By LAHAV HARKOVNadia Hilu(photo credit: KNESSET)
Former Labor MK Nadia Hilou died at 61 on Friday, leaving behind a husband and four daughters.She was a deputy speaker of the 17th Knesset, the first Christian woman to serve in the legislature, and the second Arab woman.A social worker by profession, she fought against the phenomenon of “honor” killings and served as deputy chairwoman of Na’amat – Movement of Working Women and Volunteers.Her funeral took place the same day at the St. Anthony’s Parish Church in Jaffa.Zionist Union chairman Isaac Herzog called Hilou a “strong, brave, optimistic woman, active in many areas, who broke glass ceilings and barriers, for whom peace and coexistence in Israel were always her lifeblood.”“Nadia was known as a fighter for the non-Jewish sectors in the country. She bravely fought for the rights and status of women in the Arab sector and in Israel in general and was a leader who fought poverty and inequality with all her strength,” Herzog added.She wrote her autobiography in 2013, titled The Pioneer from Ajami, in Hebrew. It was published by Hakibbutz Hame’uhad Press.
