Women immigrant-owned businesses featured at massive market at HER Tel Aviv festival

SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 18:56Dozens of businesses owned or operated by women immigrants to Israel, offering food, clothing, accessories, jewelry, and more, were featured last Thursday evening in central Tel Aviv at an olot (female immigrants) night market held as part of the HER Tel Aviv International Summer Festival.According to HER Tel Aviv, more than 50 female-driven businesses participated in the event.The organization’s founder and CEO, Sivan Hadari, said organizers worked on the festival for more than six months, bringing together 50 olot-owned small businesses and 35 workshops in English, French, and Spanish.“We really want to show the diversity and the connection and the love for Israel,” she told The Jerusalem Post.Hadari said the festival was also part of HER Tel Aviv’s broader effort to help women who have immigrated to Israel build lives in the country.“Being a woman is a journey, being a Jewish woman is a journey, and being a Jewish woman who made aliyah is a wild journey,” she said. “Our goal at HER is to help olot stay in Israel, thrive and live the Israeli dream, so no olah feels alone ever again.”Market goers shop at the HER Tel Aviv International Summer Festival in Tel Aviv, September 3, 2026. (credit: Sivan Hadari)Among the businesses featured at the night market was The Pickle Jar, run by couple Jake and Ofir. Jake, an oleh (immigrant) from the United States, founded the business seven years ago. Ofir, who “joined along the way,” has since become the owner.'I came to this country on a whim'“I came to this country on a whim and I made my first jar of pickles on a whim,” Jake told the Post. “They kind of came in the same month, and everyone loved the pickles, so I just kept making pickles.”“People are going crazy on these,” Ofir said. “It’s going to be a community. A pickle community.”The Pickle Jar offers a variety of flavors, including sour and spicy pickles. Its stand featured samples for market-goers to try and drew a steady stream of visitors throughout the evening.Another business owner at the market was Talia, an olah from Belgium who was selling glasswork and jewelry from her business, Talia C.“I made aliyah in 2012, and I opened my business in 2021,” she said. “I make Judaica and jewelry, but I also specialize in wedding keepsakes. Everything is handmade.”Showing some of her work, she explained that she uses items from weddings to create commemorative pieces.One example was a mezuzah made from the glass shattered under the chuppah. She also displayed pieces containing preserved flowers, allowing wedding bouquets to be incorporated into lasting keepsakes.Tides Accessories was another business represented at the market. Its owner, Shirelle, an olah from New York, showed off the hair scrunchies, headbands, and bandanas she makes for swimmers.“Everything is made from bathing suit material, so it’s quick to dry and it’s really comfortable in your hair,” she said. “You can use them at the beach or the pool instead of regular scrunchies or hair ties.”Shirelle said that growing up near the beach, her curly hair would regularly become tangled after swimming, while ponytails would often break or stretch out.“So, I thought of this idea and they hold much better,” she said. “It’s much more comfortable, and also they’re really cute and stylish and fun.”HER Tel Aviv founder and CEO Sivan Hadari (second from the left) at the HER Tel Aviv International Summer Festival in Tel Aviv, September 3, 2026. (credit: Sivan Hadari)Beyond the night market, the festival also featured a panel of women who hold influential roles in Israel.One of the speakers, Women’s International Zionist Organization chairperson Ora Korazim, told the Post that starting a business as a woman comes with additional challenges.“Starting a business in Israel is not easy, and mainly not for women,” she said.Korazim said that challenges ranging from navigating life amid war to pregnancy, childbirth, and maternity leave can disrupt a business.She added that WIZO works to support women in overcoming such difficulties.“We are providing some support for these women,” she said. “We are also supporting them by organizing a sort of market for them to expose their businesses and the products they are producing, quite similar to the bazaar they have organized here.”Another panelist who spoke to the Post was Yocheved Ruttenberg, founder of the Sword of Iron – Israel Volunteer Corp, an organization dedicated to facilitating and bolstering volunteerism in Israel.Ruttenberg said that although starting an organization outside the US presented certain challenges, being a woman had also been an advantage.'Taking action'“Being a woman has been one of the greatest assets that I have in building this,” she said. “So many people want to help me. It’s like, ‘It’s a young girl, doing something, taking action.’”Nevertheless, she said, building the organization has required creativity.“You don’t have access to the normal things you would typically have in America,” she said. “So, you have to be very innovative, think on your feet, be quick. But there’s no better place to build community or to build something that you want to build than Israel.”In addition to the market and the panel, the HER Tel Aviv International Summer Festival also featured live music, workshops, a language-exchange cafe, a letter-writing booth for IDF soldiers, and an English-language comedy show featuring female comedians.Follow us on Google