Michal Har'el

Michal Har'el (Hebrew: מיכל מודעי‎; née Herison; 1931 – 2 March 2012), was the second Miss Israel, a women's rights activist, and one of three lifetime honorary presidents of Women's International Zionist Organization.

Michal Har'el
Michal Har'el
Born
Michal Herison

1931
Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
Died2 March 2012(2012-03-02) (aged 80–81)
Israel
Other namesMichal Moda'i
TitleMiss Israel 1951
Spouse(s)Yitzhak Moda'i
ChildrenHarela Moda'i
Boaz Moda'i
Galia Moda'i

Early life

Har'el was born a seventh generation Jerusalemite to Zipporah Salomon and Osher Samuel Zelman Herison and she was relative of Yoel Moshe Salomon. She attended the Evelina de Rothschild School in Jerusalem, and the David Yellin College of Education. She was described by The Jewish Daily Forward as a "stalwart defender of the City of David during the 1948 siege of Jerusalem."[1]

Career and Volunteerism

After working as a kindergarten teacher, she became a beauty queen, first as Miss Jerusalem and then Miss Israel.[2] Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion wanted representatives of Israel to have Hebrew names,[3] and so she changed her last name from Herison to Har'el. She travelled the world representing her nation. She toured the United States for two months, raising money for the United Jewish Appeal, and was met by such dignitaries as the mayor of New York City.[4] One of the places she visited was London and there she met her future husband, Yitzhak Moda'i, a military attache who was later to become an Israeli politician and Finance Minister.

In 1968 she joined WIZO Herzliya Pituah and soon became its chairwoman. She focused the organization's efforts to assist recent immigrants who were often impoverished and lacking in knowledge of Hebrew or Israel's bureaucracy. After taking on progressively more responsible positions, Moda'i was elected chair of Israel's WIZO. In addition to visiting and supporting WIZO teams in neighboring areas, she decided in 1983 to begin opening up shelters for battered women in response to problems of domestic violence. In order to secure better funding for WIZO's youth programs and facilities, she lobbied the Ministries of Finance and Education. She was elected World WIZO's fourth president in 1996[5] and held that position until she became chair of the Council of Women's Organizations in 2004.

Moda'i held a variety of other roles as well. She was a member of the World Jewish Congress and served on the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors. She received the Prime Minister's Shield of Volunteerism Award 1999 in recognition of her non-profit leadership and contributions.[6] In 2004 she was named an honorary citizen of Tel Aviv.[7]

Family

Michal Har'el married Yitzhak Moda'i in 1953 and together they had three children. Their oldest, a daughter Harela, died in an automobile accident when she was 22 years old, and her parents created a memorial prize, given annually at Army Radio, where she worked. A son, Boaz Moda'i, served as Israel's ambassador to Ireland from 2010 to 2015.[8]

Published works
  • "beauty queen's Diary" (1983)

8

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Miriam Yaron (Jaross)		 Miss Israel
1951		 Succeeded by
Ora Vered (Gamily)
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References
  1. "Forward"http://forward.com/articles/14655/man-in-search-of-language-/#ixzz3JBTrT48N
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2015-07-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Israel’s Bold New Queen"http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/126845/israels-bold-new-queen
  4. "New York Mayor Extends City Hall Welcome to Miss Israel, 1952"http://www.jta.org/1952/03/27/archive/new-york-mayor-extends-city-hall-welcome-to-miss-israel-1952#ixzz3JBvflSq0
  5. "Zionist Women’s Activist, Former ‘Miss Israel’ Dies at 81"http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/03/07/zionist-women’s-activist-former-‘miss-israel’-dies-at-81/
  6. "Moda’i, World WIZO honorary president, dies at 81"http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Modai-World-WIZO-honorary-president-dies-at-81
  7. "Israeli women's rights activist and former WIZO head Michal Modai dies at 81"http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-women-s-rights-activist-and-former-wizo-head-michal-modai-dies-at-81-1.416496
  8. "Ex-UN ambassador to become next Egypt envoy"http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/ex-un-ambassador-to-become-next-egypt-envoy-1.3640
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