Entrepreneurship While Evacuated

In the aftermath of the swift evacuation of Israelis along the northern border, a Jewish National Fund-USA supported organization of 1,700 female entrepreneurs from the region played a pivotal role in fostering a profound sense of resilience, unity, and collective responsibility.  

Since its founding in 2022, the women-led organization, located in the Margalit Startup City in Kiryat Shmona, founded by Erel Margalit and Jewish National Fund-USA, has served female entrepreneurs across the region regardless of their age, religion, or ethnicity. 

The communities of the Galilee make up 50% of the Israelis evacuated from the north. Or Nadav Argov, who manages the community and is herself an evacuee, described the situation as urgent for those whose lives and businesses have been disrupted. She and the team organized a series of online workshops aimed at strengthening the mental, economic, and personal resilience of women from the north and south.  

Ya’ara Har Sagi, a member, was evacuated to a kibbutz near the Dead Sea with her husband and three children, causing her thriving aromatherapy clinic specializing in natural cosmetics and oils to come to a sudden halt. Actively participating in all three workshops, she expressed her gratitude for the support she received, saying, “It was helpful to learn about stress-relief techniques from a psychologist during a workshop led by our Community Stress Prevention Center. In addition, I had the opportunity to display my products at an exhibition in Jerusalem, where I successfully sold my entire inventory.” 

Dina Kaynan, a seasoned naturopath who was evacuated, candidly shared her emotions, recounting, “I was frightened and sad, unable to manage my business.’’ However, during the second workshop led by Shlomi Lachna, a strategic advisor from Bank Hapoalim on operating a business during wartime, she received practical advice that she promptly implemented.  

Dina delivered the third workshop herself on wartime health and nutrition that highlighted the importance of the initiative, where women not only received support but also shared their knowledge to empower each other. 

This collective effort demonstrated the community’s resilience, allowing members to uplift each other, fostering not just survival but also a pathway to recovery and growth amid challenging circumstances.