I am writing from Jerusalem where I am on a study tour with 23 women from the National Council of Jewish Women. We are here visiting some of the organizations we fund through our Israel Granting Program and also are meeting with a variety of people to get updates on the social, political, and economic issues facing the modern State of Israel. One issue I never quite thought I would experience in 2011 is bus segregation. No, I am not referring to blacks and whites because, after all, this is not 1960 in Mississippi. I am referring to gender segregation of men and women on buses with routes originating from the predominately Orthodox neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem. Today, we rode the buses to experience firsthand what it is like to be a woman and assume you must “go to the back of the bus” when you board bus #56 or #40.

This now illegal activity started in 1997 when public transport companies began to operate special bus lines for the Haredi public, starting with two lines in Jerusalem and Bnei Barak. Called “Mehadrin” (extra kosher) lines, women would board the bus through the rear door and men would board through the front door. Women who objected to these rules would be subjected to harassment and intimidation and, in some cases, physical violence. The Israel Reform Action Center (IRAC) began to take action on this subject in 2001 and NCJW followed soon after. During a hearing on the case in January 2008, the Israeli Supreme Court criticized the manner in which gender segregation was being carried out on the buses and instructed the Ministry of Transportation to appoint a committee to study the matter. The Committee submitted its conclusions in October 2009 and found that bus routes applying gender segregation were unlawful given existing laws of the State of Israel; however, “segregation” was not defined and no enforcement mechanisms were put in place. The court has since ruled that signs must be placed in buses stating: “Due to Supreme Court ruling 47607 people can sit anywhere they want on the bus.”

So on November 3, 2011, we decided to accompany Anat Hoffman of IRAC and take a “freedom ride.” It made perfect sense for us to do this on our first day in Israel, for as Anat pointed out, “NCJW has been next to the cradle of every failed or successful feminist effort in Israel.” And here we were again, riding the buses in the front and taking action.

So, what did we find? Well, on the bus that I was on there was no sign and the women who boarded walked to the back even though we had left lots of seats for them in front. The men who boarded had no idea what to do and gave us very dirty looks. Most chose to stand or occupy a seat where none of us were sitting. One woman commented to one of our Hebrew-speaking members: “You should be ashamed of yourselves. Why don’t you take care of your own prostitutes and drugs and do not worry about us.” Others seemed to feel empowered by our presence and took seats in the front of the bus and asked why were we there!

I, for one, was proud to ride the bus (in the front seat) and to feel like I was helping Israeli women take their rightful place at the front of the bus or anywhere they choose to sit!

Visit our expanding gallery of photos from NCJW Women’s Mission to Israel!

It’s ironic that in the very same week that the East Coast experienced a rare, strong earthquake, we commemorate two “earth shaking” historic events.  Ninety one years ago on August 26, women won a years-long fight for suffrage with ratification of the 19th amendment; and on August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of Americans spoke out for “jobs and freedom” at the March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At both of these moments in history, disenfranchised individuals stood up to demand that their voices be heard.

To honor these victories for equality and justice, NCJW is proud to join several coalition partners  to launch HERvotes – a voter education and mobilization effort for women and those who care about women’s Health and Economic Rights leading up to the November 2012 elections.

The gains achieved between and beyond 1920 and 1963 paved the way for other landmark laws that have improved the health, well-being, economic security, and equality of women – and, now, many of these gains are at risk. 

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Myra H. Kraft was an extraordinary woman who touched so many lives in Boston, Israel, the Former Soviet Union, and around the world. Her father, Jacob Hiatt, was a giant among giants, a founder of Brandeis, and a well-known philanthropist.  Myra carried on his legacy and became a philanthropist in her own right. As a Brandeis graduate, I initially only knew Myra from afar, and did not realize that one day I would have the privilege of calling this kind woman my friend.

I had the opportunity to get to know Myra on a personal level when I began working as Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Boston in 1990. From the first time we met at a Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) meeting, we instantly connected. We were two passionate women who loved Israel and wanted to change the world — not just for Jews, but for all people in need.

Myra became an early supporter of the advocacy work at the JCRC and an advocate par excellence. She gladly agreed to chair our Ethiopian Committee during the large waves of Ethiopian immigration to Israel. I will never forget how she agreed to host an 11 pm meeting in her suite at the General Assembly in 2000 in Chicago with the heads of the Jewish Federations of North America, Joint Distribution Committee, Jewish Agency for Israel, along with the ministers of education and absorption from Israel and ended up chastising them for not doing more to help fully absorb the new Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society.

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On Facebook, it’s “how many friends.” On Twitter, “how many followers.” On YouTube, “how many views.” In the world of grassroots advocacy, it’s “how large a network.”

Collectively, NCJW members have been part of just about every major progressive social movement in this country during the past century and, in many cases, were at the forefront of pushing for change. We have shown up in large numbers to march and to rally. We have successfully lit up phone lines to urge our representatives and senators to take up our causes. And thanks to NCJW’s Action Center, thousands of us have emailed our legislators, the president, and other public officials, to voice our concern about and support for a variety of issues.

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On Tuesday, March 8, NCJW’s newly installed President Linda Slucker and I took the train to Washington, DC, to celebrate International Women’s Day at a reception hosted by the First Lady. This year is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and events took place in more than 100 countries across the world. Leading up to International Women’s Day 2011, the International Red Cross called on states and other entities “not to relent in their efforts to prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence that harm lives and dignity of countless women in conflict zones around the world every year.” Here in the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the “100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges.”

At the White House, we met dozens of women from all parts of the country and from a variety of government and quasi-government agencies, including: the World Bank, the EPA, the State Department and many more. We reconnected with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who received the Social Action Award at our recent National Convention in Dallas, and with Tina Tchen, who heads the White House Council on Women and Girls and serves as Chief of Staff to the First Lady. I was able to speak directly to Mrs. Obama about NCJW Section projects, such as the Dallas Section’s award-winning program, Food + Fit = Fun, which goes along with the First Lady’s nationwide initiative emphasizing health, nutrition, and wellness.

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