“Judaism has informed my sense of social justice. As a white middle class woman I thought it was important to recognise my privilege and stand up for others.”
January 23, 2017 17:22
Jewish women were among the thousands who took part in a march in London this weekend as part of an international demonstration on the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Organisers of the Women’s March said that up to 100,000 people took part in the London protest, and there were millions more around the world, with the biggest demonstration taking place in the American capital, Washington DC.
Rabbi Deborah Kahn Harris, principal of Leo Baeck College, said that her Jewish values made her determined to stand up for women and minority communities, who she said were under attack from Mr Trump.
“Standing up for diversity, for minority people, for the disabled and the LGBT community is fundamental to my Jewish values,” she explained.
Rabbi Kahn-Harris, who was part of a small group of Muslim and Jewish women who took part and also marched with her 10-year-old daughter, added: “It was a march about pluralism and diversity and that was visibly demonstrable with our group and that was important.”
“There was the sense from the older generations on the march that nothing has changed,” she continued. “We still have to remind people that it is a woman’s right to choose, she has the right to not be touched, the right to reproductive health, the right to own her own body, or the right to be safe. It is not pleasant to have to explain to your 10-year-old daughter what ‘pussy’ means.”
Taking part on a Shabbat was not a problem for the rabbi, who said she saw plenty of Jewish women on the day, including Mitzvah Day founder, Laura Marks and her teenage daughter.
Gabbie Asher, a member of New North London Synagogue, said that she took part in the march because she was so shocked by Mr Trump’s comments about women.
“I found a lot of his election rhetoric to be abhorrent and wanted to add my voice to others who felt the same,” she said. “It was really important for me to attend as a Jewish woman. I feel feminism is a word that has been as appallingly hijacked as Zionism and both are equally important to me.
“I was 11 when I watched the Holocaust film Genocide at a United Synagogue summer camp. After the horror at what I’d seen sunk in, the message I took away was that I should never sit back and be silent if I felt strongly about something.
“I am not comparing Trump to Hitler, but there are worrying shadows of fascism in some of his rhetoric.”
The 45-year-old added that it was the first time she had felt her generation were energized politically.
“For years I felt we were a rather apathetic bunch. But more recently despair has set in with confusion and frustration, about so many things going on in the world.
“This march felt like it was channelling all that energy and giving it an optimistic voice. It was a joyful event to be part of.”
Social worker Emily Hilton, 25, said it was important as a Jewish woman to show solidarity with minority communities, including Muslim women, who have been on the receiving end of Mr Trump’s “hateful messages”.
She explained: “Judaism has informed my sense of social justice. As a white middle class woman I thought it was important to recognise my privilege and stand up for others.”
Ms Hilton added that although the demonstration in London was about celebrating and standing up for diversity, it was “still quite a white crowd”.
“I think the decision by organisers to invite UKIP put a lot of people off. Some of my Muslim friends felt uncomfortable about that,” she said.
South African born Noleen Cohen, 53, agreed. “I felt Muslim women were underrepresented,” she said. “As Jews we are lucky because our community is all about us having a voice, we are used to debating, and speaking out together.
“My Jewish values are all about tolerance and understanding. Recently I have felt like I have had to defend them more and more.”
Mrs Cohen, who is a member of North Western Reform Synagogue, said her South African experience influenced her decision to take part.
“I have always been motivated to give people a voice when they don’t feel they have one. It was a chance to stand with other women, other faiths and share our passion,” she said. “It didn’t feel like, ‘just a demonstration,’ it was the start of action that will hopefully result in change.”
