Emma Nathanson

2018-2019 Rising Voices Fellow Emma Nathanson

Emma Nathanson is a junior at West High School in Madison, Wisconsin, where she fuels her passion for politics, running, and music through Model UN, cross country, and orchestra. At her temple, Emma teaches and learns Hebrew, attends NFTY kallot, and serves on the youth group board. Other loves of her life include traveling with her family, trading puns with her friends, frequenting local bookstores, and adding to her sock collection.

Blog Posts

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Why Feminism Needs Teenage Boys

Emma Nathanson

The boys in my class created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Their worry over claiming a title because of their lack of action made it impossible for them to take action in the first place.

Topics: Feminism, Schools
Birth control pills

Healthy Youth, Act!

Emma Nathanson

We’ve questioned the way sex ed is taught and brainstormed new methods health teachers should be using.

Stock Photo of "I Voted" Stickers

Voting: Still a Right, Right?

Emma Nathanson

Typically, walking through the doors of my high school gym brings on a feeling of dread, accompanied by the smell of body odor and wet paint. When I walked into the gym this past November, however, the only thing I felt was excitement. On the day of the 2018 Midterm Elections, I had decided to spend my Tuesday afternoon and evening as an election official, helping voters register, cast ballots, and, most importantly, go home with an “I Voted!” sticker proudly affixed to their shirts.

Madison, Wisconsin

This is Not My Story

Emma Nathanson

Besides its bike-friendly status, Madison also has a reputation for being incredibly liberal. You can’t go one block in Madison without spotting a Prius sporting a bumper sticker in support of a Democratic candidate. Often, Madison feels like an insulated left-leaning bubble within red Wisconsin.

Topics: Activism, Schools
Anti-Semitic Graffiti

May the Faith Be With You

Emma Nathanson

Because I didn’t have support, because I felt alone, I didn’t confront my teacher about his words that day or about the lack of Holocaust education. I didn’t take a stand, either, when I found the words “JEW HUNTER” scrawled on the leg of a desk. Nor did I speak up when I found the same horrifying phrase on a different desk a few weeks later.

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Emma Nathanson." (Viewed on September 27, 2023) <https://jwa.org/blog/author/emma-nathanson>.