Activism

Israeli singer Noa Kireal against sparkly blue background

Empowerment at Eurovision

Maya Viswanathan

No matter how silly the school tests and projects that stress me out are, listening to music that tells me that I have “all the power of a unicorn” makes me feel empowered.

Arms holding up a protest sign with 3 power fists on it on yellow background

Toward A Besere Velt (A Better World)

Ava Weinstein

The more I learn about the world and the society we live in, the more dissatisfied I feel and the more eager I am to change it.

Gila Axelrod

7 Questions For Gila Axelrod

Sarah Groustra

JWA talks to Gila Axelrod, writer, educator, and editor-in-chief of New Voices.

Rows of young women in baseball uniforms with hands on hips

Going to Bat for Women’s Equality

Peter Dreier

Ever since baseball was invented, Jewish women have challenged sexist stereotypes to make their mark on the sport. 

Judith and Ma'ayan Rosenbaum sitting on a stage with microphones, red curtain behind them

Celebrating and Challenging Margaret in Book and Film

Judith Rosenbaum

JWA's CEO Judith Rosenbaum reflects on a recent screening of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, the film adaptation of Judy Blume's groundbreaking novel. 

Topics: Feminism, Film, Fiction
Gold line drawings of woman, mask, and tambourine on blue and gold background

The Megillah's Two Models of Leadership

Maya Viswanathan

Megillat Esther reminds us of a different way to lead, a different way to change the world.

Black line drawings of moon and stars on a background of red and pink waves

Bringing Jewish Feminism to Youth Programming

Miriam Stodolsky

We need programs that integrate vibrant Jewish feminism into all youth spaces.

 

Black and white collage of clothing items and hangers

To Reveal or Not To Reveal: Modesty, Jewish Feminism, and the Male Gaze

Ava Weinstein

Recently, I’ve embarked on a mission to dress how I want, when I want.

Collage of Fran Fine and Janice Litman-Goralnik on pink striped background

Celebrating the Jewish Women of The Nanny and Friends

Ava Weinstein

In Janice from Friends and Fran from The Nanny, I see some of myself—a chatty Jewish woman with curls and a loud laugh—and I never found Janice annoying, or saw Fran as anything less than who she is: funny, beautiful, independent.

Lech by Sara Lippman Book Cover

"Lech" Complicates Familial Relationships

Chanel Dubofsky

As Lippmann's characters in Lech excavate their lives in search of clarity, they're ultimately left with this truth: what we're told to believe about ourselves and the world is never all there is.

Turkish Coffee and Dates

The Intricacies of Queer, Interfaith Relationships

D. B. Ashkenazi

It was the first time I’d hung out with “other Muslims” and not felt stressed about being Jewish. My girlfriend’s mom recognized me wholly as a Jewish woman and as a woman of her same culture. I had nothing to prove. I was enough.

Collage of line drawing of a crowd of women on a deep purple background

Reclaiming "Like a Girl"

Adina Gerwin

I had to ask the question a 2015 Always ad poses: "why would I let ‘like a girl’ stop me?" Acting like a girl works, and is not something I need to be ashamed of.

Collage of Julia Haart and a megillah scroll on an orange gradient background

Julia Haart: The Anti-Esther

Aviva Schilowitz

Queen Esther used her power to save and lift up other Jews. That’s my version of Jewish power and feminism. But Julia Haart, the star of My Unorthodox Life, uses her power as a weapon against other Jews.

Black line drawing of cursor clicking YouTube logo on a white background

I Love LeftTube. But Where Are The Jews?

Miriam Stodolsky

Leftist videos on YouTube were key ingredients in developing my political outlook, but there is a palpable lack of any Jewish voices.

Topics: Socialism, Film, Activism
April Baskin

7 Questions For April Baskin

Jen Richler

JWA speaks with April Baskin, an organizer and founding director of Joyous Justice.

Topics: Civil Rights
Rothschild Family Tree

Why Are Women Left Out of Jewish Genealogy?

Abby Rickin-Marks

With all the information Jewish genealogical sites offer, why are women so often left out?

Hebrew letters on a dark background

Turning Toward Myself and My ADHD

Mirushe "Mira" Zylali

I'm inspired by friends who are open about their disabilities, and by Sephardi and Mizrahi musicians who delight in playing with sound. 

Samantha Pickette Headshot and Book Cover

Q & A with Samantha Pickette, Author of "Peak TV's Unapologetic Jewish Woman"

Sarah Jae Leiber

JWA talks to Samantha Pickette about her new book and about how TV is establishing a new version of the Jewish woman. 

Collage of Clara Lemlich on blue background

Slowing Down Fast Fashion: Lessons from Clara Lemlich

Clara Sorkin

Clara Lemlich, the female garment workers she led in striking, and the women who have come after her prove that strength truly comes in numbers and in unity.

Holocaust Remembrance Candle

What Does Good Holocaust Education Look Like?

Elana Moscovitch

Teaching kids about the Holocaust should inspire them to fight injustice and change the world.

Collage of Susan Weidman Schneider on green and white checkered background

Like Lilith, Re-channeling My Anger

Noa Karidi

Rather than reacting from a place of anger, the LGBTQIA+ community needs to follow the example of Weidman Schneider to use education in order to change the perception of this bill and of the community

Collage of Cass Elliot and Rabbi Minna Bromberg on white and yellow checkered background

Unearthing the Fat Underground

Judy Ruden

All Jewish bodies are important, no matter what they do or don’t look like. We have to care for each other in a way that makes every single body feel included.

Collage of Bertha Pappenheim on orange and white background

Bertha Pappenheim and My Great Great Grandmother

Aviva Schilowitz

Bertha Pappenheim and Oma Irene’s work still feels essential today. We still are working to help people in the Jewish community who many would prefer to pretend don’t exist.

Collage of band Sleater-Kinney on red background

Get Angry: Carrie Brownstein and the Legacy of Riot Grrrl

Ava Weinstein

Judaism’s core teachings of tikkun olam, social justice, and equality are what the riot grrrl movement was all about. Sleater-Kinney is no different.

Topics: Music, Feminism, Protests
Collage of Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Rebecca Gratz, and Emma Goldman on patterned purple background

Fighting for Abortion Rights with My Jewish Feminist Heroes

Leila Nuri

Following in the footsteps of Jewish feminists before us, I think educating others to stop the spread of misinformation, accentuating voices that need to be heard, and acknowledging your own privilege is deeply necessary in this fight.

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