think
Women Of
Valor
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The Jewish Mothers of the Woman’s Movement By Lynn Wexler-Margolies
Emma Goldman Lillian Wald
Gertrude Weil
T
hey are the trailblazing Jewish women of the feminist movement – those with the courage and conviction to overcome social, cultural and religious barriers to create a more just and equitable world. They are the women referred to in the hymn, Ashes Chayil (Hebrew for woman of valor, worth or strength), found in the Book of Proverbs and sung each week at the Shabbat table by the husband – in honor of and in gratitude for his wife and her praiseworthy deeds. Women of Valor: trailblazing Jewish women who overcame social, cultural and religious barriers to create a more just and equitable world. Jewish women have played a predominant role in the women’s rights movement since its inception. Perhaps those extolled virtues they grew up hearing in Ashes Chayil encouraged, even subliminally, their sense of duty, obligation and perseverance, inspiring a commitment to leadership and righteous activism. Frequently, history has shown Jews to be bound to social justice. Even in spite of themselves, or when relegated to society’s fringe, the impact of their activism has made an indelible mark on the women’s movement. Jewish American novelist Fannie Hurst recognized that a “woman has to be twice as good as a man to go half as far.” Born in 1889, and best known for her novel-turned-screenplay Imitation of Life, Hurst echoed the sentiments of pioneering women back
Rose Schneiderman
then seeking to gain acceptance, recognition and equal rights in a male-dominated society. The Women’s Rights Movement began in earnest in 1848 with the assembly of the First Women’s Conference in Seneca Falls, N.Y. Since then the movement has been characterized by three waves, all of which involved significant contributions by Jewish women. Joanne Goodwin, a history professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, says the impetus for the women’s movement stemmed from a legality called feme coverture (a married woman). It’s part of the English common law (dating back to the 1600s) that was imposed on the British colonies. It governed the legal and economic limitations obligatory for married women. The law states that, through marriage, ‘the very being or legal existence of a woman is suspended; or at least it is incorporated into that of the husband, under whose wing and protection she performs everything. Lacking separate legal existence under coverture, a wife cannot technically enter into economic contracts in her own right, and, in order to make basic purchases on credit, she must do so in her husband’s name. A husband gains permanent possession of all his wife’s moveable goods, along with the right to manage his wife’s land and to receive its rents and profits during marriage.’ “The modern American woman,” says Goodwin, “understood it was time to discard this inequitable status; and, thus, the women’s rights movement was born.” MAY 2013 DAVID
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Betty Friedan
Gloria Steinem Eleanor Roosevelt and Fannie Hurst
Bella Abzug
Kathryn Kish Sklar, co-director of Binghamton University’s Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender, asserts that the first wave of feminism “took root in 1830 with women initially involved in anti-slavery activism. As the conversation extended to advocating for their own rights concerning child guardianship, property, freedom from abusive marriages, access to higher education and the medical professions, the right to vote and obtain credit, and equal pay and protective legislation for women in the work force, women saw the necessity to organize in order to successfully effect change.” This wave continued through the 19th and into the mid-20th century, with women’s suffrage (the right to vote) emerging as the movement’s priority. It took 72 years to get this legislation passed by Congress. In 1920, women, and many men, celebrated the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees a woman’s right to vote. The 1940s and ’50s saw a post-war America challenging workplace stereotypes. Women began to enter the employment ranks in greater numbers. It became apparent that the burden of family responsibility needed to be shared with the state. The women’s movement teamed with trade unions in the fight for state-sponsored welfare to help provide a safety net for society’s most vulnerable. These trailblazing Jewish women had to overcome social, cultural and religious barriers to struggle for a more just and equitable society. They helped in the fight for expanded freedoms and workers rights, they strived often in the background, not becomming household names such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. “That’s because the majority of Jewish women in the first wave operated outside of the conventional women’s movement,” says Lisa Lampert, an English professor at the University of California, San Diego. “Jewish women at the turn of the 19th century often viewed themselves as the Other,” Lampert says, “a term describing someone who felt Other than the majority; whose religion and
traditions made them the misunderstood Other, separate from the dominant majority. It’s interesting to note that their Otherness did not prevent them from pursuing activism. They simply did so from the sidelines.” Among the many Jewish women in that first wave was Hannah Greenebaum Solomon, an avid child welfare advocate and founder of the progressive National Council of Jewish Women. Solomon was an important force for reform in late-1800s Chicago. Through her celebrated poem “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus provided the immortal words (‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’) engraved on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty pedestal. Gertrude Weil’s passion for equality and justice placed her at the forefront of progressive and often controversial causes, including women’s suffrage, labor reform and civil rights. Justine Wise Polier was the first woman justice in New York. For 38 years she used her Family Court bench post to fight for the rights of the poor and the powerless. She pioneered juvenile justice as treatment, not punishment, making her court the center of a community network that encompassed psychiatric services and economic aid. For Polier, “to be a Jew means an unwavering commitment to uphold the rights of all people.” Anarchist Emma Goldman was an ardent proponent of birth control and free speech; Nurse Lillian Wald was a founding member of the NAACP; Rose Schneiderman was a labor organizer and advocate of worker education for men and women. The years 1960-66 ushered in the second wave of the movement, as Jewish women took up leading roles in the civil rights struggle. Jewish men also comprised a large proportion of the white volunteers who went south to participate in the movement. “Histories of this movement have not paid sufficient attention, however, to the contributions of Jewish women who worked tirelessly as organizers, Freedom Riders, teachers, reporters, voter
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Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Rebecca Walker
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
registration workers, fundraisers, lawyers, doctors and political strategists,” Goodwin says. “Without a doubt, the courage these women showed helped change the course of American history.” Following the volatile civil rights years, the second wave continued with the radicalization of the feminist movement. The Pill and the mass entry of women into the workforce changed women’s traditional roles within the family. Feminists demanded the right to abortion, a free childcare provision and equal pay. The Jewish Women’s Archive website features the exhibit Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution. It highlights 74 prominent Jewish women integral to the second wave movement. Among them are Betty Friedan, the groundbreaking author of The Feminine Mystique; Gloria Steinem, who founded and published Ms. Magazine; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court; Madeleine Kunin, America’s first Jewish woman governor; Susan Brownmiller, author of Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape; Sally Priesand, the first ordained woman rabbi in America; Ruth Messinger, who ran for mayor of New York City; Eve Ensler, who won an Obie for The Vagina Monologues; essayist Alix Kates Shulman, who published “A Marriage Agreement”; and Phyllis Chesler, who demanded reparations for women from the American Psychological Association. By most accounts, third wave feminism began in the 1990s. It has included a renewed campaign for greater political influence for women; efforts to eradicate a putative corporate “glass ceiling”; attempts to balance the pressures of making money, pursuing careers, raising children and sustaining a marriage; and countering the lack of support from and confrontations with second wave feminists who decry third-wavers for supposedly setting the movement back via lipstick, the pursuit of sexual self-esteem and the case for motherhood.
Rebecca Walker, born Rebecca Leventhal, co-founded the third wave movement in 1992 after graduating from Yale. She is the daughter of Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, and Mel Leventhal, a Jewish civil rights attorney. Gloria Steinem is her godmother. She describes her feminist journey and evolving views in her book Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self. The Jewish women’s motifs to stand for justice and to serve as effective agents for social change can likely be traced to where the Jewish DNA for tikkun olam (to repair the world), tzedakkah (to give charity) and chesed (kindness) intersects with the Jewish patriarchy experience. Jewish feminist Letty Cottin Pogrebin says she “grew up in a home where advancing social justice was as integral to Judaism as lighting Shabbat candles. Having learned from my parents to stand up for my dignity as a Jew, it was natural for me to stand up for my dignity as a woman and for the dignity of others. For many of us, feminism is an expression of Jewish values.” “Then there is what many of us experience as a negative Jewish value … that of having been excluded from the prayer minyan (prayer reserved for a quorum of 10 men); from reciting kaddish (the mourners prayer) for a parent; and other such prohibitions,” Pogrebin says. “We embraced feminism, in part, as an adverse reaction to those patriarchal values, not dissimilar to the secular prohibitions once imposed on women by a maledominated society.” Exclusions notwithstanding, Jewish biblical text and traditions more often than not inspire the Jewish woman to confidence and to embrace her power. Nowhere is that more evident, perhaps, than in Ashes Chayil, which opens with the words … What a rare find is a woman of strength! Her worth is far beyond that of rubies … and closes with these: Laud her for her accomplishments, and let her works garner her praise at the gates. MAY 2013 DAVID
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Olympia Dukakis Stage Icon & Oscar Winning Screen Actress At 82 years old this year and she’s still going strong. Born in Lowell, Mass., her passion for acting was sparked as a teen performing in her Greek immigrant father’s theater troupe. After receiving a master’s of fine arts from Boston University, she took the long road to success, distinguishing herself on the classical and contemporary stage, and finally making her Broadway debut at age 30. Dukakis did not become a household name and sought-after film actress until age 56. She won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1988 for her performance in the romantic comedy Moonstruck. Movie and TV fans since have discovered her versatility in everything from ethnic to cutting-edge humor and stark tragedy roles. Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland’s Opus and Mighty Aphrodite are among her other notable films. In 1962, Olympia married Yugoslav-American actor Louis Zorich. The couple co-founded and ran the Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, N.J., for 15 years. They raised three children and now have four grandchildren. She is also the cousin of one-time Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. DAVID: In your autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, you seem to have had it all: a long and thriving marriage, extended family with traditions and celebrations, children, grandchildren and the career and successes of your dreams. How did you manage that? DUKAKIS: Well, nothing comes without a price. That price came concerning limited time with my children. That was the most difficult thing for me, although I chose not to travel until my kids were 17-18 years old. My youngest son was 18 when I left to do Moonstruck. Still, when I was running the Whole Theatre, I was gone most days and evenings, so I missed times with them. But I’m not constitutionally built to not pursue the work that I love, so for me there was no choice. DAVID: To what then do you attribute having had it all? DUKAKIS: I married the right man! Louis and I made a vow when we got married over 50 years ago to support each other’s dreams. And we have never once strayed from that vow. He believed in, supported and encouraged me to achieve what I desired. He was also willing to share responsibilities; so when, for example, I
traveled for work, he drove the kids to school, hockey games and took care of whatever they needed, until I was back. I couldn’t have done it otherwise. DAVID: Please share your thoughts on being outspoken about women’s and children’s rights, the environment and your Greek identity. DUKAKIS: Where I grew up, discrimination against Greeks was routine, so I was determined to stand proud with my heritage. I think that experience left me with an awareness for those who struggle to be respected … and that includes the Earth! DAVID: Tell us about Rose. DUKAKIS: It’s the riveting life story of a woman named Rose, who is a Holocaust survivor. She shares her complex journey, which begins in a tiny Russian village, then moves to the Warsaw ghetto, a ship called The Exodus, the boardwalks of Atlantic City, the Arizona canyons and finally Miami Beach, where the play takes place. There are husbands and children, triumphs and struggles, losses and gains in her life, all of which she shares candidly with the audience. DAVID: What do you like about Rose? DUKAKIS: I like that she is struggling to make sense of the terrible conflicts that exist for Israelis and Palestinians, especially in the face of the dreams that she had as a survivor of the Holocaust. I like that she questions all aspects of it, and wants us to get involved as well. She’s also an incredibly decent human being. DAVID: Rose remains seated on a bench for the entire performance. Why is the play staged that way? DUKAKIS: Well, the director, Nancy Meckler, and I wrote it that way because Martin, the playwright, wanted to keep the relationship between Rose and the audience intimate and intensely engaging. DAVID: Rose Castorini, your character in Moonstruck, states, “I know who I am.” Does Olympia Dukakis feel similarly? DUKAKIS: Every other day. That’s why the title of my book is Ask Me Again Tomorrow! Olympia Dukakis appears in the production of Rose, by playwright Martin Sherman at the Smith Center on May 21 only.
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