Shulamith Koenig
Israeli human rights activist (1930–2021)
Shulamith Koenig
שולמית קניג
Born
Shulamith Tzhori

1930
Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
Died2021(2021-00-00) (aged 90–91)
New York City, United States
CitizenshipIsrael
EducationHerzliya Hebrew Gymnasium
Alma materColumbia University
OccupationsHuman rights activist
Educator
OrganizationPeace Now
Political partyRatz
SpouseJerry Koenig
Children2

Shulamith Koenig (née Tzhori, Hebrew: שולמית קניג; 1930–August 2021) was an Israeli human rights activist and educator. After rising to prominence as a proponent of Palestinian rights and the two-state solution, she founded and led the People's Movement for Human Rights Learning (PDHRE). In 2003, Koenig was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in recognition of her work in the field of human rights education.

Biography

Koenig was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, in 1930.[1] She attended Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel Aviv. After her studies and following the outbreak of the 1948 Palestine war, Koenig served in the Negev Brigade of the Palmach; after the establishment of the State of Israel, she worked for a time for the Women's Corps, based in Jerusalem District.[2][3]

During the 1950s, Koenig went to study engineering and management at Columbia University in the United States, and initially worked on the development of water-saving products.[2][3][4][5] In 1962, she married Jerry Koenig, with whom she had two children.[6]

Upon returning to Israel, Koenig became an activist for the rights of Palestinians and an advocate for the two-state solution. In 1978, Koenig co-founded Peace Now, a peace advocacy group.[1] She was credited with politicising the government of Jordan for the Palestinian cause following a conference in 1982 held after the killings of Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon; June Jordan wrote a poem honouring her bravery.[7][8]

In 1980, Koenig co-organised the New Outlook Conference, an international symposium to discuss the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, though it was marred by the United States and Israeli governments not giving many of the Palestinian participants travel documents, as well as pressure from the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Rakah for invitees not to attend.[9] In 1988, she was the exhibition administrator for It's Possible, an art show exhibiting art from 24 Israeli and Palestinian artists; the show was displayed in Germany, Japan and the United States.[10]

In Israel, Koenig also became involved in politics after the Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, nominated her to serve on the National Committee on the Status of Women.[1] Koenig was a member of the committee between 1973 and 1977, and ran for a seat in the Knesset in the 1977 election, named eighth on the Ratz list. Ratz won one seat and so Koenig was not elected.[3][11][12]

In 1988, Koenig founded and served as the general director of the People's Movement for Human Rights Education (PDHRE), based in New York City, in which she advocated for worldwide human rights education, including the implementation of charters and treaties that enshrined human rights education in local laws and curricula. Koenig's campaigning led to the United Nations declaring the Decade of Human Rights between 1995 and 2004, as well as launching the UN World Programme for Human Rights Education in 2005.[4][13] The PDHRE held consultations and workshops in 60 countries, and 24 cities signed up to become "human rights cities", including Rosario in Argentina, Nagpur in India, Thiès in Senegal and Graz in Austria.[14][15]

In 2003, Koenig was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in recognition of her work in the field of human rights education.[13]

Koenig died in August 2021. In an obituary, Nancy Flowers described her as "the mother of human rights education".[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "The people's advocate". The Hindu. 2000-01-13. Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  2. ^ a b ""המהנדסת חולמת על "עיר הועי ד". Maariv (in Hebrew). 1964-04-21. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  3. ^ a b c "שולמית קניג — יו״ר מזכירות התנועה לזכויות האזרח". Al Hamishmar (in Hebrew). 1976-11-17. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  4. ^ a b c Flowers, Nancy (2021-12-31). "Shulamith Koenig 1930-2021". Human Rights Education Review. 4 (3): 121–122. doi:10.7577/hrer.4594. ISSN 2535-5406. Archived from the original on 2025-01-22 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
  5. ^ Koenig, Shulamith (2015). "Closing the Gap of Dignity". In Magendzo K., Abraham; Dueñas, Claudia; Flowers, Nancy; Jordan, Natela (eds.). Towards a Just Society: The Personal Journeys of Human Rights Educators (PDF). Translated by Schettino, Humberto; Navarro, Nela. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Centre. ISBN 978-0-9964-5830-6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-08-24. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  6. ^ "שולמית צחורי וג'רום קניג". HaBokker (in Hebrew). 1962-02-04. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  7. ^ Feldman, Keith P. (2015). A Shadow Over Palestine: The Imperial Life of Race in America. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-4487-6. Archived from the original on 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  8. ^ Samarakoon, Aruni (2025-08-19). "Does teaching and learning History matter?". Sunday Island. Archived from the original on 2025-08-24. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  9. ^ "Palestinian Invitees Will Not Attend New Outlook Conference". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1979-10-26. Archived from the original on 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  10. ^ "It's possible : 24 Israeli & Palestinian artists unite for peace". Abed Abdi. 1988-07-07. Archived from the original on 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  11. ^ "שולה קניג - אדם פוליטי". Maariv (in Hebrew). 1976-12-15. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  12. ^ "אתה זקוק לרייצ וכנסת ה-9 אנו זקוקים לך היום". Maariv (in Hebrew). 1977-05-06. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  13. ^ a b Baxi, Upendra (2021-08-09). "Long Live Human Rights Learning: in memoriam of Shulamith Koenig". Global Campaign for Peace Education. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  14. ^ Koenig, Shulamith (Fall 1997). "The Beginning of an Historic Process: Sustainable Human Rights Communities to Claim and Secure Our Right to Be Human". Human Rights Education. 8 (2). Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24 – via University of Minnesota Human Rights Library.
  15. ^ "Newsletter". European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. June 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
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