# Isabel Kirsch ![Isabel Kirsch](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_168x168/public/mediaobjects/isabel.jpg?itok=hmFMNOBH) Isabel Kirsch is a junior at Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC, and lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. When she’s not reading, she can be found running cross-country, registering voters, doing crossword puzzles, or participating in Model UN. Isabel is a member of her school’s feminist affinity group and hopes to bring her passion for feminism to a career in international relations or politics. ## Blog Posts [ ![Congressman Jamie Raskin](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/isabel_jamie_raskin_official_copy.jpg?itok=cQD0r2NN "Congressman Jamie Raskin") ](/blog/risingvoices/gerrymandering-isnt-issue-for-maryland-alone) June 16, 2017## [Gerrymandering Isn't an Issue for Maryland Alone](/blog/risingvoices/gerrymandering-isnt-issue-for-maryland-alone) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)As a committed Democrat, it might seem counterproductive for me to oppose something that makes this disproportionately Democratic congressional representation possible. However, I see gerrymandering in Maryland as part of a much larger national problem, and I urge you to use your platform as a federal representative to address it. Topics: [Civil Service](/topics/civil-service) [ ![Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch and her Grandmother](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/isabel.jpeg?itok=6iU3lM1a "Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch and her Grandmother") ](/blog/risingvoices/ldor-vador-lessons-from-my-grandmother) May 24, 2017## [L'Dor Vador: Lessons from my Grandmother](/blog/risingvoices/ldor-vador-lessons-from-my-grandmother) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)My grandmother, Marguerite, was born in Paris in 1937 to Polish parents, Fania and Adam. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Jarnac, a tiny village in southwestern France. The family was Jewish, though they were not observant. Regardless, after the fall of the Third Republic in 1940, it became dangerous for them to even speak of their religion. Topics: [Holocaust](/topics/holocaust), [Medicine](/topics/medicine) [ ![Penelope and the Suitors](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/penelope.jpg?itok=VS5eAA75 "Penelope and the Suitors") ](/blog/risingvoices/penelope-s-feminist-odyssey) March 24, 2017## [Penelope’s Feminist Odyssey](/blog/risingvoices/penelope-s-feminist-odyssey) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)Throughout *The Odyssey*, Penelope, Odysseus' wife, is characterized as constant, virtuous, and patient. She’s seen as the epitome of faithful wifeliness for her refusal to marry a suitor and for her belief that Odysseus will return. Her character is two-dimensional and, for the most part, irrelevant to Odysseus' escapades. Topics: [Feminism](/topics/feminism), [Fiction](/topics/fiction), [Poetry](/topics/poetry) [ ![Kim Kardashian West](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/kim_kardashian.jpg?itok=BrU1EPhK "Kim Kardashian West") ](/blog/risingvoices/we-should-all-be-feminists-0) February 27, 2017## [We Should All Be Feminists ](/blog/risingvoices/we-should-all-be-feminists-0) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)Although I knew I was a feminist long before I had the words to describe it, I try not to judge women who don't feel the same way. However, I take issue with Kardashian West's declaration because we seem to share similar views on women's rights, yet she shies away from the “feminist” label. Topics: [Feminism](/topics/feminism), [Women's Rights](/topics/womens-rights), [Television](/topics/television) [ ![2016-2017 Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch at her Bat Mitzvah](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/isabel_copy_1.jpg?itok=fO3hViEh "2016-2017 Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch at her Bat Mitzvah") ](/blog/risingvoices/public-responsibility-from-biblical-consent-to-planned-parenthood) January 11, 2017## [Public Responsibility: From Biblical Consent To Planned Parenthood](/blog/risingvoices/public-responsibility-from-biblical-consent-to-planned-parenthood) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)When I first read my assigned Bat Mitzvah *parsha* (Torah portion), Ki Teitzei, my response was one of shock and disgust. The *parsha* discusses the guidelines for punishing an engaged virgin who lies with another man, outlining different punishments depending upon where the activity occurs. Topics: [Reproductive Rights](/topics/reproductive-rights), [Bible](/topics/bible), [Jewish Law](/topics/jewish-law) [ !["Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa and the Person Within" Front Cover by Hilde Bruch, 1973](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/hilde-bruch.jpg?itok=lMnvzMqp ""Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa and the Person Within" Front Cover by Hilde Bruch, 1973") ](/blog/risingvoices/hilde-bruch-and-persistence-of-eating-disorders) December 5, 2016## [Hilde Bruch and the Persistence of Eating Disorders](/blog/risingvoices/hilde-bruch-and-persistence-of-eating-disorders) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)Clinical descriptions of eating disorders date back centuries, yet it took until the 1970s for the pioneering research of doctor, psychologist, and writer Hilde Bruch to bring the issue to public attention. Topics: [Psychology and Psychiatry](/topics/psychology-and-psychiatry), [Athletes](/topics/athletes), [Non-Fiction](/topics/non-fiction) [ ![2016-2017 Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch with her Model UN Partner](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/isabel_copy_0.jpg?itok=37N2D1E8 "2016-2017 Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch with her Model UN Partner") ](/blog/risingvoices/my-power-outfit-deserves-its-name) November 16, 2016## [My Power Outfit Deserves Its Name](/blog/risingvoices/my-power-outfit-deserves-its-name) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)Although I've learned to embrace my short stature and recognize its impact on my confidence as a woman, when I was younger, my height was my biggest insecurity. Topics: [Fashion and Beauty](/topics/fashion-and-beauty), [Schools](/topics/schools) [ ![2016-2017 Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch and her Twin Brother as Infants](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_250x167_center/public/mediaobjects/isabel_copy.jpg?itok=KU17Lh0_ "2016-2017 Rising Voices Fellow Isabel Kirsch and her Twin Brother as Infants") ](/blog/risingvoices/almost-identical) October 31, 2016## [Almost Identical](/blog/risingvoices/almost-identical) [Isabel Kirsch](/blog/author/isabel-kirsch)I have a twin brother. Most people, upon finding this out, ask if we’re identical. In the scientific sense of the word, my brother, Jacob, and I are fraternal twins, and I always have to suppress a laugh when I’m asked this question because it’s biologically impossible that we’re identical. However, except for our gender difference, Jacob and I share many social identifiers that influence how we experience the world. Topics: [Schools](/topics/schools), [Children](/topics/children)