Former MK and Israel Prize winner Esther Herlitz, who was a member of BGU’s Board of Governors and the Audit Committee for many years, passed away last Thursday at the age of 94.
Herlitz served in the eighth and ninth Knessets as a member of the Labor Party and was considered a pioneer for women in Israel; she was the first woman to serve on the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and was also Israel's first female ambassador, having been appointed as the country's ambassador to Denmark in 1966.
In addition she played many roles in the creation and building up of the state – establishing the women’s army unit in a besieged Jerusalem, a member of Tel Aviv City Council, an adviser to Golda Meir, founder of the Center for Volunteer Services, a MK, and taking a senior role in Na’amat.
In 2015 she was awarded the Israel Prize for her "unique contribution to society and the state".
May her memory be a blessing.
