Activism

Content type
Collection
Collage of Illustrated Adult Hand Holding Child's Hand

My Dad Gives Me Choices: On Male Authority Today

Mira Eras

The chance to have power over my own choices is an incredible opportunity that many people don't have, now more than ever.

Topics: Family, Feminism

Shannie Goldstein

Project
Women Who Dared

Abriel Louise Young interviewed Shannie Goldstein on January 12, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Goldstein explores her family history, childhood in Lowell, Massachusetts, her Jewish education, her involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement, her undercover trips to the Soviet Union, her views on feminism, her battle with breast cancer, and her engagement in the Jewish community.

Lynn Amowitz

Project
Women Who Dared

Judith Rosenbaum interviewed Lynn Amowitz on July 31, 2001, in Providence, Rhode Island, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Amowitz reflects on her childhood experiences of antisemitism, her parents' establishment of a synagogue for her bat mitzvah, the influence of family history on her career choice, her work in human rights investigations, and her aspirations to impact policies and methodologies in her field.

Picture of Main Actresses in "Mamma Mia" Production at the Terazije Theatre in Serbia, 2015

"Mamma Mia" is a Feminist Exploration of Choice

Georgia Fried

In my view, Sophie embodies the notion of choice—a central feminist idea that is explored in the musical.

Topics: Feminism, Theater

Joanne Alter

Project
Women Who Dared

Deborah Michaud interviewed Joanne Alter on February 22, 2004, in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Alter reflects on her upbringing in a Christian suburb of Chicago, her early activism fostered by wartime experiences, her involvement in political organizations in college, her efforts in foreign relations and women empowerment, her successful political career, philanthropic work, and the influence of her Jewish identity on her activism.

Roselle Ungar

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Roselle Ungar on August 30, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Ungar talks about her role as assistant executive director of the Jewish Federation, creating resources for Katrina evacuees, connecting them to aid and facilitating community, and her part in rebuilding the Jewish community in New Orleans.

Comic strip by Alison Bechdel entitled "The Rule" from her series Dykes To Watch Out For

It’s Time to Ditch the Bechdel Test–Or at Least Take It Less Seriously

Catherine Horowitz

We should not need a list of boxes to check off to tell us whether a movie is feminist.

Megan Fox holding a flame to her tongue with her phone held up to her ear

"Jennifer's Body": A Metacommentary on Exploitation in the Film Industry

Sofia Isaias-Day

The film Jennifer's Body addresses themes of assault and exploitation without being obvious about it—which may have been a necessary tactic.

Topics: Feminism, Television
 Protesters holding signs outside Supreme Court on Day Roe v Wade was overturned

The Limits of Framing Abortion Rights as a Religious Issue

Savoy Curry

The right to abortion has deep roots across religions. But framing the fight for bodily autonomy as a religious issue has limits.

Randi Abramson

Project
Washington D.C. Stories

Deborah Ross interviewed Randi Abramson on January 22, 2011, in Bethesda, Maryland, as part of the Washington D.C. Stories Oral History Project. Abramson, a doctor at Bread for the City in Washington, D.C., discusses her experience as a minority Jew, challenges in the medical field, commitment to community service, and imparting Jewish values to her children.

Mollie Wallick

Project
Women Who Dared

Abe Louise Young interviewed Mollie Wallick on January 11, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Wallick reflects on her Orthodox upbringing, her family relationships, her evolving Jewish identity influenced by her gay rights activism, and her support for LGBTQ+ students as a University counselor.

Collage of Illustrated Figures in Front of Asexual and Aromantic Pride Flag Colored Rainbows

What "Be Fruitful and Multiply" Means for Ace and Aro Jews

Talia Bloom

Queerness, asexuality, and aromanticism don't take away our ability to fulfill the mitzvah, "Be fruitful and multiply"; in some ways, they actually open up our world.

Miriam Waltzer

Project
Women Who Dared

Abrielle Louise Young interviewed Miriam Waltzer on January 12, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Waltzer shares the story of her childhood in Germany during World War II, her marriage to an American, their involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, her career as a judge, and her contributions to humanitarian organizations.

Hanna Weinberg

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Jean Freedman interviewed Hanna Weinberg on June 10, 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the Weaving Women's Words Oral History Project. Weinberg shares her immigration story from Germany and Lithuania to the United States, her experiences growing up in various cities, her marriage to Rabbi Yaacov Weinberg, her community involvement, and her reflections on raising a large family and widowhood.

Toni Weiss

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Toni Weiss on July 11, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Weiss discusses her upbringing in Tucson, her experiences during Hurricane Katrina, rebuilding her life as a single mother, career transitions, remarriage, and her commitment to community and spirituality.

Someone holding a sign that reads "We won't go back. We will fight back."

JWA and Jewish History Stand for Abortion Rights

Judith Rosenbaum

We will continue to fight, strengthened by the lessons of history, which teach us that abortion access is a Jewish value.

Film still from Chantal Akerman's Je Tu Il Elle - two naked women lying down, facing each other

Chantal Akerman’s Queer Jewish Cinema

Emily-Rose Baker

Akerman’s queer, feminist, Jewish films deserve far more attention than they’ve received.

Carol Wise

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Carol Wise on July 8, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Wise discusses her involvement in the New Orleans Jewish community, particularly her experiences during Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent rebuilding efforts, emphasizing the importance of including women and addressing racial tensions.

Episode 80: Toxic Hookup Culture in Jewish Youth Groups and Summer Camps

Jewish summer camps and youth movements are a time-honored tradition—tens of thousands of Jewish teens participate. But a group of young Jews is calling out what they say is a “toxic hookup culture” in many of these institutions. In this episode of Can We Talk?, Jen Richler talks with Dahlia Soussan, Ellanora Lerner and Madeline Canfield, three of the founders of Jewish Teens for Empowered Consent, about how they hope to change the culture. Please note, there are sexual references in this episode.

Rosalie Silber Abrams

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Marcie Cohen Ferris interviewed Senator Rosalie Silber Abrams on May 24, 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the Weaving Women’s Words Oral History Project. Abrams, a progressive health advocate, and former Maryland Senator, reflects on her life and career in an interview, highlighting her nursing background, political engagement, and contributions to healthcare and senior services.

Film still from Kissing Jessica Stein: two women kissing

The Expansive Queerness of "Kissing Jessica Stein"

Emma Breitman

Kissing Jessica Stein flips the heteronormative script, making for a fun watch over 20 years after its release. 

Episode 79: Word of the Week: Eshet Chayil

 "A woman of valor, who can find? Her worth is far beyond rubies..." So begins a 22-verse acrostic poem from the Book of Proverbs. The poem showers praise on an unnamed woman of valor—eshet chayil, in Hebrew—and is sung in some Jewish families on Friday night before the Shabbat meal. In the final installment of our Word of the Week series, we talk with Rena Nickerson, Miriam Anzovin and Rachel Stomel about the meaning of Eshet Chayil today and their memories of singing it growing up.

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