Vicki Knafo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vicki Knafo ויקי קנפו
Born	1960
Nationality	Israeli
Occupation	Social activist

Vicki Knafo (: ויקי קנפו; born 1960) is an Israeli social activist. She is known for leading a big protest in 2003. This protest was about changes in government rules that would cut money for single mothers. At the time, Binyamin Netanyahu was the finance minister. He wanted to cut government spending, which meant less help for families, especially single mothers. Vicki Knafo stood up to fight for these families.

Why Did Vicki Knafo Protest?

In 2003, the government planned to reduce financial help for single mothers. This meant families would get less money for their children. Vicki Knafo, a single mother herself, felt this was unfair. She decided to take action to make the government change its mind.

Vicki's Long Walk for Change

On July 2, 2003, Vicki Knafo started a long walk from her home in Mitzpe Ramon to Jerusalem. Her goal was to reach the Ministry of Finance. She walked about 205 kilometres (127 mi) (127 miles), carrying an Israeli flag. The journey took her one week.

As she walked, other single mothers and families joined her. News reporters followed her closely, and her march became very famous across the country. When she arrived in Jerusalem, she joined a protest camp. This camp was set up by single mothers in front of government buildings. Vicki's arrival brought even more attention to their cause.

What Was the Government's Response?

At first, Finance Minister Netanyahu reacted strongly to Vicki Knafo. He said, "Go to work! If you have the ability to march, you can go to work." This showed that the government was not ready to change its plans easily.

How Did the Protest Grow?

After Vicki's march, more groups joined the protest. People with disabilities and older adults also came to support the cause. Vicki Knafo was often interviewed by the media. The protest she led was sometimes called "The July Revolution" or "Revolt of the Poor."

Many groups supported Vicki, including Ahoti – for Women in Israel, a group for Mizrahi women (Jewish people from Middle Eastern and North African countries), and the New Israel Fund. Some Mizrahi feminist activists even helped protect Vicki from the police during her march.

Did the Protest Work?

More and more people put pressure on Netanyahu to change his plan. He made some small changes, but Vicki and the other protesters felt these changes were not enough. They called them "cosmetic," meaning they only looked good but didn't solve the real problem.

In August, Vicki and other protest leaders started a hunger strike. Vicki did not eat for 18 days. She finally agreed to stop her strike after the President of Israel asked her to. He showed support for her fight.

However, the protest camp started to have disagreements. Some mothers wanted to block roads and cause more disruption. Vicki Knafo and another leader, Ilana Azoulay, preferred to keep protesting peacefully. On September 25, 2003, Vicki left the camp and went home. She later found out she had lost her job. She felt the protest had not achieved much, saying, "People need to take to the streets."

Vicki Knafo's Life After the Protest

Vicki Knafo continued to be in the news and attend public events. In 2003, she was part of the Israeli group at the launch of the Geneva Initiative, a peace plan.

In October 2006, Vicki joined the Meretz political party. She even thought about running in the party's internal elections.

In 2011, Vicki Knafo became a spokesperson for a supermarket chain called Mega Bull. Some people thought this was a bad move. They felt she was "selling out" to big businesses.

In November 2016, Vicki Knafo started another march. This time, she walked with other activists to the home of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Their slogan was "two year budget with social corrections," asking for a budget that helps people more.

In January 2019, Vicki Knafo joined the Israeli version of Celebrity Big Brother, a TV show.

Vicki Knafo is divorced and has three children. She is also a vegan. She works at a hotel in Mitzpe Ramon. Before that, she worked in housekeeping at a school. She often worked two part-time jobs. She has spoken about being an "outsourced" worker, meaning she didn't have benefits like a pension. She once said, "I don't have a pension, or benefits, and I can't even think about my old age. But if the minimum wage is raised, it will harm us, because employers will turn elsewhere."

Images for kids

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  Vicki Knafo in 2016.

Additional reading

• Lavie, Smadar. "The Knafo Chronicles : Marching on Jerusalem With Israel's Silent Majority", Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work. Vol. 27 (3): 300-315. , 2012
• An Anatomy of Feminist Resistance: Rebel in the Wilderness, Henriette Dahan Kalev, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018