This week, 34-year-old Malka Greenblatt is hoping to become the first Charedi woman representative in Yerushalaim’s city hall. Malka is well known in the American-Israeli community for her groundbreaking business “Tagless Wigs” which makes beautiful shaitels accessible to women at a reasonable price. But Malka has not stopped at that, 9 years ago she started a Chareidi Montessori preschool program which today has over 100 kids. In addition this is the second year of Netivoteha, the Montessori girls school that Malka founded which has become very popular with the English speaking community and as well as Israelis all over Jerusalem.

“My dream is for my children to have a better experience than I did growing up. I want every girl to be seen for her strengths and for the staff to encourage and support her needs and talents for her to grow into a well rounded, happy Bas Yisroel who can bring up yet another generation of children with resilience and a love of learning” She says.

Malka is not the first Charedi woman to attempt an election. In 2013, two charedi Jerusalemites tried to run for city council: Racheli Ibenboim, who served, among other things, as the CEO of the Tzedakka organization Meir Panim, and Marilyn Wenig, a filmmaker and Baalas teshuva who is part of the Belzer community. However, even before the lists were submitted to the Ministry of the Interior, the two withdrew from the race, feeling pressure from their communities. In 2018, Pnina Pfeufferran as part of the ‘Yerushalamim’ faction,which did not get in.

This time, Malka feels, things are different “I am already involved with city affairs because of my business and my school. I know how important it is to have representation for your community when trying to get the things we deserve. We pay taxes like everyone else and we should get high quality services because we deserve to. Our children should have nice classrooms and room to play outside. Our teachers should be paid properly, that is why I’m determined to get elected- I want the best for our children and I want to make sure they get it”.

Malka was born and raised in Michigan in the USA and made Aliya 12 years ago. She is married and the mother of four children. She runs a successful wig business while her husband owns two restaurants. In the decade since she moved to Yerushlayim, Greenblatt has become determined to improve education for her children and the children in her community. “I am aware of the sensitivity surrounding the representation of Charedi women at the national and local level, and like any precedent set, I know that this is part of it. I will know how to deal with everything. In the end, there is a goal – and that is what is important”

“I have proven this in my activity here in the city. But let’s look at the big picture – in the last elections for the community administrations, charedi women were elected with Rabbonim’s approval, and they provide an effective service for the public. This is also a precedent that would not have happened a few years ago, and this is part of the change I’m talking about, which comes first from the field.”

What is the good news you bring to charedi women and what is your vision?

“In all my career years, from the moment I set up my business from scratch as a new Olah who did not understand Israeli bureaucracy, I did not give up on my ambitions. When I opened kindergartens and then a school, the number of times women and men alike told me that I would not succeed was tremendous. These voices have always been and will be, But I believed, I knew I would succeed and I proved it. For me, this is the good news. Public office is a challenge of a different kind that I have not known until today. But I will run to the end, and with Hashem’s help I hope to be elected and raise awareness that anything is possible!

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