Dr. Nadia Khir, Israel’s first Druze woman to become a physician, received a special recognition award for her contributions to Israeli society and to advancing Druze women at the “Her Stage” conference, organized by Israeli daily Israel Hayom and led by Jewish philanthropist Miriam Adelson, publisher and majority owner of the newspaper.
“When I left to study medicine, I never imagined I would become a symbol. I simply wanted to fulfill a dream and help people,” said Khir, a gynecologist with Clalit Health Services in the Haifa and Western Galilee District.
“Today, when I see young women choosing to study and advance without fear of breaking boundaries ... I understand that the journey was worth everything. It is a great privilege for me to be an inspiration to my daughters and to the next generation,” she added.
Khir, 58, from the Druze village of Julis, was the first Druze woman in Israel to study medicine, enrolling at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in 1985.
Khir grew up in a household marked by economic hardship and family challenges. Witnessing her mother’s illness and feeling powerless to help inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.
Today, Khir is a veteran and highly respected gynecologist, providing care to women in four clinics serving Israel’s Arab communities: Julis, Tamra, Jatt and Yanuh.
All three of her daughters have pursued higher education, with one studying medicine, another electrical engineering and the third studying software and computer engineering.
