Established in Great Britain in 1920, the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) is a nonprofit organization of members in over 50 countries working together to improve the lives of women, children and the elderly living in Israel. Next to the Israeli government, WIZO is the largest provider of social welfare services in the country.

As a powerful voice for all Jewish women, in 1959 WIZO was recognized by the United Nations as a non-governmental organization (NGO) and was the first Zionist organization granted consultative status at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

WIZO operates over 800 social welfare projects including child care centers, schools, shelters for battered women, homes for girls in distress and programs providing services for the elderly. As a non-political international movement, WIZO is dedicated to the advancement of the status of women, the betterment of family and community welfare and the encouragement of Jewish education around the world. At every age, WIZO nourishes the body, comforts the soul, educates the mind and empowers the individual.

WIZO California, established in 1985, is a membership organization whose primary focus is working to support and fund its WIZO projects in Israel.

WIZO CA Book Club