Yehudit Sidikman
Founder and Senior Instructor at El HaLev martial arts center
I don’t care where you come from. Female? You have the right to stand up for yourself and to know that if he gets upset and starts getting violent, you will be able to hurt him. You hope you don’t have to but if you know you have the tools to fight back, you’ll take the chance to say, “Don’t talk to me like that.” Self-defense martial arts are equalizing. And we work with women from all different populations, with no politics. [...]
Patricia Smith: Wednesday
A day starting with Obama’s victory, and ending with 100 Israelis at the book launch at the stunning, modern Cinemateque theater! Appropriate response: jumping up and down and screaming? Sitting in silence and breathing deeply?
Beautiful Lia Van Leer, now 87, the founder of the theater, spoke to me softly: “Today there was a [...]
Amira Dotan
Member of Knesset and retired Brigadier-General
Feminism is the ability to do what you want to do. It must be on the table immediately that there are two different genders. Women need to believe that men are who they are and we are who we are, and to be proud of who we are instead of spending so much energy imitating men. Then we will have more energy to do what we want to do, and questions of harassment and violence lessen because men see you as equal. [...]
Barbara Sofer
Journalist and Director of Public Relations for Hadassah
I’ve been in rooms where people are taking care of terror victims while everybody around the table had to worry that day about being blown up as well—and at the same time, a terrorist would be taken care of. When people come into these hospitals, they move a switch inside and elicit their best selves. We’ll never have a future unless we switch off the static of all the anger and conflicts to move ahead to peace.
Chana Pasternak
Director of Kolech–Religious Women’s Forum
The men always express themselves, and they are heard, but the voices, especially of religious women, aren’t heard. And all religious responsibility has been for men, very little for women. It’s time women should be heard. [...]
Tirza Moussaieff
Psychologist, writer, and imagery worker
The Torah says Redemption will come from women this time. Women give birth to children and are more open and sensitive. They see reality. Men are little boys. But there is hope because women have a lot of power over men. If they guide men with respect and knowledge, I think men will be happy to receive it because they are more lost than women. They are little boys with toys. When they are impotent, they love to use a gun. If you look at the profile of major generals, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find a background of impotency.
Tamar Borer
Therapist and artist of multidisciplinary stage creations
The courage to live is the greatest courage we can have. The courage to accept death as part of our daily life is probably the major gate through which we can realize freedom.
Patricia Smith: Saturday
Coming into Jerusalem last night from Tel Aviv, alone in the taxi, the Wall, which runs alongside the highway in some places, seemed closer and longer. Was it the light at dusk? Or was it closer and longer?
There is a great poignancy, knowing as I do so well, that there is no [...]
Naomi Chazan
Professor, author, and Member of Knesset (1992-2003)
I was one of the first Israeli supporters of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. I’ve tried to achieve that for over 40 years. Yes, I’ve gotten an award here or there because I’ve tried, but I don’t think I deserve any of those awards because I haven’t succeeded.
When I [...]
Tova Dmbulu Gette
Conversion Counselor for the Rabbinical Courts
It was like the Exodus from Egypt. We slept during the day and walked at night so robbers wouldn’t catch us. We walked, hungry and thirsty. I was with my parents and two of my brothers. We carried them on our backs and put them on donkeys. We had only [...]
