Never a Native

Shalvi
has been a pioneer in advancing the status of women in Israel and in
religious girls’ education. She has been an active participant in peace
dialogues and inter-religious initiatives and has been a social activist all
her life.

Born in Germany in 1926 to Orthodox
parents, Shalvi grew up in London and studied English at Cambridge, before moving
to Jerusalem in 1949 where she went on to pursue a PhD at Hebrew
University, eventually teaching English Literature.

In 1950, Shalvi met and married her
husband, Moshe Shelkowitz (later Shalvi), who died in 2013. They had six children
together.

One of Shalvi’s greatest
accomplishments was the establishment of the Pelech School which she headed
from 1975 to 1990. This experimental/ progressive religious high school for
girls in Jerusalem has become a model for women’s Orthodox education across
the country.

Shalvi was a co-founder of the Israel
Women’s Network, established to advance the status of women.

In 2007 she was awarded the Israel
Prize for Lifetime Achievements in the areas of education, social welfare and
human rights.