based in Jaffa...
, a human rights organization working against the occupation
Occupation
Occupation may refer to:*Job , a regular activity performed for payment, that occupies one's time**Employment, a person under service of another by hire**Career, a course through life**Profession, a vocation founded upon specialized training...
of the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
and defending the right to health
Right to health
The right to health is the economic, social and cultural right to the highest attainable standard of health. It is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.- Definition :...
. She served as the organization Chairwoman for its first ten years. In 1989-1991 she was a co-founder of "Palestinians and Israelis Together for Peace," where she organized seminars and discussion groups to help advance the peace process. In 1989 she co-founded "The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel", which still exists today, and was designed to create a lobby
Lobby
Lobby may refer to:* Lobby , an entranceway or foyer in a building* Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians* Lobby , a thick stew made in North Staffordshire, not unlike Lancashire Hotpot...
to stop torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
in Israel. She was one of the founders of the committee against the closure of Bir Zeit University and in 1989 she co-founded "Verification", an organization of mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
workers for peace.
In 1993 she co-founded "One in Nine: Women for Women with Breast Cancer"- a lobby and support group
Support group
In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic...
for women suffering from breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. In 2005 she co-founded the "Committee for Political Prisoners." In 2006 she co-founded the "ICRR
ICRR
ICRR may refer to:* The Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo* The Illinois Central Railroad* The Inter-Capital and Regional Rail...
," the Committee for the Rights of Residency. She was also member of the "International Committee for Palestinian NGOs."
Ruchama Marton was among the founders of the Progressive List for Peace
Progressive List for Peace
The Progressive List for Peace was a left-wing political party in Israel formed from an alliance of both Arab and Jewish left-wing activists.-History:...
, a bi-national party to the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
in 1984, which elected two representatives to the Knesset.
Physicians for Human Rights
In 1988 Marton founded the Association of Israeli-Palestinian Physicians for Human Rights, which later changed its name to Physicians for Human Rights-IsraelPhysicians for Human Rights-Israel
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel , known in Israel as PHR-I, is a non-governmental, non-profit, humanitarian organization based in Jaffa...
(PHR-IL). She put together a group of Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
doctors, working together in full equality
Equality
Equality may refer to:Social concepts* Egalitarianism, the belief that all/some people ought to be treated equally* Equality before the law* Equal opportunity* Equality of outcome or equality of condition* Gender equality* Racial equality...
and solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity is a Polish trade union federation that emerged on August 31, 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa. It was the first non-communist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. Solidarity reached 9.5 million members before its September 1981 congress...
. The organization works towards a common goal of fighting against the occupation
Occupation
Occupation may refer to:*Job , a regular activity performed for payment, that occupies one's time**Employment, a person under service of another by hire**Career, a course through life**Profession, a vocation founded upon specialized training...
and promoting human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
. Physicians for Human Rights sees the occupation as a "sickness," creating injustice and human rights violations. The organization works to maintain and defend human rights, with a focus on the right to health. Ruchama Marton bequeathed to the association a broader understanding of the concept of health - not just as medicine, but in the spirit of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
- as "physical, psychological and social well-being" including access to water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
, work
Work
Work may refer to:Human labor:* Employment* House work* Labor , measure of the work done by human beings* Manual labor, physical work done by people* Wage labor, in which a worker sells their labor and an employer buys it...
, and free mobility.
PHR was the first Israeli NGO run by a woman, as well as the first that introduced the concept of human rights to the Israeli public, and through its activity along the years contributed much the public discourse about human rights. PHR-IL has worked to protect human rights in general, as well as the right to equitable healthcare and to bodily integrity
Bodily integrity
Bodily integrity, otherwise known as physical or corporal integrity, is a concept that refers to the inviolability of the physical body. It is one of Martha Nussbaum’s ten principle capabilities . She defines bodily integrity as: “Being able to move freely from place to place; being able to be...
, dignity
Dignity
Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. It is an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights...
and mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
.
In her public work, Marton has co-worked with Palestinian and international organizations dealing with mental health and human rights. She is on the board of the Mental Health Center in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. PHR's partnership with organizations in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
led to the "Network of International Organizations for Health and Human Rights" in 1992, of which Marton is a board member. She has been invited many times for meetings with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and more) to discuss and analyze the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
.
Awards
- 2010 "Right Livelihood AwardRight Livelihood AwardThe Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", is a prestigious international award to honour those "working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today". The prize was established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, and is...
(Alternative Nobel Prize)", PHR-IL, StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Dec. 6, 2010. - 2009 "Distinction of Honor" by the Jenin Refugee Camp Committee.
- 2007 "The American Friends Service Committee", one of 40 Palestinians and Israelis selected by AFSCAFSCAFSC may stand for any of the following:*Affiliate of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, used as post-nominal initials*American Friends Service Committee*Air Force Specialty Code*Air Force Systems Command...
Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
peace building program, Faces of HopeFaces of HopeFaces of Hope is a solo album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill recorded in 1980 and released on the Italian Soul Note label. The album features three of Hill's original compositions and one interpretation of a Lee Morgan tune.-Reception:...
, to honor contribution to ending the occupation and building a just peace. ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, June 2007 - 2007 "Women that Bring About Change", one out of 40 women selected by TheMarkerTheMarkerTheMarker is the name of three different Hebrew language offerings from Haaretz Group:* Daily economic newspaper distributed as a supplement of Haaretz and standalone* Economic website TheMarker.com* Monthly TheMarker Magazine-History:...
, Tel AvivTel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, January 2007 - 2005 "1000 Women Nobel Peace Prize 2005", one of 1000 women nominated for the prize.
- 2005 "Alternative Independence Torch", May 11, Jerusalem, Presented by Yes Gvul Movement.
- 2002 "Jonathan MannJonathan MannJonathan Mann was a former head of the World Health Organization's global AIDS program.Mann was medically qualified, receiving his B.A. from Harvard College, his M.D. from Washington University in St. Louis , and the degree of M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1980.Mann was a key...
Award for Global Health and Human Rights", the Gates Foundation, May
30th, Washington DC.
- 2000 Israeli Prime Minister Award: “Shield of the Child” was given to PHR Israel, Nov. 26, Jerusalem
- 2000 "Helen Prize for Humanitarian Works, International Organization of the Helen Prize for Women", March, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - 1999 "Emil Grunzweig Award for Human Rights", presented by the Association for Civil Rights in IsraelAssociation for Civil Rights in IsraelThe Association for Civil Rights in Israel was created as an independent non-partisan organization to protect human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories under its control....
- 1998 The Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute of Radcliffe CollegeRadcliffe CollegeRadcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, USA - 1997 "Palestinian Award for Human Rights" GazaGazaGaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, October - 1994 "Patient Friends Society" Tulkarem
- 1993 "Operation Smile International", Norfolk, VA.
- 1989 "Jewish Committee for Israeli-Palestinian Peace," Washington, DC
Publications
- "Introduction" and a chapter in "The White Coat Passes like a Shadow: The Health Professions and Torture in Israel" in Torture: Human Rights, Medical Ethics and the Case of Israel, Neve GordonNeve GordonNeve Gordon is a doctor of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, who writes on issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and human rights. A third-generation Israeli, Gordon did his military service in an IDF Paratrooper unit, and suffered severe injuries in...
and Dr. Ruhama Marton, eds, Zed Books, London, 1995
- Personal Profile, Journal of the American Medical Women's Association, Human Rights and Women's Health. Volume 52, Number 4, fall 1997.
- "Solitary Confinement as a Form of Torture," a chapter in Vanunu and the Bomb, The Israel Committee for Mordechai VanunuMordechai VanunuMordechai Vanunu ; is a former Israeli nuclear technician who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986. He was subsequently lured to Italy by a Mossad agent, where he was drugged and kidnapped by...
and for a Middle East Free of Atomic, Biological and Chemical Weapons, Israel, 1998.
- "Doctors and the Duty of Intervention", Palestine-Israel Journal, Volume VI, Number 1, 1999.
- "The Politics of Health Care in the Occupied Territories", a chapter in Looking Back at the June 1967 War, Haim Gordon, Editor, Praeger, London, 1999.
- "Building a Bridge of Mutual Respect", Radcliffe Quarterly, Volume 85 Number 2, Fall 1999.
- "A View from Within: Problems Confronting Human Rights Organizations in Israel and the Occupied Territories", Arab Studies Quarterly, Volume 22, Number 1, Winter 2000.
- "About Loneliness and Radicalism", Medico International Report 25, Institute of Pedagogic, Frankfurt University, March 2003.
- "The Psychological Impact of the Second Intifada on Israeli Society", Palestine-Israel Journal, Volume 11, No. 1, May 2004.
- "The Right to Madness: From the Personal to the Political - Psychiatry and Human Right", a chapter in From the Margins of Globalization: Critical Perspective on Human Right, Neve Gordon, Editor, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, 2004.
- "Tactics of Oppression in the Peace Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians: A Feminist Perspective", Sozial.Geschichte, 2/2005.
- "Transparent Wall, Opaque Gates", a chapter in Against the Wall, Israel's Barrier to Peace, Michael Sorkin, Editor, The New Press, New York, 2005.
- "Human rights violations during Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip":27 December 2008 to 19 January 2009, Global public Health Vol.6, No. 5 July 2011, 560-569, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
- "The Impact of Isolation on Mental Health" A chapter in Threat - Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israel, Abeer Baker and Anat Matar, Editors, London: Pluto Press, May 2011
- The Absolute Political Independence, the Condition of the Action, Revue Humanitaire/26, MDM, Sep. 2010
- "Sight without Insight" Challenge, no. 106, Nov.-Dec. 2007
- "What's Happening in Gaza?" Palestine/Israel News from Within, Vol .XXII, No. 7, August 2006
Further reading
- 1000 Peacewomen Across the Globe, published by the Association 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize, Scalo Publishing, 2005. pp. 551–552
- Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience, Alice Rothchild, Pluto Press 2007, Chapter two: Dr. Ruchama Marton: An Allergy to Lies