More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Mistaking toxic masculinity for skillful leadership has led to one disaster after another—from pointless wars, to preventable terrorist attacks, to the spiraling climate change crisis.
As we enter the seventh month of attacks on Gaza, I can’t help but ask myself: What if we had female leaders in Israel and Gaza?
I am named after my great grandfather, Siegmund, who died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1942—so understanding and fighting anti-Semitism is close to my heart.
But the Antisemitism Awareness Act recently introduced in Congress will silence discussions in institutions of higher education where academic freedom should guarantee the right to open debate and dissent. Along with anti-critical race theory and “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, bills targeting anti-Semitism are part of a larger agenda to control what is taught in K-12 schools and universities, therefore redefining social justice concepts.
The late Alice Shalvi was an Orthodox mother of six, a remarkable intellectual—and a breaker of glass ceilings who advanced women’s equality in realms both secular and religious. Her two enduring passions: promoting justice for all women and a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
(This article originally appears in the Winter 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)
Much of the criticism of Harvard’s Claudine Gay wasn’t about legitimate concerns about academic integrity or campus antisemitism. It was about who is in power.
But who’s surprised, really, that things went this way for Gay? Against Black women specifically, the conservative agenda is clear: Minimize their excellence and exaggerate their mistakes. Their identities and leadership become weaponized and politicized. There is no room for error.
The threats women candidates face on the campaign trail are intentional, especially towards women of color and those serving at the state and local level who rarely receive media attention.
Attacks on women candidates and elected officials are attacks on democracy. Full stop.
The Way We Were premiered in 1973. Today, audiences are still drawn to the film’s unlikely romance. In creating the character of Katie, screenwriter Arthur Laurents drew on memories of classmate Eva Moskovitz, who became the successful author Eve Merriam.
Given that the 50th anniversary of The Way We Were is also the anniversary of Ms. magazine and a high point in the women’s liberation movement, it is worth considering what it means that in 1973, a successful female author could be recast in an iconic and beloved film as a woman willing to give up her ambitions to get the hunky guy.
“Bessie was not raised to be a beauty queen,” said Bessie novelist Linda Kass of Bess Myerson, the only Jewish Miss America. “She sought to have a voice, to make a difference.
“Antisemitism, racism and sexism were virulent, and homophobia was taken as a given. The arguments voiced then are similar to what we’re hearing and seeing today.”
Rabbi Dan Fink and Rabbi Dena Feingold detail the repercussions of the Dobbs decision in their home states of Wisconsin and Idaho, as well as the desperate need for state legislatures to reflect the views of their constituencies.
“They’re using Christianity to enforce restrictions on all Americans. And just as we suspected, the reign of terror did not end with abortion rights. … Some have responded, ‘If you don’t like it here, then why don’t you just move?’ The answer is simple: That’s not love. … And love—exemplified by fighting for policies that protect all of our neighbors and their fundamental rights—is how we will ultimately prevail.”
In her newest book, Girls and Their Monsters, Audrey Clare Farley addresses the Morlok quadruplets’ earliest years as a singing-and-dancing sensation and zeroes in on their coming of age and eventual descent into schizophrenia.
“I want to stress that I don’t view the quadruplets only as victims. They looked for and found joy. The book is about people living under fascism, but it’s also about bravery and defiance.”
Elsie Robinson was a journalist known for her syndicated Hearst column “Listen, World!” Born into poverty in 1880s California, Robinson risked everything to chase her dream of becoming a writer and lead a life beyond what was prescribed to women at the time—even working in a gold mine as the sole female mucker as she tried to break into magazines. Ultimately, after a long and bumpy road, she succeeded and used her nationwide column to advocate for the rights of women, people of color and other underrepresented groups.
