Jewish Women and Judaism

Judaism is a major monotheistic ethnic religion based on the teachings of the New Testament. It is not only a faith but also embedded in tradition, law, culture and history. Around 0.2 percent of the world population is Jewish.

A Violent Denial: Combating Silence Around Hamas’ Sexual Violence and Preventing Future War Crimes

PUBLISHED 5/23/2024 by | UPDATED 10/7/2024 at 1:18 P.M. PT

Feminist lessons of war are traumatically and often fatally difficult to come by. In her 2023 book, Twelve Feminist Lessons of War, Cynthia Enloe offers a list that includes: “Women’s wars are not men’s wars,” “wounds are gendered” and “feminists organize while war is raging.” She declares that “feminist lessons are for everyone.”

Cochav Elkayam-Levy is still figuring out the feminist lessons to be learned from the Oct. 7 attack. As she has come to accept, this will be her life’s work.

(This article originally appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

The Politics of Defining Anti-Semitism

PUBLISHED 2/4/2024 by

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.

Rest in Power: Alice Shalvi, the Mother of Israeli Feminism

PUBLISHED 1/18/2024 by

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!)

Claudine Gay’s Resignation at Harvard Proves Black Women’s Leadership Is Still Political

PUBLISHED 1/8/2024 by

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 Way We Were’: Eve Merriam and the Hidden History of American Feminism

PUBLISHED 10/21/2023 by

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.

In Novel ‘Bessie,’ Linda Kass Takes on Antisemitism Through the Story of the First and Only Jewish Miss America

PUBLISHED 9/13/2023 by

“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.”

Betrayal of the States: A Look at the 12 Months Since the Dobbs Decision

PUBLISHED 6/22/2023 by and

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.”