Nurturing our nation at the 2025 UIA Women’s Division events
Last week in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – an extraordinary gathering of strength and solidarity unfolded as 3,000 women came together at the 2025 UIA Women’s Division events.
events were an extraordinary gathering of strength and solidarity that unfolded as 1,300 women came together at the 2025 UIA Women’s Division Gala, united by a common purpose: celebrating Women of Impact and Nurturing our Nation.
The event’s keynote speaker, Elica Le Bon – attorney, human rights activist, and outspoken ally of the Jewish people – delivered a stirring moderated discussion with the Former Governor of Victoria, the Honourable Linda Dessau AC CVO in Melbourne, Executive Director of UIA NSW Gily Rosenberg in Sydney and Dr Danit Maor in Perth.
Elica shared her family’s history of surviving Iran’s brutal regime and her personal journey from a criminal defence attorney to a globally respected advocate after October 7. “I thought I was just going to say a couple of words and everyone would understand these were terrorists, just like the regime in Iran. Instead, I started to see this new narrative—that these same terrorists were somehow now freedom fighters. And that turned my world upside down. I realised then that I could not stay silent.” This marked the moment she decided to fully engage in the fight against antisemitism despite the enormous costs to her own safety and career.
Joining Elica were two courageous Israeli women who shared personal stories that left the room in tears of awe. Tair Telem, a young mother from Ashkelon, told of how the Heartbeats Program—supported by UIA Women’s Division—saved her family after she endured severe postpartum depression amidst the trauma of war. “To the amazing women in this room who made this possible—thank you. You didn’t just fund a program. You saved a family,” she shared her gratitude which particularly resonated in the room full of women when her young daughter ran up and embraced her on stage. Their connection, which was so clear to all present, was an image that Tair once feared would never be her reality.
We also heard from Gali Eilon, a 17-year-old from Kfar Aza who took the stage to talk about her harrowing experience on October 7 when from her bomb shelter, Gali managed a WhatsApp “command centre,” guiding soldiers to trapped civilians while terrorists roamed outside. But, in Melbourne, as Gali began her story, she became overwhelmed with emotion. She left the stage and was told she did not need to get back up. However, at this moment Elica stepped up, held Gali on the stage and supported her through the rest of her important story. Elica later said that the reason she wanted Gali to get back on stage, “was not for the audience but so she could record this as a core memory of something she was so sure that she couldn’t do, and yet managed to conquer. I wanted her to remember her resilience. At 17, I could never have done this. But she did, and I’m glad she will always remember that.”
For the room of women, this was the most powerful moment and image of the night – an Iranian woman, standing beside and holding up an Israeli woman. A moment of solidarity and true allyship. It was the sentinel moment that filled the entire room of 1300 women with hope for the future despite the darkness that surrounds us. As Elica later said, “One truth can outshine a thousand lies. When you see the truth you will know it.” In this moment of profound solidarity, the truth was plainly visible to all present.
It was Elica’s final comments that left the room on their feet in a standing ovation filled with optimism, “Something that I haven’t seen anywhere before, to be honest, is the way the Jewish community has so much care for each other, and so much connectedness and interconnectedness. To the extent that people shape their lives around each other. It’s all about taking care of each other. And where do you see that anywhere else in the world? So on the one hand, you could look at thousands of years of persecution and antisemitism that have resulted in expulsions, genocide, and the worst things that have happened to your ancestors. But on the other side, you can think about how lucky you are to have something that nobody else in the world has. And you know what? It’s probably the jealousy that they don’t have it, which is exactly why they hate you so much.”
Throughout the events, stories of hope, loss, resilience, and courage unfolded as images of those impacted by the generosity of UIA supporters were displayed throughout the venue. It was clear that every dollar raised directly changes lives. The women present reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding Israel’s next generation.
The call to action of the UIA Women’s Division remains strong: support Israel’s most vulnerable Mothers and babies through UIA’s nationally recognised program – Heartbeats. To donate, visit uiaaustralia.org.au/donate.
