Chairperson's Office. "May it be Your will, Lord our G-d and G-d of our ancestors, that you renew for us a good and sweet year!"

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1 12 th September, 2017 "May it be Your will, Lord our G-d and G-d of our ancestors, that you renew for us a good and sweet year!" Dear Chaverot, Rosh Hashanah is upon us, marking the end of a year and the beginning of a new year. For Jews around the world, the month of Tishrei marks the beginning of a season of renewal and the time of reflection. This special and holy time of the year offers us an opportunity to start afresh, as well as the duty to look back with humility. For me personally, Rosh Hashana highlights a very important theme in the life of our people our relationships with G-d, with our friends and families, with our community and with our land. From the moment the Book of Life is opened on Rosh Hashanah until the gates are shut at the end of Yom Kippur, we ask our families, friends, and neighbors for their forgiveness for the ways we could have done better. We also turn to G-d to ask for his mercy, and for his will to inscribe us for a good year.

2 On the Days of Awe we ask of ourselves the strength to continue to do better - and make the community and the world we live in a better, kinder, and a more peaceful place. As Chairperson of Israel's leading social organization, this Rosh Hashanah provides a chance to reflect on the wonderful work we have carried out to make WIZO stronger, more balanced and more successful. Throughout the year, our volunteers and staff have worked hand in hand to continue the Avodat Kodesh WIZO does in each of our 175 Day Care Centers, 8 schools, 5 youth villages, 2 shelters for battered women, dozens of WIZO branches, Parents Home and many other services for children, women, youth and every Israeli that needs us. This past year has been filled with moments of Nachess and a few moments of sadness. A sad moment none of us will ever forget was the loss of our beloved Raya Jaglom z"l, World WIZO Honorary Life President. As soon as the news broke, our WIZO family across the globe stopped to mourn this heavy loss, each sending her own memories and thoughts of one of WIZO's greatest leaders. While we cherish her memory, we also strive to follow in her footsteps and fulfil the legacy she has left behind. When I look at some of the highlights from over the past year, I am filled with pride to be the Chairperson of this marvelous organization.

3 Let us be proud of these special moments from the past year: Let us be proud of the many awards our schools, students and staff achieved. Only last month, four of our WIZO schools received special excellence awards for various educational, behavioral and social achievements from the Ministry of Education. Our schools, students and staff achieved many awards WIZO Nahalal CHW Hadassim WIZO Gan Vanof Mazal tov to WIZO Nahalal Youth Village, co-sponsored by Canadian Hadassah-WIZO and WIZO UK, CHW WIZO Nir Haemek Hadassim Youth Village, sponsored by Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, WIZO Gan Vanof Youth Village, cosponsored by WIZO Switzerland and WIZO Panama, and WIZO Nir Haemek Youth Village, co-sponsored by WIZO USA and WIZO Argentina! Let us be proud of our role in the victory of the early age sector in the Knesset. Victory in the Knesset "For the first time since the birth of the State of Israel, an official body was formed to safeguard the quality of education and care in the early age sector." For the first time since the birth of the State of Israel, an official body was formed to set national standards and safeguard the quality of education and care in the early age sector. I am delighted and proud of the role WIZO has taken in securing this historic vote which officially placed early childhood education on Israel's national agenda.

4 Let us be proud of the revival of our smaller WIZO federations. Last May, I joined the celebration of WIZO Hungary's 25th anniversary. It was an unforgettable event that fills my heart with hope and confidence that our organization can overcome every challenge. Revival of our smaller WIZO federations These visits highlight the everlasting bond of each WIZO member around the world It was a visit that highlighted the everlasting bond of each WIZO member around the world. The love and dedication of our lovely Chaverot in Budapest showed how the bond between WIZO and our Chaverot can overcome. Federations achieve big Hasbara successes Let us be proud of the exceptional WIZO and Hasbarah work our federations have done over the past year. "None of this could be made possible without the dedication and commitment of time, energy and creativity of our Chaverot around the world." This year, our federations have stepped up their efforts in bringing our beautiful Olive Tree Exhibition to new and even more prestigious platforms. This beautiful project has travelled from new venue to another, reaching some of the most important institutions in the world, including the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, at the House of Parliament in London, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. This coexistence project of Jewish, Christian and Muslim female painters has indeed become one of WIZO's greatest successes Hasbarah. None of this could be made possible without the dedication and commitment of time, energy and creativity of our Chaverot around the world. I have no doubt that through these efforts, we have helped more and more people to see a different side of Israel which can rarely be seen on social media or television.

5 Chaverot, while we have accomplished so much together over the past year, so much work remains to be done- as we always say "There is never a dull moment in WIZO". This is the very essence of the Jewish New Year, which always reminds us that our educational and social work is never done. I wish you, your families and friends another sweet year full of hope, health, and happiness and I wish us many more years of new and meaningful achievements for WIZO, for the State of Israel and for the Jewish people in Israel and around the world. Prof. Rivka Lazovsky Chairperson World WIZO