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Politics and Government

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"Lady Lilith" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1866.

My Many Moms Are My Matriarchs

Sasha Azizi Rosenfeld

Matriarchal leadership is often portrayed negatively, like in the story of Lilith. My moms have proven to me that we need more of it.

Emma Goldman in Union Square, 1912

Voting Isn't Enough: A Look Back at Emma Goldman's Radical Anti-suffrage

Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler

Is voting the be-all and end-all of civic engagement? Emma Goldman didn't think so.

Elizabeth Warren on stage in a purple suit, microphone in hand.

A Thank-You Note to Smart Women

Ella Plotkin-Oren

I'm writing this note with a hopeful but heavy heart. In March 2020, I voted for the first time. I believed that this would be a tremendous year for women. 

Emma Cohn and Friends Voting

Voting Is Jewish: Reflections from a First-Time Voter

Emma Cohn

In the second essay in JWA's 2020 Suffrage Series, a Rising Voices Fellowship alumna reflects on voting for the first time this year.

National Women's Convention March, November 1977

Activists: Let's Learn from Bella Abzug

Lila Goldstein

 After looking into the achievements of her extensive career, I see that Bella Abzug is the perfect role model for activists just beginning in their work.

Ruth First

First, Unity

Mica Maltzman

Just as Ruth First did in her work, contemporary feminist activists must prioritize maintaining a united, intersectional movement.

Mrs. America Promotional Image

Mrs. America: Who's Afraid of The ERA?

Nina Henry

In Mrs. America, viewers are offered a glimpse at the anxieties surrounding the ERA in 1970s (which still persist today).

Map of Europe, 1923

Reflections on the 2019 UK Election: Antisemitism in Europe

Emily-Rose Baker

In the aftermath of the 2019 UK election, let's talk about antisemitism in Europe.

Pencil with sharpener resting on a notebook.

Magnet School

Maddy Pollack

If tikkun olam is something that we believe in fully, then our work will not be complete until every student is empowered with an equitable education.

United States Capital, featuring Christmas tree in foreground.

A Culture of Christmas

Ellanora Lerner

What does it mean to live in a country that purports secularity but considers Christianity to be the default?

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

If I Am Not for Myself, Who Will be For Me?

Hannah Kornblut

White Jews benefit from the system of white supremacy, and are often complicit, until their Jewish identity is revealed. 

Pawn

Jews Will Not Be Pawns

Dani Pinkus

Jewish American disloyalty is a hot topic these days, but we're tired of being treated like political pawns.

porcupine quills

Quills

Emily Axelrod

I couldn’t understand why it was this incident that spurred me to tears—why it was the struggle of a dog rather than the countless struggles of humans that had made me cry.

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo Elected as Mexico City’s First Female Mayor

July 1, 2018

Winning nearly 50% of the vote against six other candidates, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was elected mayor of Mexico City on July 1, 2018, at the age of 56.

The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt, page 228 CROP

Ken Krimstein on "The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt"

Ken Krimstein

Exclusively for JWA, author and artist Ken Krimstein discusses his graphic novel, The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt.

Ima Alleluia Nwachukwu

Igbo Jews: A Threatened Community

Patrick Egwu

Reporter Patrick Egwu details the persecution facing the Igbo Jewish community in Umuahia, Southern Nigeria.

Episode 30: Women in Israeli Politics: An Election Primer

On April 9, Israeli voters head to the polls. In this chaotic and potentially momentous election, the headlines are mostly focused on political maneuvering and corruption scandals in the top-ranks of the male-dominated political parties. But in this election, more Israeli women are running for Knesset than ever before, and they’re speaking out about women’s issues. Is anyone listening? In this special episode of Can We Talk, journalist Linda Gradstein brings us this report on where women candidates from a range of political parties stand in the upcoming Israeli elections. She speaks with feminist activist and writer Elana Sztokman and some of the candidates themselves.

Episode 10: Rededication (Transcript)

Episode 10: Rededication (Transcript)

Episode 27: The Power of Women’s Anger

On this episode of Can We Talk?, Judith Rosenbaum talks to Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger, one of JWA’s Book List picks this year. We explore the topic of women’s anger: how it is perceived, how it has historically been put to use, and how in 2018 midterm elections, women harnessed it to win a record-breaking number of seats in Congress. From Abigail Adams, to labor organizer Rose Schneiderman, to Congresswoman Bella Abzug, women have wielded their anger to create political change.

Michelle Wolf at the White House Correspondence Dinner

Michelle Wolf is (Still) not a Nice Lady

Larisa Klebe

So, why do people think Michelle Wolf is Jewish (she’s not), and how has this misconception shaped some of the criticism that she’s received? Side note: Michelle, everyone thinks you’re Jewish anyway so why not just seal the deal? Join us!

Make America Great Again Hat

Picking Battles

Rachel Harris

Not to be dramatic, but my blood boils whenever I see someone in Trump paraphernalia. Luckily, this is rarely an issue for me. My area of New York is notoriously liberal (Hillary Clinton lives 15 minutes from my house!), and I rarely encounter anyone diametrically opposed to me. However, I’m reminded on occasion that my town isn’t always the liberal bubble I make it out to be. 

Students Studying in College Library

Balancing Academic Freedom and the Right to Bear Arms

Hannah Himmelgreen

Gun control is an undeniably controversial topic, and while an individual may be entitled to their constitutional right to bear arms, allowing unrestricted carry of weapons does nothing to prevent mass school violence.  

Episode 13: Borders of Love

Israeli author Dorit Rabinyan’s novel All the Rivers is a steamy, Middle Eastern “Romeo and Juliet”: an Israeli-Palestinian love affair that confronts themes of borders, identity, and assimilation. The book sparked controversy in Israel, where the government removed it from the high school curriculum, while it shot to the top of the bestseller list. In this month’s episode, we talk with Dorit Rabinyan about this love story that doubles as political allegory, and about the tragic personal experiences that inspired her to write a tale of star-crossed Middle Eastern lovers.

Chris Christie

Education for a Crumbling Nation

Madisen Siegel

One of my biggest problems with Christie has to do with his education policies. As governor, Christie has brought many changes to the New Jersey education system. Overall, his policies tend to benefit families that send their children to private, parochial, or charter schools, and to take money away from districts that need more school supplies, classrooms, and teachers. 

Tomi Lahren

This Snowflake Won’t Melt

Molly Pifko

It’s fair to say that Tomi Lahren and I disagree on almost everything. She is a conservative political commentator who uses her show, Tomi, to criticize the Affordable Care Act, gun control legislation, the Black Lives Matter movement, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and anyone else who happens to catch her attention for acting too much like a “snowflake” (more on that in a moment). 

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