The Contribution of Female Diplomats and ‘Significant Others’ to Israeli Diplomacy in the Early Years

The paper is part of my ongoing research project to preserve for posterity materials relating to Israel’s female diplomatic staff, diplomats’ wives, and ‘significant others’ in Israel’s nascent years. The paper aims to fills the void in research and to bring to the forefront their important role and contribution to Israeli diplomacy and Israel-Diaspora understanding. It also sheds light on their role in establishing a modus operandi in the formulation and carrying out of Israel’s foreign policy in the early years. Women’s influence is much greater and profound than the literature suggests. In addition to other functions, women serving in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel’s missions abroad were expected, and succeeded, in furthering Israel’s interests in cultivating ties with national and international women’s organizations. In 1966, for example, of the three accredited embassy attaches in Washington for Women’s Affairs, one was at the Israeli Embassy. The paper explores the extent to which female diplomats’ marital status and raising children affected their careers. It is based on Hebrew and English primary sources, and interviews with Diaspora personalities and former MFA staff.









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