“You are all Iron Ladies,” said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, taking note of the famous nickname of stories former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

            “Some of you have partners in the army, kids at school, you work, and you need to maintain the house,” he said. “It is hard work that doesn’t end, but you are doing the best job possible.”

            The mayor said it is difficult to work during these times, particularly as we continue to pray for the hostages still in captivity and the soldiers putting their lives on the line for our freedom.

            “We need to remember that there are good times, bad times, and hard times, but to know that we will return to normalcy,” Lion said.

            Pointing out that a majority of the city’s employees are women – even in peacetime – Lion said “your results speak for themselves. Our city is an example for all the municipalities in the State of Israel. I want to you thank you, and to tell you it is not one person, it is everyone together.”

            He concluded by saying that they all rose to the occasion and have excelled despite the troubles.

            A prayer was said by the head of employment of the municipality for the safety of soldiers, followed by a display of the video from the new exhibit From Darkness to Light of Michal Negri, the mother of fallen soldier Roee.

            Roee was a hero who helped liberate Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas’s murderous onslaught on the village on October 7. Unfortunately, he perished in battle later that day, but his story and memory remains.

            Roee’s aunt, Jerusalem Deputy CEO Ariella Rajuan, took the stage where she described Roee as “someone who always jumped to help” and “a magnat.” She took the female workers of the municipality through the day of the attack and the subsequent journey to find out Roee’s fate and ultimate discovery.

            Following Rajuan, Dr. Granit Almog-Barkat from Ben Gurion University in the Negev, explained the new exhibit to the employees prior to their lunch and tour.

            The female workers were then treated to an hour long performance by Israeli singer and former Eurovision contestant Shiri Maimon, who sang her most popular songs while the crowd joined along. Maimon applauded the workers, telling them that she just gave birth a year and a half ago and knows how difficult it can be to manage work and the home, but how they are doing incredible work.