The World WIZO Department of Organization and Education maintains direct contact with WIZO’s numerous Federations around the world. The staff collates up-to-date information on all the Federations: their addresses, the names and addresses of Heads of Federations, Federation structure, and statistics regarding the local Jewish community. The Department maintains direct contact with the Heads of Federations, as well as those responsible for organization, education and membership recruitment in each Federation. It also maintains contact with the Aviv Representative to the World WIZO Executive. The Department responds to, and makes every effort to fulfill, the requests of WIZO members worldwide, either directly or through appropriate referrals.

The Department conducts as many as two International Leadership Seminars each year in Israel.  Aviv Seminars have been held since 1977, and are intended for women up to the age of 45. Lapid Seminars were initiated in 1999, and are intended for women over 45. At both Seminars, which last for five days, WIZO members meet their sisters from all over the world. The program includes lectures, workshops, and tours, with visits to WIZO institutions and other sites of interest. Discussions and the exchange of information by the chaverot is given pride of place. 

The Department responds to invitations for missions to Federations, whether for Conferences or workshops.

At annual World WIZO Meetings of Representatives, and at World WIZO Enlarged General Meetings, which take place every four years, the Department is responsible for the session dealing with Organization and Education.

For the 24th World WIZO EGM, held in January 2008, The Director of the Department served as Coordinator in charge of preparations for the EGM.

Main activities

The WIZO Aviv International Seminar has taken place every year since the 1980s, excluding those years in which a WIZO EGM (Conference) took place.  The Seminars are aimed at developing the future generation of WIZO leadership throughout the world.  They last for five days and the participants discuss the following issues: Jewish identity, Israel and the Diaspora, Zionism, WIZO Israel, WIZO projects, women's leadership, publicity and public relations, fundraising, and membership recruitment. Participants visit selected WIZO projects and other places of interest.

During the period under review three Aviv Seminars were held, in which 150 Aviv members from a number of Federations participated.  Many WIZO leaders who are active in the Federation today are graduates of the WIZO Aviv International Seminar, and more recently, of the WIZO Lapid International Seminar.

The Department is in regular contact with the Aviv Representative to the World WIZO Executive, who takes an active part in organizing the Seminar.  During the period under review Ronit Collis-Madari of WIZO.uk was the Aviv Representative, followed by Marla Dan of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO.

The “Bible Day Booklet” is a long-standing tradition (since 1964). In recent years, booklets have been produced on the following themes: “Breaking the Parchment Ceiling: Women Learn Judaism”; “Giving is Receiving”; “The WIZO Landscape: People & Places From Biblical Times To The Present”; “The Thread of Hatred: Anti-Semitism Through the Bible and Beyond”; ”Cycles of Strength: Jewish Customs and the Jewish Life Cycle”; “Women’s Rights in the Bible”; and “…And a Little Child Shall Lead Them” / Jewish Childhood in a Changing World”. A number of Federations hold regular meetings around the contents of the booklets, which are published in English, Spanish, and French.