In days when reality trembles under a sense of uncertainty, some choose not to wait for stability, but to create it. It is precisely from the complexity, from the emotional burden and daily challenges, that inspiring female action grows, connecting personal initiative with community responsibility.
Haifa-Boston Partnership Has been working for years to promote entrepreneurial thinking—social and business—among young men and women from Haifa and the surrounding area, with the aim of providing the future generation with real tools for leadership, initiative, and influence. As part of its activities, the partnership works in collaboration with leading bodies such as MAT Impact and the University of Haifa, and is assisted by the professional guidance of Einat Elazar in leading customized content and enriching the participants' toolbox.
Even during the war, two female leadership programs continued to operate and were even re-energized: the women who participate in them not only continue to invest in their personal and professional development, but also demonstrate an impressive ability to identify new needs in the field and respond to them with initiative, sensitivity, and leadership. Thus, out of a reality of uncertainty, female leadership is growing that connects personal action with community responsibility, proving once again that their choice was accurate.
Small moments of connection – great power of change
Understanding that tension seeps into the home, she initiated Reut Lakes of Namni, an occupational therapist, mother of two daughters and therapist for a variety of populations, a project that seeks to momentarily stop the race. A seemingly simple initiative, two minutes a day of parent-child connection, has become a significant tool for many families.
evil, Participant in the "Influential" program: "I opened a WhatsApp group for parents, and invited them to stop for a moment in their complex routine, and introduce "magic time." I sent short, simple actions of 2 minutes a day with the children. No preparation, no special equipment, just presence, gaze, touch, laughter and conversation."
The impact of the project is evident on the ground and the responses were not slow to come: parents shared small moments of closeness, children asked for “magic time” again, and the home atmosphere became calmer and more connected. A supportive community of parents who feel less alone and share and consult with each other has also been created around the project.
Turning Fear into Power – Leadership Begins with a Voice
Yuval Ifergan, another participant in the "Influential" program, established a project to facilitate workshops on standing in front of an audience and developing rhetoric skills, a tool that strengthens personal resilience among young men and women (soldiers, students, and entrepreneurs in their early stages).
Yuval says: "Along with active reserve service and a bachelor's degree in behavioral sciences, I realized that the need for tools for expression and articulation for young people is more critical than ever. During the war, a central need emerged from the field to restore a sense of personal competence and resilience. Many young people experience uncertainty; the ability to stand in front of an audience, convey a message confidently, and harness others is a tool that builds resilience and influence while restoring a sense of control in a changing reality."
Yuval's workshops and lectures provide participants with an applied "toolbox" that allows them to transform from passive to active. The result is soldiers, students, and young people who succeed in leading themselves, dealing with their fears and barriers, and in fact, it is a change that begins with standing on stage and continues into daily leadership.
Working together is a source of strength.
Einat Elazar, a vocational coach, program developer and change process leader, leads the "Embassy Forum" for Ethiopian women on behalf of the Haifa-Boston Partnership and hosts the "Influential" program in collaboration with Mati Impact, Haifa. "I believe in constant movement, internal and practical. In my opinion, even in difficult times, when you connect to meaning and action, a renewed possibility for success, belonging and hope is created."
Sometimes, all it takes to get started is to recognize a small lack, the absence of a close human connection. This is how neighborhood communities of women are born, spaces of sharing, support, and acquaintance. From a simple WhatsApp group, a living network of mutual aid grows: a professional who helps, a neighbor who listens, one woman who identifies with another's story. The physical encounters, the conversations, the unplanned connections, all of these create a sense of togetherness that helps to cope with fear and uncertainty.
Liron Moshe Moritz and Sarit Lulai Tillinger They founded the "Women of the Estate" community, both of whom were involved in programs supported by the Haifa Boston Partnership.
Liron says: "After October 7, there was a period when there was significant community activity around recruiting equipment and packing it for fighters, evacuees, and what not. We were together a lot, the women of the neighborhood, especially the mothers. It really kept us sane."
Slowly after the war, each of us began to feel the huge lack of community activity in our neighborhood. After an experience at a women's circle, to which I traveled especially, I said to myself, "I need one near my house." That's where the thought first came to mind.
After a few weeks, I was exposed to the idea on the "Influential" program that perfectionism kills action and that it is worth focusing on action and improving as you go. These things were a sign for me to take action, and so we established the WhatsApp group: Women of the Estate.
The group grew quickly, and after an initial round of introductions, we created a community introduction table, where anyone who wanted to could insert themselves to offer help or professional service to the women of the community, and how much fun it was to discover a variety of areas in which we could help each other: ceramicist, parent facilitator, chocolatier, kindergarten teacher, doula, speech therapist, group facilitator, fitness trainer, and many more."
Career steps
Anat Peter, a career counselor and participant in the "Influential" program, founded a project called "Social Jobs," which she has been leading since moving from the south to Haifa, with the goal of creating a direct connection between organizations and job seekers. What started as a northern WhatsApp group with about 1,000 members and hundreds of waiting members, has expanded to a nationwide scope that allows for opening doors and making opportunities accessible for thousands of job seekers from the periphery to the center.
Anat: "For me, meeting women who are planning to move to the North and are helped by the community I built to put down roots is an impact that has exciting community ripples. Throughout the war, the project worked to strengthen personal and professional resilience. I built a "roadmap" for the community members that will help them make progress and take action even when the guns were roaring, with the belief that employment and livelihood are key engines of resilience, for every person and their community."
Initiatives from the heart
Orly Avra, a participant in the "Embassy" forum, initiated a meeting during the war where children and their parents wrote greetings and drew pictures for soldiers and fighters in the Home Front Command. "We arrived at the Fanny Kaplan Center amid alarms, we went down to the shelter, but it was clear to all of us that we were continuing to pack the hundreds of shirts that had been purchased for them, along with moving personal greetings."
Rina Balchinsky, an ambassador at the Embassy Forum, chose to focus on building community resilience in times of destabilizing reality. "It was important to me to maintain a routine for my children and the children of the neighborhood, so I took advantage of our WhatsApp group to organize daily meetings and a neighborhood Purim celebration, along with continuing to accompany the elderly women in the neighborhood who I have been accompanying for years," she says.
Rina led meetings for mothers and activities for children near the protected spaces, with a deep mission: "I believe in the power of the community; the more we move things along even in difficult times, the more we can overcome any challenge together and move forward with new strength to create significant change."
Falgush Balta, has been leading an informal mentoring initiative for young new immigrants and law students since 2020. Based on personal familiarity with the challenges of the journey, she provides tailored guidance, from adapting to Israeli society to coping with academic studies and connecting with relevant opportunities. The guidance, sometimes short and sometimes ongoing, helps strengthen self-confidence, better integration and open doors to the future. Even during the war, Falgush did her best to guide and inspire young men and women. "A person to a person - a bridge," she says, and this is exactly the spirit of the initiative.
Between personal initiative and broad impact
The common story of all these initiatives is not just action, but choice. The choice not to remain in a place of helplessness, but to act. To take knowledge, experience and a desire to develop, and turn them into a tool that also serves others. Within this process, the Haifa-Boston Partnership plays a significant role as an enabling infrastructure that connects people, provides tools, knowledge and professional guidance, and creates a space where ideas can become initiatives with real impact.
In a time of war, when the future is uncertain, these women proved once again that impact does not begin with large resources, but with an idea, a community, and a willingness to take one step forward. And when there are those who believe in them and accompany them along the way, that step becomes a movement of change.
"Investing in leadership is an investment in long-term social infrastructure."
Oshrat Gafni-Moyal, Director of the Haifa-Boston Partnership: "I am particularly moved to see how women take the tools they have received and turn them into real action on the ground. This is the moment when a plan becomes an impact. For us at the Haifa-Boston Partnership, investing in leadership is an investment in long-term social infrastructure, and we see how this investment pays off, especially in times of uncertainty. The tools, support, and connections that the participants have acquired allow them to identify a need and take action."
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