Jaglom Raya

About

Raya Jaglom, born in 1919 in Bessarabia (present-day Republic of Moldova), emigrated to Palestine in 1939, where she studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She became active in the Zionist and humanitarian movement, serving in the Haganah between 1947-1948 in liaison and illegal immigration assistance roles on the Tel Aviv coast. Her most remarkable achievement was leading WIZO (Women's International Zionist Organization) for 26 years, between 1970 and 1996, as World President, then as Honorary Life President, building a global network to support children, women, the elderly, and new immigrants in Israel. Under her leadership, WIZO established vocational training workshops for vulnerable groups, institutions for children, youth, women, and the elderly, expanding its branches in the United States, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Hong Kong. She was a founding member of the Council for Jews from the USSR, led delegations to Moscow in 1964, and actively advocated for the release of Soviet Jews, participating in all Brussels conferences. She also supported the Tel Aviv Museum, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jewish Agency, and was involved in the Boards of Governors of Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University, inaugurating the Raya and Josef Jaglom Auditorium in 2015. Married in 1940 to industrialist Josef Jaglom, Raya lived a life dedicated to social activism, being awarded an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University in 2002 and Hebrew University in 1999, as well as the title of "Ikirath HaTnoua HaTzionit". She died in 2017 in Tel Aviv, at the age of 98, recognized as one of the most influential female figures in promoting Zionism and women's rights, inspiring generations through her tireless dedication to social justice and her connection to Israel.