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Rising Voices Blog Posts

Rising Voices

Learn more about the Rising Voices Fellowship, JWA's thought-leadership program for young Jewish women and non-binary teens.
Collage of outline of Iran and Roya Hakakian

Speaking Out as an Iranian Jewish Woman

Shamim Elyaszadeh

As the daughter of two Iranian immigrants, I am compelled to take advantage of the opportunities and privileges my mother, aunts, and grandmothers were deprived of.

Collage of Shulamit Aloni on patterned blue and white background

Is It Possible to Be A Left-Wing Zionist?

Ava Cohen

While it may not be exactly the case right now, there have been many people in Israel’s short history that have gone against the grain to form progressive parties in the government, like Shulamit Aloni.

Topics: Zionism, Activism
Collage of "Identical Twins" and clip art of a camera on black and white patterned background

Diane Arbus and Art as a Means of Processing, Coping, and Acting

Julia Brode Kroopkin

Arbus’s career sets a beautiful example of how to create space for purely expressive art. Art as a means of activism and coping is nothing new—yet it often feels inaccessible. I'm inspired by the risk she took to step away from commercial work.

Collage of Rachel Sassoon Beer on pale pink background

A Catalyst for Change: The Power of Written Language and the Media

Frieda Belasco

Rachel Sassoon Beer is an exceptional example of the value of activism through media. We can take inspiration from her bravery to defy social norms.

Collage of open book, torn paper, and Jewish star

Reading Beyond Holocaust Literature: Prioritizing Jewish Joy

Halleli Abrams Gerber

Learning about the Shoah became a constant as I explored my local libraries. This sent me the message that Jewishness was inextricably linked to suffering. What if it wasn't?

Topics: Fiction, Holocaust
Sarah Groustra Headshot 2023

Where Are They Now? RVF Alum Sarah Groustra

Sarah Biskowitz

JWA chats with Sarah Groustra for our series of interviews with Rising Voices Fellowship alums to mark the 10th anniversary of the fellowship. 

Topics: Non-Fiction, Plays
Collage of pants with matzah texture

Unleavened Pants

Sydney Burgess

There is nothing more connective than a bad joke, and every faux-annoyed eye roll or chuckle I get from my leggings is like a confirmation that Passover still binds us together.

Image of Eva smiling and wearing gold necklaces with flowers in background

My Golden Sanctuary

Eva Stern

I’ve realized that, in my life, my jewelry, my gold, has been a source of strength and sanctuary that allows me to connect with my family, culture, and self.

Young woman sitting surrounded by signs: "Protect kids, not guns!" and "Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. How about you fucking do something?"

Where Are They Now? RVF Alum Ilana Goldberg

Sarah Biskowitz

JWA chats with Ilana Goldberg for our series of interviews with Rising Voices Fellowship alums to mark the 10th anniversary of the fellowship. 

Collage of pink and purple flowers over Torah scroll

Singing Eshet Chayil to My Four Matriarchs

Shiraz Rothschild

Instead of using the poem the way a husband would honor his wife for taking care of the entire family, I chose to use Eshet Chayil as my way of thanking and expressing the awe that I have for these female role models in my family.

Topics: Ritual, Prayer
White tallit with floral decoration and pink, blue, and red stripes

Making My Tallit With My Mom

Roz Larsen

When it came time for my parents to acquire a tallit for me, my mother thought back to her past for inspiration.

Rainbow collage of various protest symbols and flowers

Jewish Queer Activism: Rising Upon Our Past

Julia Brode Kroopkin

In the same way I have an obligation to my Jewish ancestors to continue the fight for social justice and equity, I have an obligation to my queer ancestors as well.

Collage of Sasha Kranson-Forrest reading from the Torah at her Bat Mitzvah

The Family Yad

Sasha Kranson-Forrest

When my bubbe gave me this yad, I felt like I finally didn’t have to hide some parts about my Jewish identity.

Topics: Family, Ritual
Collage of megaphone and camera over colorful confetti

Raised to Stand Up

Lily Katz

My parents explicitly educated me in social justice issues, but not everyone learned these things as a child. What was the difference between my parents and my friends’ parents that had shaped the way we were raised?

Topics: Family
Collage of framed engravings of the story of Ruth

My Connection to Ruth

Shamim Elyaszadeh

Thanks to this beautiful drawing of the biblical story of Ruth in my house, I was able to develop an appreciation for Ruth and how her journey connects to mine.

Topics: Bible
Collage of gold chain with "F" pendant surrounded by gold stars on blue background

My "F" Necklace: From Generation to Generation

Frieda Belasco

I often overlook how lucky I am that this necklace was passed down to me. My great-aunt gave it to me when I was born. Now I feel connected to my great-grandmother, despite having never met her.  

Collage of black and white butterflies and snapshot of prayer shawl

Praying for Permanence: Finding My Connection to Faith

Halleli Abrams Gerber

Slowly, I have come to understand that my connection to Judaism doesn’t need to be a linear path. I experience days of doubt, times of radiant joy, and moments of deep guilt.

Collage of Twitter bird on blue sky background

Twitter Taught Me How to Love Judaism

Ava Cohen

Jwitter, or Jewish Twitter, helped me reshape how I viewed my place in a Jewish community.

Collage of flowers and Jewish objects on a variety of orange torn papers

Learning to Lead Prayers, and My Community

Talia Waxman

I wanted my bat mitzvah to be a very public statement of my commitment to gender equality within Orthodox Judaism.

Young woman with brown curly hair and glasses wearing dark gray shirt and posing in front of trees

Where Are They Now? RVF Alum Hannah Elbaum

Sarah Biskowitz

The first in our series of interviews with RVF alums to mark the 10th anniversary of the fellowship. 

Collage of stack of books superimposed over antique printed paper

Understanding My Identity Through Books

Aria Lynn-Skov

Every day I find new books to read, and I know that they will continue to help expand my understanding of my own identity, and of the world around me.

Topics: Fiction, Non-Fiction
Collage of arms holding up a Jewish star on background of pages of Jewish text

Being Female and Orthodox Caused My Identity Crisis

Elah Tuchshnieder

When the topic of my bat mitzvah surfaced in my two households, it became evident that my bat mitzvah was not going to be like the ones my friends were having.

Collage of open book on top of red and pink patterned and torn papers

How I Became An Intersectional Feminist

Lucy Targum

Reading A Brief History of Feminism with my camp friends acted almost as a shared secret or understanding between us. All of us were realizing together that this was a movement we cared deeply about.

Collage of geometric artwork created by RVF fellow Talia Richmond's great-grandfather

Building Connections Though My Great-Grandfather’s Paintings

Talia Richmond

I’ve uncovered a thread, in the form of a chain of paintings by my great-grandfather that stretches across the United States and links me to my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, who live hundreds of miles away.

Topics: Painting, Family
Collage of book pages

Feminist Books Save Lives

Sara Weinstein

Across the country, efforts to ban books have been increasing in number and effectiveness, hitting school and public libraries especially hard. These are the places that made me who I am, so it's been an emotional experience, to say the least, to see books taken off the shelves.  

Topics: Libraries

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Rising Voices Blog Posts." (Viewed on March 19, 2024) <http://jwa.org/blog/risingvoices>.