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Bernice Stern

A native Seattleite born in 1916, Bernice Stern was the youngest National Council of Jewish Women officer elected at the national level, and first woman elected to the King County Council. She attended the University of Washington from 1932–1935, leaving to marry Edward Stern. Mother to two young boys, Bernice began volunteering at home, working on behalf of the blind, and on John F. Kennedy’s Women’s Conference on Civil Rights in 1961, and served on the Washington State Women’s Civil Rights Committee in 1963. She was named Outstanding Public Official in 1979 by the Municipal League of King County. Bernice Stern died on June 29, 2007.

Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity

Throughout history, activists have chosen different costumes and personas as strategic tools to help them stand up against injustice. Examine how the biblical figure Esther and the historical figure Bella Abzug fought for justice and liberation by adopting personas that helped them to achieve their goals. JWA staff will demonstrate ways to use the stories of these women in your classrooms as you prepare for Purim.

Ann Lewis

I might never have heard of Maud Nathan if I had not found these books, just as we know that too much of Jewish women's history has gone untold.

Madeleine Kunin

The sound of applause—not just for me but for women rising to a position of power—reverberated through the hall, like the sound of an orchestra.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The demand for justice runs through the entirety of Jewish history and Jewish tradition.

Hillary Clinton, 2008

Our Changing Perception of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton

Gabrielle Orcha

It’s Presidents’ Day. And I find myself thinking about her, the woman who came closest to presiding over our nation, taking up temporary residence (for the third time) at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I am fascinated by our nation’s changing perceptions—and altered reception—of Hillary Clinton.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2004

"Jurist with Attitude" Celebrates 19 Years on Supreme Court

Deborah Fineblum Raub

If you are under the age of 20, there’s never been a time in your life when a Jewish woman hasn’t been sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Lisa Brown, Michigan State Representative

Why are there so many prominent Jewish pro-choicers in politics?

Sarah Seltzer

Michigan State Representative Lisa Brown has become a new heroine of the pro-choice movement, and she achieved this status both by invoking her Judaism and by using the word “vagina” on the State House Floor, during a heated debate of an omnibus anti-abortion bill.

Michigan state Rep. Lisa Brown: Jewish superhero for abortion

Leah Berkenwald

Michigan state Rep. Lisa Brown is a champion. A hero. A "Jewess with Attitude" to the n'th degree. 

Sheila Cheimets , 1936 - 2011

She never put much stock in her pioneering achievements ... until she became a grandmother... It was when she had her granddaughters around her that she began to think about what their lives were going to be like.

Clara Schiffer, 1911 - 2009

She faced discrimination overtly as a Jew and less overtly as a working woman... Those experiences sensitize people to what fair treatment is. We knew that to be fair was important, to work for improving the world an essential task.

Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords resigns from Congress

Leah Berkenwald

This morning, Gabrielle Giffords offered her official resignation from Congress to Speaker John Boehner.

State of the Union: The Obama we voted for

Gloria Feldt

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been a harsh critic of Obama’s leadership or lack of it since he took office, not because I supported Clinton (which I did but I got over it), but as someone who understands the responsibilities of a chief executive to create meaning, articulate a vision, and put forth an agenda for people to work from. From the time he was elected until now, his vision kept shrinking rather than expanding and his penchant for appeasing even the unappeasable has been nothing short of maddening.

Jan Perry

Will Jan Perry become the first African American Jewish woman mayor of LA?

Kate Bigam

If Jan Perry has her way, Los Angeles will elect its first female mayor and its first Jewish mayor come 2013 – her. The 56-year-old Perry, who has represented Los Angeles’ 9th District for three terms, is one of four Democratic candidates seeking their party’s nomination in June’s primary. She is not the only Jewish candidate or the only female candidate in the running – but she is the only candidate who is both. She also happens to be African-American.

Debbie Friedman

The Lives They Lived: Jewish women to remember in 2011

Leah Berkenwald

“[Debbie Friedman] emphasized the value of every voice and the power of song to help us express ourselves and become our best selves. As she wrote for JWA's online exhibit Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution: 'The more our voices are heard in song, the more we become our lyrics, our prayers, and our convictions.' The woman who wrote the song that asks God to 'help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing' herself modeled for us what that looks like.”—Judith Rosenbaum.
Learn more >>

Top 10 Moments for Jewish Women in 2011

Jewesses With Attitude
10. We celebrated the 40th anniversary of Our Bodies, Ourselves

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returns to Congress to cast debt ceiling vote

August 1, 2011

Just seven months after a gunman’s bullet nearly killed her, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the floor of the House of Representatives to cast her vote in favor of a bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein

Jewesses in politics represent!

Kate Bigam

This week marks a big one when it comes to major anniversaries of Jewish women in politics.

Rose Schneiderman

Her Hat Was In The Ring: New site shares stories of women in politics before 1920

Leah Berkenwald

Kristen Gwinn, Wendy Chmielewski, and Jill Norgren, students of women's history, had a goal: To explore whether women ran for elective office in substantial numbers before ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Thanks to their work, we now know THEY DID. The fruits of their research are now available in a database on a new, free website: www.herhatwasinthering.org.

Jane Harman

Jane Harman to receive NJDC's inaugural Tzedek Award

Kate Bigam

The National Jewish Democratic Council is presenting its inaugural Tzedek Award tonight – and the first recipient is former Congresswoman Jane Harman.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Rep. Wasserman Schultz on abortion: 'This is personal'

Sarah Seltzer

Anyone who has spent time arguing about politics–particularly hot-button issues like abortion–is familiar with “glazed-eyes, nodding syndrome” which is what happens when listeners (who may even agree with us) grow uncomfortable with the topic and hope to goodness we move on, soon, and yes, yes, women’s rights blah blah blah. It’s just politics, these expressions tell us; why act like it’s so personal? Or maybe it’s just too depressing and abstract to contemplate.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Rep. Allen West tells Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to "act like a Lady"

Leah Berkenwald

Yesterday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democratic National Committee Chairwoman and Jewess with Attitude) reproached Rep. Allen West on his opposition to raising the debt ceiling and his support of the "Cut, Cap, and Balance" vote. 

Natalie Goldstein Heineman, 1913 - 2010

In every organization in which she was involved, she was recognized not only for her effective leadership but for her independence, intellect, hard work and kind heart.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Logo

Jewish women and the Democratic National Committee

Leah Berkenwald

Yesterday, President Obama chose Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the new chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), making her the second Jewish woman to hold this position after Debra DeLee in 1994. After doing a little research at jwa.org, however, I realized that even though Wasserman Schultz may be the only the second Jewish woman to chair the DNC, she is actually joining a long tradition of Jewish women who have been active in the organization.

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