Social Activism
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Item 100 Years On: The Jewish Suffragists Who Helped Women Win the Right to Vote(Jewish Journal, 2020-08-14) Anderson, Adrienne WigdortzAlthough Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth were some of the best known figures in the battle for women's suffrage in the United States, other activists played a significant role in the suffrage movement, including Jewish women. In commemoration the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, this article details the contributions of Jewish feminist activists, and suggests that their commitment grew out of the importance of the call to engage in tikkun olam (perfecting the world) in Jewish teaching. Click on the link above to read the article.Item A Friendship in the Prophetic Tradition: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King, Jr.(2018) Heschel, SusannahSusannah Heschel, daughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, explored the relationship between Rabbi Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite the obvious differences in background, religion and ethnicity, She notes that their bond was forged in the prophetic tradition, which both men shared. As Heschel stated in this article, "[w]hat brought them together were the prophets: the rhetoric of indictment and hope, irony and promise, but above all, the prophetic understanding of God." For both, ethical and political engagement were not a choice, but a responsibility to which we are called by God. Click on the link to read the article.Item Abortion rights crusader Henry Morgentaler, revered and hated, dead at 90(The Globe and Mail, 2013-05-29) Martin, SandraLengthy obituary on the life, death and significance of Dr. Henry Morgentaler. Click on the link above to access the obituary.Item Barbara Seaman: September 11, 1935–February 27, 2008(Jewish Women's Archive, 2021-06-23) Baumgardner, JenniferAn article on the life and career of Barbara Seaman, who was a major and pioneering figure in the Second Wave of the women's movement. Her primary focus was on women's health. She fought against the mass prescription of hormone replacement therapy and the high dose birth control pill. her 1969 book, "he Doctors’ Case Against the Pill," prompted Senate hearings on the safety of the birth control pill. She was a pioneer of the "feminist health movement," at a time when "advocated informed consent and patient rights at a time when men (doctors, husbands, legislators, and religious leaders) made decisions about women’s bodies." Her lifelong commitment was to empower women to advocate for themselves with male doctors. Click on the link to read the article.Item Ben & Jerry's Radical Ice Cream Dreams(The New York Times, 2020-07-27) Marchese, DavidThis article is an interview with Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream. Cohen and Greenfield, childhood friends, founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream in 1978. It became a highly lucrative, internationally-known business. The company was founded with the purpose of exemplifying and promoting its founders values of social, environmental and economic justice. Click on the link to read the article.Item Cycling in Montreal: Q&A with pioneering activist Robert "Bicycle Bob" Silverman(Montreal Gazette, 2016-04-15) Riga, AndyThis article is an interview with Robert Silverman, known as Bicycle Bob. Silverman is credited with being a pioneer who helped to transform Montreal from a city without bike paths or places to park bikes into one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. Montreal boasts a large network of bike paths and BIXI bikes (bikes for rent) throughout the city. Silverman began organizing a campaign for bikes in the mid-1970s, using such established techniques of social activism such as massive demonstrations, as well as civil disobedience. He served a very brief time in jail for painting a bike path on a street in order to protest the lack of bike paths in the city. Click on the link to read the interview.Item Elie Wiesel Biography.com(A&E Television Networks, 2017-02-08) Biography.comBiography of noted Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel. Click on the link to read the biography.Item Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity(2017) Elie Wiesel Foundation for HumanityA foundation established by Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion shortly after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Founded in memory of the holocaust, the purpose of the foundation is to combat prejudice and intolerance. Click on the link above to visit the homepage and learn about the activities of the foundation.Item Elie Wiesel, Nobel laureate and memory keeper of the Holocaust, dies at 87(Washington Post, 2016-07-02) Langer, EmilyObituary of Elie Wiesel in the Washington Post. Click on the link to read the obituary.Item Emma Goldman(2017) Jewish Women's ArchiveComprehensive biographical essay, produced in collaboration with the Emma Goldman Papers (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/goldman/), about the life, contributions and significance of Emma Goldman. Includes a chronology of important dates in her life and a bibliography. Click on the link above to access the essay.Item The Eve Ensler Monologue(Jewish Women's Archive, 2017-11-20) Rosman, JosephineThis article is about Eve Ensler's most famous play, "The Vagina Monologues," which was based on a series of interviews Ensler conducted with women about their attitudes toward their vaginas, their bodies and their sexuality. The play, which has been performed internationally in dozens of languages, has become part of the feminist movement. It gives voice to a wide variety of women and serves as a means for women to combat sexual violence. Click on the link above to read the article. For a discussion of an interview with Eve Ensler in "The Froward," click on the first link below. To see "The Vagina Monologues" performed by Eve Ensler, click on the second link below.Item Eve Ensler's Jewish Dialogue(The Forward, 2012-12-11) Horowitz, SimiAn interview with Eve Ensler, playwright, activist and advocate on behalf of women, who is best known for her play, the "Vagina Monologues." Ensler discusses the enduring relevance of her work and her attitudes towards her Judaism. Click on the link above to read the article. To see "The Vagina Monologues" performed by Eve Ensler, click on the first link below. Click on the second link below to read an article in the "Jewish Women's Archive" about the significance and impact of the play.Item For Historian Howard Zinn, Political Struggle Trumped All Private Concerns(Haaretz, 2012-12-17) Thrope, SamuelThis article discusses the book, "Howard Zinn: A Life on the Left" by Martin Duberman. Zinn was a prominent historian in the 20th century. He was committed to an approach to history that tells the stories of the marginalized and oppressed people, which are overlooked in traditional history. In addition to Zinn's work being a critique of the American political and social structure, he was an engaged political activist. Click on the link above to read the article. For more information about Zinn and for samples of his work, click on the link to his Web Site below.Item Henry Morgentaler(Canadian Encyclopedia, 2013-12-16) Marshall, Tabitha; McLaren, AngusArticle in the Canadian Encyclopedia about Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who advocated for abortion rights in Canada. Click on the link above to access the article.Item HowardZinn.org(2021) Zinn, HowardA Web Site devoted to Howard Zinn. It includes biographical information, archival material from Zinn's papers a various repositories, articles he wrote, interviews with him, information about his many projects, etc. Click on the link above to visit the Web Site. For additional discussion about Zinn and his work, click on the link below.Item "I'd organize hell." Saul Alinksy.(San Francisco Bay Area Television archive, 2011-09-25) Alinsky, SaulKPIX-TV documentary film from 1966 about the American community organizer and writer Saul Alinsky. Features extended interviews with Alinksy at his home in Carmel, California on wide ranging issues such as poverty, injustice, his Industrial Areas Foundation and U.S. policy in Vietnam. This film was produced by Caryl Coleman and directed by Dick Williams. Commentary is provided by John H. Bunzel, of San Francisco State College. Click on the link above to access the video.Item In Selma, sold-out yarmulkes and Shabbat behind bars(Jewish Telgraphic Agency (Archive), 2015-01-17) Friedman, GabeThis article, from the archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency discusses the role of Jews in the bloody marches in Selma, Alabama in 1965, to press for voting rights for African Americans. Jewish organizations, as well as individual Jews, pressured President Lyndon Johnson to take swift action to introduce legislation to grant voting rights to African American citizens. Many Jews participated in those marches, most famously, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (as is shown in the photograph submitted by his daughter, Susannah Heschel) marched right beside the Reverend Martin Luther King. Heschel was not the only rabbi to participate in the Selma marches, several of whom were arrested. The article describes how some of them conducted Shabbat services inside the Selma Jail. Click on the link to read the article.Item Michael Henry Schwerner, James Earl Chaney, and Andrew Goodman(Jim Crow Museum, Ferris State University, 2012) Baumgartner, NeilA brief recounting of the deaths of "Civil rights workers Michael Henry Schwerner, James Earl Chaney, and Andrew Goodman [who] were killed by a mob of Klansmen in Neshoba County, Mississippi, on June 21, 1964." Click on the link above to access the article.Item The Movie Selma: Where is Heschel?(Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, 2015-01-23) Vorspan, AlFrom the introduction: "The movie Selma moved me very deeply, and I was impressed with the superb acting (especially MLK) and brilliant writing. But I was also troubled that this movie (so clearly on the side of the angels) unwittingly continues a trend I have watched for decades with mounting discomfort—the gradual bleaching out of the Jewish role in the civil rights revolution in America. To put it bluntly, as a friend, Larry Bush, put it to me: where was Heschel?" Click on the link above to read the rest. If you are on the "Full item page" click on the link to the "Simple item page" above to access the link.Item National Council of Jewish Women(2017) National Council of Jewish WomenInspired by Jewish values, the National Council of Jewish Women is a grassroots advocacy organization that advocates for social justice in order to improve the lives of women, children and families. Click on the link to see the NCJW's homepage.