Ofra Shimoni (43) from Bnei Brak, married to Yehuda, mother of four: Tehila (23), Uriel (21), Yair (17) and Noa (nine). Grandmother to her half-year-old granddaughter. Entrepreneur and businesswoman. Has built a community with about 3,000 architects and designers who provide professional advice to renovators.
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Ofra Shimoni
(Private photo)
What are you writing about: “Updates from the world of construction and renovation, connection to high-quality and non-contaminating suppliers, fitting a designer according to style, budget, location and specialization. “I am the proof that even an ultra-orthodox woman without an academic degree can dream big and with God’s help succeed.”
how it all began: “When I was 18, my mother got cancer. When she passed away, I felt that nothing in life is really difficult. Everything is dwarfed. I studied graphics and opened an advertising agency for the ultra-Orthodox public, taking care to ‘convert’ secular ads and adapt them to the ultra-Orthodox press, without pictures of women and without provocations.
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Ofra Shimoni. “I converted the secular newspaper ads”
(Private photo)
“Later, I identified a missing niche and started publishing magazines for the ultra-orthodox sector on design issues (“Nice Apartment”) and strictly kosher cuisine (“Buffa”). In 2021, I made history in Dubai: I was invited to the first official visit of its kind with a team of Israeli architects to the Dubai Design Complex.
“Later on, I took delegations of architects and designers to Morocco and to the big design exhibition in Milan, Italy. Every year I produce the big design events known as the ‘Oscars of the design world’.”
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Ofra Shimoni. “I am proof that even an ultra-orthodox woman without an academic degree can dream big and with God’s help succeed”
(Photo: Or Gefen)
The positive reactions: “They say about me that I am a bulldozer, 24/7, ‘ofra connection’ and an inspiration.”
The negative reactions: “Outwardly I look more modern than others. Internally I am very strong.”
The post that broke the web: “The birth of my granddaughter”.
livelihood: “I take care of a hundred companies and accept retainers.”
How is an ultra-orthodox network star different from a secular one: “We’re more modest. I won’t just upload pictures of myself in front of the mirror if it’s not related to doing.”
the dream: “To expand the activity outside the Holy Land”.
Tip for beginners: “Focus on the goal and don’t listen to the background noise.”
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Esti Sokolovsky. “I asked people to pray to the Holy One, bless him”
( Private photo)
Esti Sokolovski (31) from Ramat Gan, married to Itzik, mother to Hadar (10), Hagit (seven) and Ariel (one and a half years). Bridal makeup artist and owner of the makeup brand ST SOCO.
What are you writing about: “About joy. How do I get to it? By taking care of myself and knowing the soul of my self. Getting up in the morning with a smile is a person’s happiness. That’s how we do things anyway, so why not with a smile and joy?”.
how it all began: “When my daughter Hadar was four years old, she got cancer. She was the trigger that changed everything. I was naive and one day my world came crashing down on me. It was a situation I had never known before and led to an outbreak of anxiety. Until then I survived life, but I felt that if I didn’t get treatment, I wouldn’t succeed face and fall
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Esti Sokolovsky. “I can’t upload provocative clothing”
(Private photo)
“I put up a post that they would pray for her and ask God to save her. I put up what was going on in the treatments on Facebook and Instagram and everyone followed me and wanted to know that everything was fine.
“After she had a dream, she asked me to stop uploading posts. It embarrassed her. From there, the topic of empowerment developed. I wanted people to undergo a change like me. I started uploading live, women asked questions and I gave answers from the knowledge I gained.”
The positive reactions: “There were women who told me: ‘You helped me in a relationship, thanks to you I didn’t get divorced’. Girls were able to quit their jobs and open a private business. When you believe in yourself, it works wonders. Even mothers whose child got cancer consulted me on how to cope. I helped them and accompanied them in the process.”
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Esti Sokolovsky. “My makeup brand is a dream come true”
(Private photo)
The negative reactions: “Once I said that ultra-Orthodox women don’t drive and the responses were ‘how dark you are’, ‘you don’t understand anything’, ‘you live in 1980.’
The post that broke the web: “The first day I revealed that my daughter had cancer and I asked people to pray to the Holy One, bless him.”
How is an ultra-orthodox network star different from a secular one: “I can’t upload provocative clothing or do collaborations with companies that show revealing clothing.”
the dream: “My makeup brand is a dream come true. A tenth of the brand’s revenue goes as a donation to children with cancer.”
Tip for beginners: “Be honest and real. Whatever you feel inside, let it out.”
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Yael Zilberman. “I’m an acquired taste”
(Private photo)
Yael Zilberman (27) from Bnei Brak, married to Kuti, mother to Michal (six) and Amalia (five), owns a sewing and wig making business.
What are you writing about: “I am a digital activist. I talk about politics and criticize the ultra-Orthodox public, which leads to angry reactions. Every person in any society feels comfortable criticizing. In the ultra-orthodox public, it is perceived as if you are part of the media that tries to portray us in a negative light.
“My criticism comes from a caring place, but I am seen as someone who is trying to spit out mud. Of course that is not true, I love the ultra-Orthodox public, but there are changes it must go through.”
how it all began: “I always had something to say, I always read newspapers, I was interested in politics and I used to doubt, see both sides of the coin and not take anything for granted.
“When I started uploading posts to social networks, just for fun, friends and relatives followed me and it became a place to voice opinions. Four years ago I started with Instagram and since the corona entered our lives it has intensified.”
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Yael Zilberman. “I love the ultra-Orthodox community, but there are changes it must go through”
(Private photo)
The positive reactions: “Women in the ultra-Orthodox community say that I open their eyes and convey the message in a beautiful way. They say, ‘Wow, I couldn’t stand you at first, you pissed me off like crazy, but you’re an acquired taste.’
The negative reactions: “When I talk about sexual harassment in the ultra-orthodox public, I get fired up, like ‘go to hell’ and ‘go up to heaven and give judgment and stand up to the person you’re talking about’. There are those who disagree with me, but for the most part there is a nice conversation. There are also threats and disgusting reactions on the level As low as ‘I’ll come to you on the street’. It doesn’t excite me, it puts my husband under pressure.”
broke the grid: “I talked about the exclusion of women on buses and it pissed off a lot of people. The issue lit a fire.”
How does an ultra-orthodox network star differ from a secular one: “in the style of clothing and the fact that we filter more content.”
the dream: “May I have the power to influence, raise awareness, change thinking and open my mind to criticism. This is something I encourage in my daughters as well.”
Tip for beginners: “Imagine you’re only talking to family and friends. In the end, authenticity and honesty pay off.”
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Simi Harshkop. “Dreams of establishing a boycott patrol in the ultra-orthodox sector”
( Private photo)
Simi Harshkop (28) from Jerusalem, married to Dodi, mother to Eli (four), founder of the “Dos Celebs” page on Instagram.
What are you writing about: “Gossip page on Instagram of the ultra-Orthodox public. If a celeb gets closer to religion, I update. The goal is to bring the worlds together.”
how it all began: “I grew up in Bnei Brak and I was a weak child academically and mentally even though I always wanted to be a part of everyone. I went through severe boycotts, they beat me and banged my head against the wall. Even in the seminary I was humiliated by the teacher, by the educational figure who was supposed to protect me. My mother died of cancer when she was a child, and suddenly everyone felt sorry about me and wanted to be my friends. Then everything changed.
“Because I was a weak student, I didn’t finish 12 years of school and I don’t have a high school diploma. I had no idea what social networks were. When I got married, I had one kosher phone and the other was not kosher. On the other phone, I opened Instagram under a fake name. I suddenly discovered that what I went through as a child and in seminary had an effect on me, that there I have social anxiety.
“I decided that I deserved to be loved and I developed a character called ‘Dos Celebs’ without anyone knowing who was behind it.”
The positive reactions: “People wrote to me that they also went through a boycott and thanked me for raising the issue of bullying to awareness. They tell me that I am an inspiration and connect to my truth and authenticity. I am not noisy and bring the exciting side.”
The negative reactions: “People are not used to seeing ultra-Orthodox women on the front. The most common phrase is ‘Alek ultra-Orthodox.’ People, even for relatives who chose to cut off contact.”
The post that broke the web: “The union between Aviv Gefen and Avraham Fried, the great Hasidic singer, who appeared in a joint show.”
livelihood: “I make a living from advertising on the Dos Celebs Instagram page.”
How is an ultra-orthodox network star different from a secular one: “I have proper Yiddish and the clothes and the messages I convey show that I come from a different home.”
the dream: “Establish a boycott patrol in the ultra-orthodox sector so that no one goes through what I went through.”
Tip for beginners: “Even if they tell you that nothing will come of you, dream big. Everyone deserves a chance. I myself am shocked by what I do.”
The four women participate in HOT’s reality docu “Daughters of Lightning”.