Merkel photo with all-male group of Israeli entrepreneurs draws ire

A publicity photo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel surrounded by Israeli male business innovators, without another woman in sight, has drawn criticism from female entrepreneurs.

The photo showed Merkel alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the center of a crowd of men during a gathering of Israeli and German innovators held last week at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin sent a letter Saturday to Netanyahu and Economy Minister Eli Cohen demanding that all future business delegations accompanying the prime minister, or other ministers, have a fair female representation.

“This is an embarrassing photo op alongside one of the most important leaders in the world,” wrote Nahmias-Verbin of the opposition Zionist Union faction. “There can be no justification for presenting the business sector in this way. In the business sector today, from the traditional industries through to the high-tech initiatives, there are many women who should have had a part in that meeting. It would have been very easy to bring leading women to that meeting and it is amazing that you didn’t bother to do so.”

The event last Thursday was organized by the Israel Innovation Authority and attended by some 30 representatives of Israeli and German companies.

According to Hebrew media reports, Merkel noted the absence of women at the event in comments she made to Netanyahu.

“If there can somehow be a woman next time, it would be nice,” Merkel said to Netanyahu, while noting she was not trying to criticize the event. “It seems this is an area controlled by men.”

In a statement to reporters, the Foreign Ministry vowed Saturday to prevent a recurrence of the lopsided representation.

“We regret it, and are committed to acting to the best of our ability, together with all partners, to prevent incidents like this in the future, and to ensure fair representation of women,” the ministry said, while noting that it was the participating companies that chose which representatives to send.

WMN, a local organization that promotes women in the startup industry, set up a Facebook event calling on women and men from startup companies to arrive at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Wednesday for a mass photo to counter the official image.

Organizers wrote that the event, set for 6 p.m., was “a call to create a balanced photo of future female and male leaders with Chancellor Angela Merkel, a photo that wasn’t taken in real time.”

Merkel was in Israel for a one-day visit during which she held talks with Netanyahu and laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum.