Professor Alice Shalvi, a distinguished educator, unyielding feminist, and recipient of numerous accolades, including the prestigious Israel Prize, passed away on Monday morning, just weeks shy of her 97th birthday. Her legacy is etched in the annals of education and women’s rights.
Born in Germany in 1926, Shalvi’s life took a dramatic turn when her family sought refuge in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1934, escaping the rise of Nazism. While her family managed to survive the war, young Alice was deeply affected by the Holocaust survivors she encountered in post-war England and the subtle antisemitism she experienced there.
Her journey towards feminism and education was somewhat accidental. Alice Shalvi pursued a degree in social work at the London School of Economics, with the hope of aiding in the rehabilitation of Holocaust survivors she had encountered. However, upon immigrating to Israel in 1949, she found that the country had not yet established a professional social work sector. This led her to the field of education, a path that would define her life.
A staunch Zionist, Shalvi was sent as a representative of British Jewish students to the 22nd Zionist Congress in Basel in 1946. Her love for Israel was evident from an early age. Despite the shift from her original career path, she embraced teaching and saw it as an avenue for making a meaningful impact on individuals’ lives.
Shalvi began her academic journey at the Hebrew University, eventually earning her PhD there. She later became the head of the English literature departments at both the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In this capacity, she confronted deep-seated gender biases within academic circles, paving the way for women in academia.
Transitioning from university to high school education, Shalvi became the principal of the Pelech school in Jerusalem in 1975. This experimental religious girls’ school marked a groundbreaking approach by introducing Talmud studies into the religious education system—a first of its kind.
Every life situation became an opportunity for Alice Shalvi to drive change. In 1984, inspired by a visit from US feminist icon Betty Friedan, she founded the Israel Women’s Network (IWN). The organization was dedicated to addressing discrimination and disparities faced by women in various facets of Israeli society, from professional bias to the underrepresentation of women in politics, religion, and education.
Notably, Shalvi’s own family life was marked by discussions about her role as a working mother. She believed that life should seamlessly combine work, family, and community engagement, calling for structural changes that recognize parenting as a full-time job.
Throughout her journey, Alice Shalvi navigated her own religious transformation. Her experience of saying a blessing over the Torah scroll at the age of 53, in a Conservative synagogue in Milwaukee, shifted her perspective on religious gender roles. She became an advocate for more equal roles for women within Judaism.
Despite the multitude of changes she championed in her long life in Israel, Alice Shalvi wrote in her memoir, “Never a Native,” that she never truly felt labeled as an Israeli. Her legacy, however, firmly establishes her as an indelible part of Israel’s history.
Alice Hildegard Margulies, as she was originally named, leaves behind a profound legacy, survived by five of her six children, 21 grandchildren, and 26 great-grandchildren. Her contributions to education, feminism, and Israeli society will be remembered for generations to come.