Nabila Espanioly

Nabila Espanioly was born in 1955 in Nazareth

Espanioly was born in Nazareth in 1955 to a Christian family with 10 children, and she was the seventh. Her family has lived in the city since the 16th century, and a neighborhood there carries its name. She grew up in a communist home and joined the Movement of Democratic Women in Israel.

She studied social work at the University of Haifa, where she was active in the Arab student committee. She later earned a master's degree in psychology in Germany. In 1975 she took part in the first Nazareth General Assembly as a student representative.

In 1987 she returned to Israel and taught at the Arab Child House in Acre. She then founded the Al-Tufula Center in Nazareth with a group of women, to promote early childhood education and support Palestinian women in Israel. She also helped found the Mossawa Center and once chaired it.

She was active in feminist groups, including Isha L'Isha in Haifa, and worked against violence toward women. In 2010 she set up a project at Al-Tufula to improve women's status at work. In 2011 the group Women Deliver named her among its inspiring women, and in 2013 she ran for the Knesset with Hadash without success.