EL AL | Atmosphere

Magazine I Interview

In a reality where only 1% of philanthropic funding is dedicated to advancing women, the Nitzan Foundation - an initiative of the World Zionist Organization established in the aftermath of October 7 - is working to reduce gender inequality, combat violence against women, and strengthen social resilience in Israel. We sat down with the foundation’s founders, Ayelet Razin Bet Or and Dror Morag, to discuss the positive changes already taking place on the ground and their vision for long-term social impact / By Yoel Tzafrir Social justice for women is an engine for social change

Women within the Department for Social Equality under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had instigated the conference. “The WZO had been planning to send a delegation of Israeli female leaders to the US even before the events of October 7, but after the massacre, we decided to organize the conference at the UN”, explains Razin Bet Or. After the conference, Dror Morag, Vice Chairman of the WZO and Head of the Department for Social Engagement and Tikun Olam, contacted Razin Bet Or with the idea to dedicate a philanthropic fund to address the plight of women in Israel. “The UN conference was a decisive trigger for me,” recalls Morag. “I realized an executive arm was in need to translate the solidarity of the Jewish world into direct action on the ground”. And so, the Nitzan Foundation was born, with Morag serving as chairman and Razin Bet Or as director. Creating change on the ground “The successive crises of recent years - from the pandemic to the war - have disproportionately affected women,” says Razin Bet

“Leading a Model Society”: the Israeli delegation of female leaders in New York in November 2023, led by Dror Morag and Ayelet Razin Bet Or. Photo: Udi Almog

Two months after the October 7 attacks, an emergency conference was held at the UN headquarters in New York, entitled “Hear Our Voices”. The event revealed to the world the shocking gender crimes committed by the Hamas. Key influential figures, including Sheryl Sandberg and actresses Debra Messing and Julianne Margulies, appeared on stage, alongside a

recorded speech by Hillary Clinton. The event generated widespread media coverage and instigated an international outreach campaign designed not only to reveal the truth, but also to mobilize support for the survivors. Ayelet Razin Bet Or, a long-time gender equality advocate who had headed Israel’s Authority for the Advancement of the Status of

22 ATMOSPHERE JUNE 2026