Dr. Aliza Lavie is a scholar of Jewish women’s history, prayer and tradition, bestselling author, social entrepreneur, public leader and former Member of Knesset.

For more than three decades, she has worked at the intersection of scholarship, Jewish identity, public leadership and social impact. Her work restores Jewish women’s voices, traditions and wisdom to contemporary Jewish life while building bridges across Israeli society and between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.

Dr. Lavie is the founder and executive director of Tfilat Nashim, a bilingual cultural, educational and digital initiative dedicated to researching, documenting and sharing Jewish women’s prayers, customs, rituals and life stories. Through its website, educational programs, lectures, webinars, community network and educational resources, Tfilat Nashim helps individuals, families, educators and communities reconnect with Jewish heritage through women’s voices.

She is the author of five books, including the award-winning A Jewish Women’s Prayer Book (Random House), recipient of the National Jewish Book Award, and Iconic Jewish Women. Her books have helped shape a new field of accessible Jewish cultural scholarship by bringing forgotten sources, traditions and women’s voices to broad audiences.

Dr. Lavie teaches at Bar-Ilan University and Ono Academic College, where she offers courses on Jewish women’s prayers, traditions, leadership and cultural memory. She is a frequent keynote speaker in Israel and internationally.

From 2013 to 2019, she served as a Member of Israel’s Knesset, including as Chairperson of the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality and Chairperson of the Committee against Trafficking in Women and Prostitution. She received the Outstanding Parliamentary Award for her legislative achievements and public leadership.

Beyond academia and public service, Dr. Lavie remains an active voice in Israeli public discourse. She regularly comments on Israeli society, religion and state, gender, Jewish identity and Diaspora relations in Israeli and international media, writes opinion essays, and hosts the podcast Women Making History, highlighting inspiring Jewish women’s stories across generations.

She is also the founder of the 120 Women Leadership Forum, a network of women leaders working to strengthen trust, civic responsibility and dialogue across Israel’s diverse communities.

Previously, Dr. Lavie served as Chairperson of the Israel Film Council, Chairperson of the Herzl Center and Director-General of the Israeli Authority for Youth and Young Adult Exchange.

Today, through scholarship, public engagement and Tfilat Nashim, Dr. Lavie continues to build new pathways connecting Jewish memory, identity, leadership and belonging for future generations.