The Seen

Seen The Seen Compiled from JTA reports

Kiss Frontman Gene Simmons Learns More About His Holocaust Survivor Mother

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons said his mother almost never spoke about her Holocaust ordeal, including time in Nazi camps.

A German newspaper has provided him with plenty more information.

Bild am Sonntag presented the Israel-born rock star with 100 pages of documents about his mother’s ordeal, including her impact statement, to mark the 75th anniversary of her liberation.

Flora Klein, a native of Hungary, was 19 when American troops liberated the Mauthausen camp on May 5, 1945. She died at 93 in the United States.

In her statement to the former Restitution Office in Koblenz, Klein wrote: “In November 1944, I was brought to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. I lived there in block no. 21 and worked in the fields, gathering potatoes outside the camp. I wore old civilian clothes with a white oil (paint) cross painted on the back, in a camp surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by the SS.”

Klein was transferred to the Venusberg subcamp of the Flossenburg concentration camp in January 1945, and arrived at Mauthausen in March that year.

“She was strong,” Simmons told Bild in an interview as he read the documents. “She fought all of this on her own.” — Marcy Oster

Betty Friedan is the ‘Moses’ of the Women’s Movement in ‘Mrs. America’ The women’s movement is led by Jews … or at least it was in the ’70s. Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem — they were all Jewish, and they’re all characters on FX’s new show “Mrs. America,” now airing on Hulu.

The series, created by Dahvi Waller, chronicles the rise and fall of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have guaranteed equal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex and probably would’ve been ratified if Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) hadn’t organized conservative women in opposition.

Along with the ERA, the aforementioned leaders of the women’s movement fought for women’s rights, like the right to abortion, child care, and equal pay. The series does a good job of giving each of its leading women, conservative and liberal alike, Tracey Ullman portrays Betty Friedan in the FX series “Mrs. America.” significant focus, which means that the Feminine Mystique,” which is often credited describe her in the series often seems to be show got an influx of Jewish identity, with sparking second-wave feminism. a nod specifically to Friedan’s Jewish identity. especially the fourth episode titled “Betty.” Following her book, she co-founded In a sweet moment in the episode, Glo-

Until this episode, you could say that the the National Organization for Women, or ria (Rose Byrne) expresses the struggle of show mostly depicted Betty Friedan (Tracey NOW, in 1966. In 1970, she organized the working with Friedan and her “difficult Ullman) as annoying, and a chore to deal nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality on personality,” and Friedan’s friend Natalie with, but in this episode centered around the 50th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, (Miriam Shor) speaks up for her. her, it reminds viewers that Friedan was basi- which gave women the right to vote, and “Betty is impossible,” Natalie says. “But cally the Moses of the women’s movement. garnered 50,000 people in New York City without her there’s no NOW, no Women’s

One character, named Jill Ruckelshaus alone. In 1971, she and other feminists Political Caucus, no NARAL. We get to do (Elizabeth Banks), even says that women established the National Women’s Political what we do because she risked everything. were “wandering in the wilderness for 40 Caucus. So, before you tell her what she can and years” before Friedan “lit a match.” That More than just regarding her as a leader, cannot do, consider just saying thank you.” match would be her 1963 book “The however, a lot of the language used to — Linda Maleh