The first "Iron Women Flight" sponsored by the Shahar-On management group and the Association for Professional Advancement and led by the association's CEO Hila Kanister Bar-David, took off for London on Sunday on an El Al flight.
The flight is the first of twelve like it which will transport 2000 Israeli women in leading economic roles to a conference themed around women's empowerment and the history which shaped the state of women's place in society today.
This is the first such collaboration between El Al, which was chosen to spearhead the program, and the Association for Professional Advancement. CEO Hila Kanister Bar-David was on the first flight; she and the other participants each received a personal letter from El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia along with a gift certificate.
A cooperative effort
The Association for Professional Advancement was established in 1999 as a part of the collective agreement between the State Employees Union and the Finance Ministry. Since its founding, it has been working to give state employees opportunities to expand their education, advance in their workplace and improve their quality of life.
CE Hila Kanister Bar-David, who has been involved in the field of gender equality for the past decade, told those with her on the flight: "I am excited to embark on a journey that is all-women -religious and secular, Arab and Jewish- all as one family who will take part in a meaningful journey. [The journey], along with the educational values [of] the seminar, will [be] an exciting experience. One that will leave a mark. I thank my friends at El Al, and, of course, the CEO of El Al, Dina."
Amit Levy, the director of Israel sales at El Al, welcomed the partnership between organizations, saying that "El Al is proud to be the official leader of this journey, as a company headed by a woman and with 40% of its employees being women. As the airline which wears the Israeli flag, we want to make sure to maintain these kinds of partnerships are maintained. [We] are proud to be the bridge...between Israel and the world."