Ahuva Turgeman - BBB Group CEO - Women's Day 2024

Since 1965, many countries have celebrated International Women's Day, which marks the economic, political, and social achievements of women, and shows respect and love towards them.

The feeling is, come 2024, that the original goals of this day sound archaic and outdated. Women don't need special recognition, don't need a pat on the back, and don't need support from men. Women have proven and continue to prove that they are successful in their own right, in whatever field they decide to focus on and do an excellent job, while facing, in some cases, a patriarchal world and conservative views.

Precisely in preparation for marking this day, it is worth turning the spotlight on the strength of Israeli women in this complex period. The women of Israel - on the front lines and the home front –  have demonstrated amazing and inspiring abilities since October 7:

Our lookouts, who warned about what was happening beyond our borders and did not take their eyes off the screens; the medics, paramedics, nurses, and doctors who work day and night in the hospitals to take care of the thousands of hospitalized wounded; reservists, who left everything, mobilized and help every day, hour by hour, in all positions; combat soldiers and combat supporters, regular female soldiers and officers, who proved to everyone that they can do everything, just like the men; wives of the reservists, who face the impossible reality of raising children and maintaining the home, while continuing to work, and are required to create a rosy and optimistic reality for their children while they are driven crazy by concern for their spouses fighting on the front; and tens of thousands of other women, who face, like all citizens of the country, an impossible and shocking reality.

It is impossible not to mention the women who bravely and cleverly faced the Hamas terrorists who broke into their homes; it is impossible not to be amazed by the kidnapped women. Some of them have already returned, and some will return to Israel, whose stories of heroism and inspiration are known only in part from the testimonies of the abductees who have already returned to us; and women of all ages who have shown extraordinary survival skills, wisdom, and sharpness in their dealings with Hamas captivity. These stories of heroism will join the chronicles of the State of Israel and its battle heritage.