Dganit Senker-Lange, director-general of the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, used a women’s leadership panel at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York to highlight the resilience of new immigrant families during wartime, particularly immigrant mothers who are forced to navigate crisis, family responsibility, and adaptation to Israel all at once.
Senker-Lange said that supporting new olim during the war requires close cooperation between government institutions and civil society organizations, arguing that NGOs are often able to identify needs on the ground that state bodies cannot immediately see.
Senker-Lange spoke on a panel moderated by Jerusalem Post political analyst Danielle Roth Avneri, alongside Hagit Peer, Frieda Ross, and Liz Kennedy. The discussion focused on women in leadership, women’s empowerment, aliyah, family policy, and how women can continue to lead despite criticism and pressure.
Asked about the biggest challenges facing women after they make aliyah to Israel, Senker-Lange told the story of a family from France who had arrived in Israel with a baby shortly before coming under Hezbollah fire.
“David and Fanny, a young couple from France who recently made aliyah with their baby son, Noam, and settled in Nahariya. Within days of arriving, they experienced Hezbollah rocket fire. According to Senker-Lange, their story reflects the resilience and challenges many new olim face as they begin their lives in Israel.”
Senker-Lange noted that the ministry works to identify and assist new olim during times of crisis. “Our responsibility is not only to support their integration,” she said, “but also to be there for them in their most challenging moments.”
For Senker-Lange, the story reflected both the challenges facing new immigrants and the importance of building a support system that combines government capacity with the reach and flexibility of NGOs.
“NGOs have the ability to see things that we as a government cannot see,” she said. “So I truly believe that working together with everyone is the biggest challenge, especially at times like this.”
Her remarks came as the panel explored the broader role of women in Israeli society. Peer discussed the need to bring more women into leadership and decision-making positions, while Ross spoke about programs empowering women and children, including those leaving abusive homes. Kennedy addressed the role of women in Israeli democracy and the importance of women from different communities holding public leadership positions.
Senker-Lange also pointed to the scale of aliyah since the October 7 attacks, saying that tens of thousands of people had moved to Israel despite the country being at war.
“So 64,000 olim have come to Israel since October 7,” she said. “It is the size of a small city, like Kiryat Gat.”
She acknowledged that aliyah is often accompanied by criticism over cost and resources, but argued that such criticism must be weighed against the broader national mission and the long-term meaning of immigration to Israel.
Concluding her remarks, Senker-Lange emphasized that aliyah is an investment in Israel’s future. “New olim strengthen Israeli society in countless ways,” she said. “Our responsibility is to bring them home and ensure they receive the best possible absorption and support, so they can successfully build their lives in Israel.”
Written in collaboration with Aliyah and Integration Ministry