I am a Mother, I am a Pioneer / Sou mãe, sou pioneira.

Combining historical data with personal data helps me to understand the role of Jewish women in Brazil and the changes that they had to undergo after arriving in Israel. I interviewed eight women who came to Israel between 1948 and 1964. They told me about their previous lives in Brazil and about the dream they had to come to Israel. “I am a pioneer”, one said with pride. However, for others, coming to Israel meant having to leave their children in the kibbutz beit hayeled. I have transcribed their experience of this in their own words as an example of the female point of view regarding the role these women play in Brazil and in Israel.