The Real Change Is In Our Hands
As a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, I feel blessed to be a woman. I am convinced we women are a force of nature, the axis the world spins around. If we are determined to achieve a goal, we’ll do it. The sky would be the limit if we could only maximize our potential by forming a united front. While this was supposed to be the aim of the Women’s March, how could a movement contaminated by bigotry and anti-Semitism be a rallying point for all the women of the world? We deserve better.
The mission statement of the Women’s March declares that it “was created to bring together a passionate, diverse global community of women and allies who seek to create a future of equality, justice, and compassion for all.” The problem is the organizer’s definition of “all” includes everyone, with the exception of Jews. A long list of accusations of anti-Semitism stemming from the very beginning of this movement raises questions about its real intentions and agenda. Among the most damning and substantive accusations are those of the founder of the Women’s March movement itself, lawyer and educator Teresa Shook, who now accuses the group’s co-chairs of associating with bigoted outside groups and calls for their resignation.
At the center of the controversy are the Women’s March National Co-chairs organizers. In November of last year, National Co-chair Linda Sarsour backed Minnesota Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, who openly supports the BDS movement against Israel. Tamika Mallory, another march National Co-chair, praised Louis Farrakhan -a well-known anti-Semite who has compared Jews with “termites,” as “the greatest of all time,” refusing to condemn his inflammatory rhetoric against Jews. She has also been accused, together with National Co-chair Carmen Perez, of blaming Jews for the “slave trade,” and “white supremacy.”
“The physical gathering of millions in the streets means nothing if the core ideology of the activism promotes division and hatred instead promoting unity among people.”
In a move that some interpret as an attempt to whitewash its leadership’s tarnished image, three Jewish women were named as new members of the Women’s March steering committee this month. At the same time, the organizers succeeded in garnering the support of nine liberal rabbis after addressing with them their concerns about anti-Semitism. Too little, too late.
The physical gathering of millions in the streets means nothing if the core ideology of the activism promotes division and hatred instead promoting unity among people. Therefore, the resurfacing of bigotry and anti-Semitism should be a wake-up call to women, and Jewish women in particular, to step up as an example of unity and solidarity to all humanity. It’s time for Jewish women to shine like the beacon of “light unto the nations,” the reason for the Jewish people’s existence. We can hold high this beacon of hope to an ailing world so much in need of genuine positive actions of mutual support and understanding, instead of the endless power struggles and exhausting competition that destroys all hope.
It is clear that the current ongoing battle is squeezing out our last drop of energy and is leading us to a very precarious place. But we do not have to submit to this dark fate. Women have the power to make a remarkable shift for the benefit of all, to roll out a truly historic movement to change the course of humanity, to lead the way from separation to connection.
We should continue the legacy of the real pioneers of women’s activism: Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, and Esther. Following in the footsteps of these strong Jewish women leaders, women could become true agents of change by connecting people, by bringing all closer to one another, into one cohesive, interconnected and integral system. This work in unification rather than divisive identity politics is the stuff of true change, of real women’s leadership.
“This work in unification rather than divisive identity politics is the stuff of true change, of real women’s leadership.”
Since a woman has the ability to elevate the world to a higher state, she is the foundation and the basis of humanity, just as the old adage says, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Nature has designed creation in such a way that everything is determined by the feminine ability to adjust and direct the world correctly, the ability to find the proper mutual cooperation between the male force and the female force to both work together in perfect harmony by complementing one another. The best place to start our work is in the place closest to our heart: at home, within the family. When we succeed in this task and exponentially multiply the strength of the network of positive connection, not only will we effectively combat and dispel Jew-hatred, but we will bring peace, stability, and happiness to all humanity.
