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Opinion

OTHER VIEWS

Act To Smash The Glass Ceiling

New York/JTA

C

an we talk about gender? Again? Or maybe not.
We have been having a conversation in the
Jewish community about gender for more than
three decades. During that time, there have been some
remarkable changes: the ordination of women rabbis, the
proliferation of egalitarian prayer services and bat mitz-
vah as a rite of passage.
In addition, at least six major organizations and insti-
tutions have elected women as board presidents for the
first time, including the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Women phi-
lanthropists and entrepreneurs are launching new organi-
zations. More women are featured on panels and publica-
tions as intellectuals, academics and writers.
So why do we still need to talk about gender?
Because in a critical aspect, the gender gap still persists
in the Jewish community.
Jewish women professionals have done better outside
of Jewish organizational life than inside. Jewish women
are making laws in the U.S. Senate, deciding great issues
on the U.S. Supreme Court, presiding over Ivy League
universities and directing some of the nation's largest
philanthropies.
Yet major Jewish organizations, though staffed pre-
dominantly by women, are still led professionally by men
— from the 20 largest Jewish federations to the national
institutions focused on Jewish education, community
relations, social service, public policy and Israel advocacy.
With the exception of some local agencies, Jewish
women's groups and a sprinkling of general organiza-
tions, including the American Jewish World Service, the
Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Israel Project,
every national Jewish organization and every religious

big

Shifra
Bronznick

Didi
Goldenhar

Special Commentary

Because in a critical aspect, the
gender gap still persists in the
Jewish community.

institution is directed by a man.
Jewish community organizations have resisted tackling
gender-related issues that are on the agenda in the cor-
porate world, academia and other professions: equitable
salary and compensation, parental leave, policies that pro-
mote flexible work arrangements and professional devel-
opment that supports women's advancement throughout
their careers.
For many years, the strategy for closing the gender gap
was to keep talking. Talk to the CEOs. Talk to board mem-
bers to convince them to champion change.
The message was the same one that applied to every
other field and profession: Organizations need to become

true meritocracies and take full advantage of the talent
pool. Diversity in leadership contributes to an organiza-
tion's effectiveness — externally by connecting to more
segments of the community, and internally by generating
a broader set of perspectives and ideas.
While a few exceptional, forward-thinking CEOs and
board chairs have engaged these issues, most of them
prefer to provide stability and order rather than manage
the disruption that would be generated by throwing over
the deeply held tradition of male dominance in Jewish
organizational life.
Systemic change will not come with talk. It requires
action, individual steps by committed people in and out-
side of those organizations and at different levels to close
the gap between the espoused values of gender equity
and the current reality. But taking those steps, catalyzing
deep change, requires skill and courage.
Changing traditions and values that have been in place
for generations will take a long time. That's why it is so
important to start now
The time for talk is past. If everyone who espouses a
commitment to gender equity in Jewish life continues to
do what they have been doing, nothing will change.
Let's move to action now, make more progress than
we have in the past toward a future Jewish community
in which people from every generation and corner of the
organization will join the conversation about the Jewish
future — a Jewish community where women truly share
leadership with men. ❑

The writers are the authors of a new book, "Leveling the Playing

Field: Advancing Women in Jewish Organizational Life," a

resource guide aimed at Jewish organizations that are ready to

launch gender equity initiatives.

Ms. Magazine's Lame Reasoning

Q nick: Who is more tolerant in at least listening
to political views with which they disagree: lib-
erals or conservatives?
Wrong. The judgment that the
anticipated answer is wrong can
be made with confidence because
the most likely answer would be
"liberals:"
But that is not true. Time and
again, at this nation's most liberal
colleges, conservative politicians
and speakers, including incidentally
former Prime Minister Benyamin
Netanyahu, have been run off cam-
puses — by liberals — before they
even had a chance to speak.
At Columbia University in New
York City during the last year,
its podium was "graced" by Iran's president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.
Meanwhile, for instance, former Harvard University

A36

April 10 • 2008

JN

Now comes Ms. Magazine, founded
by feminist leader Gloria Steinem and
many other powerful women who led the
equal rights movement, which refused
to run what it considered a pro-Israel
advertisement.

President Larry H. Summers has been barred from cam-
puses for his controversial remarks that innate differences
between men and women might be one reason fewer
women succeed in science and math careers. Indeed, he
lost his job on the Cambridge, Mass., campus because of
his remarks.
Now comes Ms. Magazine, founded by feminist leader
Gloria Steinem and many other powerful women who led
the equal rights for women movement, which refused to
run what it considered a pro-Israel advertisement.
Yes, you read that correctly: It was not even an article,
column or letter to the editor supporting Israel. It was an

ad celebrating the achievement of women — again, yes,
women — in Israel.
As reported in the Forward, at issue was a January ad
submitted by the American Jewish Congress (AJC) with
photos of Dorti Beinisch, president of Israel's Supreme
Court; Tzipi Livni, the country's foreign minister; and
Dalia Itzik, Knesset speaker. Their photos ran next to the
heading, "This Is Israel."
The magazine's editor, Kathy Spillar, explained that Ms.
was not concerned about the nationality of the women,
but rather their party affiliation (read conservative), and
the ad would open the magazine up to criticism.
"Not only could the ad be seen as favoring certain
political parties within Israel over other parties, but also
with its slogan 'This Is Israel', the ad implied that women
in Israel hold equal positions of power with men. Israel,
like every other country, has far to go to reach equality for
women."
While the following assessment of that statement may
not be sophisticated, it seems to fit: Hogwash!
David Twersky, an AJC official, got it right when he

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