Between the Glass Ceiling & the Mud Floor
By Tzafi Saar "Why bother?" Hedva Yehezkeli was asked time and again, as the Green Party candidate for mayor of Hadera. Yehezkeli is one of about 30 women running for mayor nationwide in today's municipal elections. Another candidate, Anat Ziv of Kiryat Bialik, was targeted by fliers that read, "Being a blonde is not enough," and, "Every housewife thinks she can be mayor. Anat Ziv - your place is in the kitchen." Yehezkeli says that at Hadera municipal council meetings, which are open to the public, she receives remarks such as, "Why are you here? Go home, you have five children." The comments come from associates of the mayor, who is running for reelection. "If I were a man, it would look different," she says between campaign meetings. "We have a chauvinistic society and men have the upper hand. But I'm very assertive. Men don't sway me. I have achieved far more than many men." She therefore feels optimistic. ...