The one phrase that comes to mind when you first sit down to speak Faina Kirshenbaum is 'elegant woman'.
Her clothes, spiked frosted hair, tasteful jewelry and manicured nails give off an aura of refinement and grace.
Although she had been to the Knesset many times as Director General of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, she admits that when she walked in the first time as a new member of the Knesset, "it was very exciting and I was very proud."
And she should have been because she proved something special.
"We came from Russia, we were newcomers. Israel is a country of opportunities, but it's not so easy for immigrants to break through the 'glass ceiling.' We weren't in the army with the hevrei - people who were born here. We had to work harder for it than native-born Israelis."
How Faina broke through that glass ceiling is very interesting.
She was born 53 years ago in Volvo, Ukraine. When she finished high school, in 1973, she came with her parents and brother to Israel, "maybe because we were a little bit of a Zionist family."
Her grandmother had died the year before, Faina says, and it was her last wish that the family move to Israel.
To their surprise, once they handed in their papers to come on aliya, the process went quickly; by December 31, they were in Israel.
Faina learned Hebrew at the Kibbutz Gan Shmuel ulpan. She wanted to be a doctor but when Jewish Agency people told her she should go to the army or to Italy for three years, her father's response was that they didn't come to Israel for her to go to Italy.
Some friends were going to nursing school at Belinson Hospital so Faina decided if she couldn't become a doctor, she would study to become a nurse. She graduated in 1977, married a man originally from Russia like herself and the couple began their life together in Tel Aviv.
In the 1970s, there was a saying going around that the goal of every Israeli was to have a "villa and a volvo," something Faina didn't want.
"I was more patriotic than that," she said. She happened to meet some people building a non-religious Jewish community near the Judean community of Neve Tsuf. The community was called Nili and it was to be located 45 kilometers northwest of Jerusalem, just north of Ramallah. Faina and her husband moved therein 1981, soon after the community was founded, and it was there that their first daughter was born shortly afterwards.
At first Faina continued to work at Belinson but a year later she decided to work at the local Kupat Holim (national health insurance clinic).
Over the next 11 years, she had another daughter and then a son and started to work within the administration of Nili, becoming an active member of the community.
After ten years of intensive community activity, though, she says, "I decided I was too involved with the village life." She left to become administrative manager of the Binyamin Regional Council.
"It was a challenging time," she remarks. "That was the time of the first intifada and we had to overcome many obstacles to bring cultural activities to the region's communities." Faina also developed area tourism and agricultural projects and helped new communities learn decision-making practices.
In 2001, after the terrorist attack on the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium disco which left dozens of mostly Russian young people dead or seriously injured, she developed her friendship with Aliza Herbst, then spokesperson for the Mayor of the Binyamin Regional Council, and they began helping Russian families of terror victims. Through this project she met Avigdor Lieberman who was also prominent in helping families effected by terror.
"At the end of 2002, Lieberman recommended me for the position of Ichud Leumi's manager of the National Election Day for the 2003 elections. This party was a faction of three political parties."
They won seven places in the Knesset and four months later Faina was asked to serve as Director General of the newly minted Yisrael Beiteinu party.
In the 2003 municipal elections, Yisrael Beiteinu received more than 100 places in various municipalities.
By 2006, Faina was the party's senior manager for the general election, at which time they won 11 places in the Knesset.
In the 2009 elections Yisrael Beiteinu went on to win 15 places and with Faina number 10 on the list, she became a member of the Knesset.
Currently, Faina serves on the Finance Committee, the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee and the Joint Committee for the Budget of the Company for Restitution of Holocaust Victims Assets. She is also a member of the Lobby for Local Government and, as such, she is working on bills to reform laws which deal with the relationship between the cities and municipal authorities and the central government.
Protection of consumers is another of the issues of great concern for Faina. She is attempting to require court review of contracts between banks, mobile phones companies and other large companies.
The fact that Yom Hazikaron (for soldiers lost in wars) is a national holiday while the memorial day for victims of terror is not, is yet another issue that MK Kirshenbaum hopes to set right.
Today, Faina commutes from her community in Samaria, balancing her political life with her dedication to husband, a civilian working for the army, and her children, aged 31, 27 and 18.
Her work week begins on Sundays, working as General Secretary of Yisrael Beiteinu; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday she works at the Knesset from 9 in the morning until after 7 in the evening, sometimes even sleeping in her office on the couch.
Faina is also Deputy Chairperson of the Israeli branch of the World Jewish Congress and a member of the Board of Directors of Beit Hatfutzot, the Museum of the Diaspora.
Faina Kirshenbaum is definitely a woman on her way up. And that's exactly as it should be because she has proven that not only is she something special but that Israel is, indeed, the land of opportunity for newcomer and veterans alike.
