All Hail!

By Leemor Dotan KOACH Midwest Fieldworker

During my research and brainstorming about the topic of Judaism and Feminism, I came across a paragraph that truly struck a chord with me?something interesting that I realized I took for granted and never really reflected upon. Even though some of my personal heroes are great Jewish women, I never considered the relationship between a women's role in Judaism and the rights of women in civil American society.

On www.jewfaq.org, I read that "The position of women is not nearly as lowly as many modern people think; in fact, the position of women in halakhah (Jewish Law) that dates back to the biblical period is in many ways better than the position of women under American civil law as recently as a century ago. Most of the important feminist leaders of the 20th century (Gloria Steinem, for example) are Jewish women, and some commentators have suggested that this is no coincidence: the respect accorded to women in Jewish tradition was a part of their ethnic culture."

After reading this, I felt proud, valued, and part of a bigger picture. I started thinking about our matriarchs in the Torah and other great Jewish women throughout the past centuries that have made their mark in history. Jewish women have had more power and leadership roles than most women in American society. While the feminist movement in the United States has certainly made incredible strides, I thought about one of my own female heroes: Golda Meir. She demonstrated this concept on the highest level.

Golda Meir?s commitment to her land and to her people was the finest example of human dedication. Her complete involvement, combined with true love and ambition showed the world that she was going to make an impact. As Israel?s fourth Prime Minister and leader of Israel?s Labor Movement, she worked to make a difference in the lives of the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Her extensive list of accomplishments includes, but is not limited to: official of the Histadrut Trade Union, an emissary in the United States, serving as secretary of the Hechalutz women's organization, head of the Jewish Agency's Political Department, Israel's Ambassador to the Former Soviet Union, the Minister of Labor and National Insurance and Foreign Minister of the Knesset.

Women like Golda Meir truly make me a proud woman and Jew. I admire her passion, fortitude and power. Her achievements and commitments have made our world a stronger, more tolerable and overall better place to live.

Think about your own role models and determine how they have made an impact on society, our Jewish world and perhaps other movements. Your role models and heroes can be your best education! Be proud of who you are and never forget where you come from.

[Posted 6/7/05]