University of Haifa Professor makes rare American appearance to discuss her latest findings on the state of women’s rights in Is
By Mel Fabrikant Thursday, September 02, 2010, 04:01 PM EDT
University of Haifa professor emeritus Dr. Marilyn Safir, widely considered the “mother” of Israel’s feminist movement and one of the world’s leading experts on women’s rights, will present her latest findings in a speech at Temple Sinai in Tenafly, NJ on Thursday, October 14. The event, “Women in Israel --- Is Equality a Myth?,” is co-sponsored by the American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH), Temple Sinai of Bergen County’s Sisterhood and Renaissance Group, and the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades.
At the University of Haifa, Dr. Sapir founded Israel’s first women’s studies program as well as its Project KIDMA for the Advancement of Women. KIDMA (www./hcc.haifa.ac.il/chairs/kidma/ ) aims to advance the status of women in Israel through creating programs to help women increase their positive involvement in Israeli society. Dr. Safir will discuss her latest findings and observations within the historical context of Israel’s feminist movement.
Prior to Dr. Safir’s work at the University of Haifa, Israel had virtually no formal women’s rights movement. Her long track record of success since has made her a pioneer in the field, both in Israel and abroad. Dr. Safir’s presents a truly unique perspective, as both the movement’s pioneer and as an academic who currently studies it. The speech is expected to attract a capacity crowd. Dr. Safir is in the U.S. to accept the Alumna of the Year Award from Brooklyn College.
The event is free to the public. Pre-registration is required: event@asuh.org or 212.685.7880, ext. 22.
About ASUH:
The American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH) helps ensure the continued excellence of the educational, research, and community activities of the University of Haifa by serving as a vital connection between the University and its many friends in the United States.
Professor Marilyn Safir is Professor Emerita, in Department of Psychology (specializing in Clinical and Social Psychology) and Director of Project KIDMA - for the Advancement of Women. Marilyn served as Academic Advisor to Project KIDMA-- for the Advancement of Women since its establishment in 1984 and became Director in 1996. Project Kidma, in addition to programs for women from disadvantaged communities and villages, runs leadership training workshops for multicultural and mixed socioeconomic groups. Kidma developed courses to educate Israeli police officers about the current theories of family violence. The majority of senior officers went through this training and eventually these courses became a regular part of Police Academy curriculum.
Professor Safir is Founder and former Director (1983-1993) of the University of Haifa Women's Studies Program. She is also a founding member of the Executive Committee and first President of the Israel Association for Feminist and Gender Studies –IAFGS (1998-2002). Safir was a Founding Director and President of the Board of Nisan –Young Women’s Leadership Program (1995-2001). She was also a founder of the Israel Women's Network (1984) and served three terms on the Executive Board.
Safir completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Research Methodology at Syracuse University in 1968. Socially active since her college days, Safir participated in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Warren Hagstrum and Sol Alinski doing community organization in the 15th ward where she served as Ward Chair for the Democratic Party. She participated in The Meredith March from Tennessee through Mississippi 1966. Afer completing her Ph.D. at Syracuse University, Safir moved to Israel where she helped pioneer Israel's women's movement, which began in Haifa in 1970. She served as a founder and supervisor of volunteers in both ERAN- Emergency Psychological Telephone Service and the Rape Crises Hotline, and was active in a range of women's advocacy organizations. She served as Director, National Commission on the Advancement for the Status of Women from 1986 to 1991. Safir founded and chaired the first International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women: Women’s Worlds in Haifa in 1981; the first major international feminist women’s studies congress. As a result, an international network of feminist women’s studies scholars and activists was formed, enabling a series of nine subsequent such meetings (Groningen, Netherlands, 1984; Dublin, Ireland, 1987; New York, USA, 1990; San Jose, Costa Rica, 1993; Adelaide, Australia 1996; Tromso, Norway, 1999; Kampala, Uganda, 2002; and Seoul, South Korea, 2005. The 10th Congress was held in Madrid, Spain in 2008 and the 11th will be held in Ottawa in 2011).
Professor Safir runs an electronic network: The Israel Feminist Forum that has an Israeli and international list of over 400 subscribers who discuss current feminist issues in Israel. She also runs the IAFGS-Israel Association for Feminist and Gender Studies electronic list. From 1993 to1996, Safir served on the Minister of Economics’ Committee to Improve the Economic Status of Women. She currently serves on the Board of The Institute for Cross Cultural and Cross Ethnic Studies, Molloy College (New York from 1992), and the Advisory Board of the MAFERR (Male Female Role Research) Foundation, from 1985. From 1984 to1987, she served as a Consultant and Advisor to the Commander ofִ HEN (Israeli Women's Army Corps) for special projects. She served on the Prime Minister’s Committee to Investigate the Lack of Symmetry of Boys and Girls in Israel on Intelligence Tests (1986 1986). Safir spent two sabbaticals at Stanford University, as a visiting scholar at the Center for Research on Women, and as a visiting psychology professor in Psychology (1982-1983, and again in 1994), where she split her time in the second semester between the University of Washington's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Stanford University. In 2006-2007 Safir was a visiting Professor in Psychology and a Consultant to the Department of Women's Studies at Arizona State University.
Professional Honors and Awards:
Safir will receive the Alumna of the Year Award from Brooklyn College on October 18, 2010. In August, 2009, she received the award for Contributions to International Psychology by Psychological Association’s Division for International Psychology. In June 2008, she received the Distinguished Citizen Award by Haifa Municipality
Professor Safir is a member of numerous professional organizations and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA; Division 35: Psychology of Women 1987; Division 9: the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues 1988; Division 52: International Psychology, of which she a founding). Safir was the first recipient of American Psychological Association’s Division for International Psychology’s Distinguished Visiting Professorship (August 2005-2006). Safir was also the first recipient of the Florence Denmark and Gori Gunvald Award for Research on Women and Gender, International Council of Psychologists, 2002. The Haifa Municipality cited her in 2003 for an Outstanding Researcher Award: Bridging the Gap between Academia and Community. Safir was elected full member of the International Academy for Sex Research in 1994. APA’s Committee on Women and Psychology honored her in 1992 with a Distinguished Leadership Citation for her professional contributions to women’s psychology both nationally and internationally (she was one of three awardees at the APA’s Centennial Congress in Washington, D.C).
She and Carmit Arieli received the prize for Outstanding Research from the Israel Society for the Study and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in 1992. The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues conferred upon her a Certificate of Appreciation in 1987 for her work: Women’s Worlds: From the New Scholarship. Safir was elected as member of the New York Academy of Science in 1987. She received the Mensa Education & Research Foundation Award for Excellence in Research (1986) for her research on, and exposure of, gender differences on intelligence tests in Israel. Through the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, she received a research grant to conduct research on sexuality and psychological androgyny. Safir received the Elin Wagner Stipendia, Stockholm, Sweden, for her research on Women in the Kibbutz in 1975
Professor Safir was cited in The Lexicon of 1000 Israeli Women, 1885 1985 (1990). The Dutch Government invited Safir to visit Emancipation projects in April 1984, as part of an Israeli-Dutch exchange, as a visiting scientist. Safir has been listed in The International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women (1989); The World's Who's Who of Women (1987, 1989, 1991); The International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women (1989); The International Directory of Distinguished Service (1986) for contributions to the fields of Psychology and Women's Studies. She was one of six Israeli Jewish women selected to attend the Seminar on Conflict Resolution and Women’s Issues for Israeli and Palestinian Women, held in Brussels in 1998. She was singled out as one of the 100 Heroines of the World in Rochester, New York (1998) in recognition of her lifetime achievements in furthering the cause of women’s rights, freedom, health, and equal opportunities; and for serving as a role model for women and girls around the world. Safir received the Distinguished Citizen Award by Haifa Municipality June 18, 2008.
At the University of Haifa, Dr. Sapir founded Israel’s first women’s studies program as well as its Project KIDMA for the Advancement of Women. KIDMA (www./hcc.haifa.ac.il/chairs/kidma/ ) aims to advance the status of women in Israel through creating programs to help women increase their positive involvement in Israeli society. Dr. Safir will discuss her latest findings and observations within the historical context of Israel’s feminist movement.
Prior to Dr. Safir’s work at the University of Haifa, Israel had virtually no formal women’s rights movement. Her long track record of success since has made her a pioneer in the field, both in Israel and abroad. Dr. Safir’s presents a truly unique perspective, as both the movement’s pioneer and as an academic who currently studies it. The speech is expected to attract a capacity crowd. Dr. Safir is in the U.S. to accept the Alumna of the Year Award from Brooklyn College.
The event is free to the public. Pre-registration is required: event@asuh.org or 212.685.7880, ext. 22.
About ASUH:
The American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH) helps ensure the continued excellence of the educational, research, and community activities of the University of Haifa by serving as a vital connection between the University and its many friends in the United States.
Professor Marilyn Safir is Professor Emerita, in Department of Psychology (specializing in Clinical and Social Psychology) and Director of Project KIDMA - for the Advancement of Women. Marilyn served as Academic Advisor to Project KIDMA-- for the Advancement of Women since its establishment in 1984 and became Director in 1996. Project Kidma, in addition to programs for women from disadvantaged communities and villages, runs leadership training workshops for multicultural and mixed socioeconomic groups. Kidma developed courses to educate Israeli police officers about the current theories of family violence. The majority of senior officers went through this training and eventually these courses became a regular part of Police Academy curriculum.
Professor Safir is Founder and former Director (1983-1993) of the University of Haifa Women's Studies Program. She is also a founding member of the Executive Committee and first President of the Israel Association for Feminist and Gender Studies –IAFGS (1998-2002). Safir was a Founding Director and President of the Board of Nisan –Young Women’s Leadership Program (1995-2001). She was also a founder of the Israel Women's Network (1984) and served three terms on the Executive Board.
Safir completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Research Methodology at Syracuse University in 1968. Socially active since her college days, Safir participated in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Warren Hagstrum and Sol Alinski doing community organization in the 15th ward where she served as Ward Chair for the Democratic Party. She participated in The Meredith March from Tennessee through Mississippi 1966. Afer completing her Ph.D. at Syracuse University, Safir moved to Israel where she helped pioneer Israel's women's movement, which began in Haifa in 1970. She served as a founder and supervisor of volunteers in both ERAN- Emergency Psychological Telephone Service and the Rape Crises Hotline, and was active in a range of women's advocacy organizations. She served as Director, National Commission on the Advancement for the Status of Women from 1986 to 1991. Safir founded and chaired the first International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women: Women’s Worlds in Haifa in 1981; the first major international feminist women’s studies congress. As a result, an international network of feminist women’s studies scholars and activists was formed, enabling a series of nine subsequent such meetings (Groningen, Netherlands, 1984; Dublin, Ireland, 1987; New York, USA, 1990; San Jose, Costa Rica, 1993; Adelaide, Australia 1996; Tromso, Norway, 1999; Kampala, Uganda, 2002; and Seoul, South Korea, 2005. The 10th Congress was held in Madrid, Spain in 2008 and the 11th will be held in Ottawa in 2011).
Professor Safir runs an electronic network: The Israel Feminist Forum that has an Israeli and international list of over 400 subscribers who discuss current feminist issues in Israel. She also runs the IAFGS-Israel Association for Feminist and Gender Studies electronic list. From 1993 to1996, Safir served on the Minister of Economics’ Committee to Improve the Economic Status of Women. She currently serves on the Board of The Institute for Cross Cultural and Cross Ethnic Studies, Molloy College (New York from 1992), and the Advisory Board of the MAFERR (Male Female Role Research) Foundation, from 1985. From 1984 to1987, she served as a Consultant and Advisor to the Commander ofִ HEN (Israeli Women's Army Corps) for special projects. She served on the Prime Minister’s Committee to Investigate the Lack of Symmetry of Boys and Girls in Israel on Intelligence Tests (1986 1986). Safir spent two sabbaticals at Stanford University, as a visiting scholar at the Center for Research on Women, and as a visiting psychology professor in Psychology (1982-1983, and again in 1994), where she split her time in the second semester between the University of Washington's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Stanford University. In 2006-2007 Safir was a visiting Professor in Psychology and a Consultant to the Department of Women's Studies at Arizona State University.
Professional Honors and Awards:
Safir will receive the Alumna of the Year Award from Brooklyn College on October 18, 2010. In August, 2009, she received the award for Contributions to International Psychology by Psychological Association’s Division for International Psychology. In June 2008, she received the Distinguished Citizen Award by Haifa Municipality
Professor Safir is a member of numerous professional organizations and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA; Division 35: Psychology of Women 1987; Division 9: the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues 1988; Division 52: International Psychology, of which she a founding). Safir was the first recipient of American Psychological Association’s Division for International Psychology’s Distinguished Visiting Professorship (August 2005-2006). Safir was also the first recipient of the Florence Denmark and Gori Gunvald Award for Research on Women and Gender, International Council of Psychologists, 2002. The Haifa Municipality cited her in 2003 for an Outstanding Researcher Award: Bridging the Gap between Academia and Community. Safir was elected full member of the International Academy for Sex Research in 1994. APA’s Committee on Women and Psychology honored her in 1992 with a Distinguished Leadership Citation for her professional contributions to women’s psychology both nationally and internationally (she was one of three awardees at the APA’s Centennial Congress in Washington, D.C).
She and Carmit Arieli received the prize for Outstanding Research from the Israel Society for the Study and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in 1992. The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues conferred upon her a Certificate of Appreciation in 1987 for her work: Women’s Worlds: From the New Scholarship. Safir was elected as member of the New York Academy of Science in 1987. She received the Mensa Education & Research Foundation Award for Excellence in Research (1986) for her research on, and exposure of, gender differences on intelligence tests in Israel. Through the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, she received a research grant to conduct research on sexuality and psychological androgyny. Safir received the Elin Wagner Stipendia, Stockholm, Sweden, for her research on Women in the Kibbutz in 1975
Professor Safir was cited in The Lexicon of 1000 Israeli Women, 1885 1985 (1990). The Dutch Government invited Safir to visit Emancipation projects in April 1984, as part of an Israeli-Dutch exchange, as a visiting scientist. Safir has been listed in The International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women (1989); The World's Who's Who of Women (1987, 1989, 1991); The International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women (1989); The International Directory of Distinguished Service (1986) for contributions to the fields of Psychology and Women's Studies. She was one of six Israeli Jewish women selected to attend the Seminar on Conflict Resolution and Women’s Issues for Israeli and Palestinian Women, held in Brussels in 1998. She was singled out as one of the 100 Heroines of the World in Rochester, New York (1998) in recognition of her lifetime achievements in furthering the cause of women’s rights, freedom, health, and equal opportunities; and for serving as a role model for women and girls around the world. Safir received the Distinguished Citizen Award by Haifa Municipality June 18, 2008.
