In attendance was a delegation of European parliamentarians, civic leaders, and women activists.

            Col. (Res.) Maya Heller, a former military judge and current chairwoman of Forum Dvora – a partner of the gala – told the crowd “The bravery of the women of October 7 is thanks to the work over the past 30 years” in integrating women into the security establishment.

            Heller described how her organization is working to advance women to the seats of power in the country “through a mix of policy advocacy, presence in public discourse, investing in next-gen leaders, and developing a professional community.”

            She said that today “It is important that boys and girls see women can talk about the important topics like men do.”

            Also addressing the delegation was Sima Shine, a founding member of Forum Dvora and the former head of research for the Mossad.

            “I am an example of a woman who succeeded in penetrating the security establishment,” she said. Shine proceeded to give a lecture on the state of the Iranian threat both to Israel and the world, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash the day prior to the gala.

            Shine said his death will not change much for Israel from a national security perspective, saying “It doesn’t matter who is charge, the Ayatollah makes the decisions in Iran.”

            The gala capped off a day that began at the Knesset with the Global Women’s Coalition Against Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War Conference, ran by Knesset member Shelly Tal Meron. The delegation also met with the First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog, and a number of high level government and defense officials during their four day trip.

            Linda Stucbartova, a member of the delegation and the VP of the Czech-Israel Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the trip – her first since the war – and one of the initiatives that her office has started. The concept is “to support one particular city, in our case Kibbutz Be’eri, to heal the community and make it shine again.”

            To do this, they have assisted in bringing educational tools to the community, psychological support, and even ambulances to the devastated kibbutz.

            Prior to the dinner, the group was given a private tour of our newest exhibit, From Darkness to Light, where they learned first hand the impact that violence against women can have on a nation.