Age: 45
Profession: Married to David Matar, mother of six, cochair of Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green)
Place of birth: Antwerp, Belgium
Current residence: EfratNadia Matar was born in Belgium and made aliya in 1984 at 18. In 1993, she joined with her mother-in-law Ruth Matar to found Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (popularly known as Women in Green), a right-wing grassroots movement devoted to the ideal of Greater Israel. Eretz Yisrael Le’am Yisrael (‘The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel’) is its motto.Until 2005’s disengagement, Women in Green was primarily involved in protests and hasbara. After Gush Katif, Ruth Matar retired and was replaced by Yehudit Katsover. The organization’s focus changed to ‘preventing Arab takeover of state land and strengthening the Jewish people’s possession of the land.’ Its latest project is planting groves and vineyards in Judea.■ What gets you out of bed in the morning? The excitement of another challenging day working full-time with my partner Yehudit Katsover, and others, at safeguarding Eretz Yisrael for the Jewish people■ What keeps you up at night? Agonizing that we did not do enough. Planning more projects and then worrying about where the funding will come from to actualize these projects.■ What’s the most difficult professional moment you’ve faced so far? The expulsion from Gush Katif and from Beit Hashalom in Hebron.■ How do you celebrate your achievements? After we succeeded in restoring a Jewish presence at the Shdema army base near Har Homa last Pessah, we gathered those who helped out, drank a toast and started planning our next project: the safeguarding of state lands from Arab encroachment by planting trees and vineyards. So far, we’ve managed to preserve dozens of dunams of state land against illegal Arab takeover in Netzer, between Elazar and Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion.■ If you were prime minister, what’s the first thing you would do? I would annex Judea and Samaria, build tens of thousands of housing units in Judea, Samaria and the Golan to raise their Jewish population to at least one million. I’d return to Gaza and northern Samaria and would reassert Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount. I’d also elect Jonathan Pollard as president of the State of Israel.■ Which Israeli should have a movie made about him? Rabbi Moshe Levinger, who paved the way for the Jewish return to Judea, Samaria and Gaza in general and to Hebron in particular.■ What would you change about Israelis if you could? Nothing. The overwhelming majority of Israelis are wonderful people who love their fellow Jews, their homeland and their tradition. The problem is with a fringe of Israelis on the extreme left who unfortunately control the media, the judiciary and the police. That fringe is doing Israel a lot of harm, but, as their followers are so few and the bankruptcy of their ideas has become so obvious, God willing their influence will wane.■ iPad, BlackBerry or pen and paper? Definitely pen and paper.■ If you had to write an advertisement to entice tourists to come to Israel, what would it say? Come to the most beautiful country in the world: Israel’s biblical homeland. Be a partner in making Israel our modern as well as our biblical homeland! Walk the length of the country on the path of Israel’s patriarchs and matriarchs, from Hebron through Bethlehem to Jerusalem and then up to Shiloh and Shechem. Plant vineyards on the hills of Judea, Samaria and the Golan. Ski on the Hermon, swim and relax in the Mediterranean, scuba dive in Eilat. Volunteer in the Negev and Galilee to guard Jewish land. Once you come, you won’t want to leave!■ What is the most serious problem facing the country? The weakness of our political leaders who have turned Israel into a banana republic, capitulating to the whims and demands of those who would destroy us.■ How can it be solved? By choosing leaders who are not afraid – not afraid to declare that the Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel for now and forever and not afraid of Jewish destiny which, try as we might to change it, will not allow us to slide under the radar as just another country like any other country.■ In 20 years the country will be: God willing, Israel will be more Jewish and more proud of it. Only that way can we hope to be respected by the world. If we are a light unto ourselves, we can also be a light unto the nations.