As Israel’s first female gynecologist, Dr. Rachel Adato faced her share of adversity. On Tuesday evening, she came to Binghamton University to tell her story.
Adato spoke to a group of about 30 students in an event organized by campus organizations including Bearcats for Israel, Stand With Us, Hillel at Binghamton and the Binghamton University Zionist Organization. She shared her journey from medical school to a seat on the Israeli parliament.
Joshua Seed, president of Bearcats for Israel and a senior double-majoring in geography and Judaic studies, said the group brought Adato to BU to inspire students to never give up on their dreams.
“Her story is representative of women who are trying to push themselves,” Seed said. “It tells all of us that if there’s something that we care about a lot, we have the opportunity to change it.”
After serving in the Israeli military, Adato enrolled in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She cited this as one of the times in her life where she felt extreme discrimination, as women made up only 10 percent of the students during her time as a student.
She said the discrimination did not stop there. After schooling, she decided she wanted to be a gynecologist — a role no woman had held in the country before. She was told by the department head that he would not train her because it was not a position for women, but she persevered and went on to become the country’s first female gynecologist.
Adato said she shared her experiences in order to inspire and convince the audience that they should always seize opportunities when they arise.
“Never say no when you want to do something, if you believe in something go ahead with it,” Adato said. “Whenever you have a chance to change something and you really think you have the opportunity to do it, do it.”
Adato went on to run Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and during that time she was asked by the prime minister of Israel to be a founding member of then-new center-left political party, Hatnuah, in the Israeli legislature, Knesset. She accepted, describing it as an opportunity to make a change in her life.
In office, Adato said she decided to concentrate on healthcare because it was what she knew best, but also said that she started her fight alone.
Adato spearheaded what became known as the “Photoshop Law,” making Israel the first country in the world to pass something of its kind. The law limited the use of unhealthily and unrealistically thin models, which she said she felt passionately about. She said that this topic is often ignored since many people only focus on obesity, and not weight issues on the other end of the spectrum. The law would go on to inspire other countries, including the U.S. and France to enact similar laws.
She also cited her education as a fundamental factor in accomplishing what she wanted to do.
“It’s important to know the importance of having an education,” Adato said. “[Education] gives you power; only if you are educated can you have these opportunities.”
Elana Marlowe, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said she found Adato’s progress, as well as Israel’s in general, inspiring.
“How much of an effort that’s been made in Israel is really incredible,” Marlowe said. “I didn’t know a lot about it before this event, but it seems like Israel can be a model for other countries.”