jews d
in
the
P olitically Active
W
NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY TECH. SGT. DANIEL GAGNON/WIKIMEDIA.ORG
hen the 2016 presidential elec-
She worked even harder on behalf
tion didn’t go the way they
of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, starting
had hoped, dozens of Detroit-
a group called Fems for Dems. Once a
area Jewish women not only got mad,
week, she ran a phone bank from her
they got active.
living room; she’s been told it was the
They formed new advocacy organiza-
largest in Michigan, with 50 women
tions including Fems for Change and
at once making calls to support their
local affiliates of Indivisible, a national
candidate.
group. They went to work for Voters Not
Fems for Dems is still active. The
Politicians, a nonpartisan anti-gerry-
group sponsored a “candidate speed
mandering effort that collected enough
dating” forum Feb. 7 at The Corners in
signatures to get the measure on the
West Bloomfield that attracted more
November ballot. Some decided to run
than a dozen Democratic candidates.
for public office.
But, after the election, Goldman
These women are part of a national
thought she needed to do more than
phenomenon. The cover story in the
support the Democratic Party. She
Jan. 29 issue of Time magazine was titled
started a nonprofit, Fems for Change,
“The Avengers” and featured some of the
that aims to educate citizens about
hundreds of women nationwide who are
the issues and advocate for liberal
running for office for the first time.
social policies rather than for candi-
The story noted that four times as
dates.
many Democratic women are running for
The new group held an organiz-
House seats as Republican women; twice
ing “Rally for Change” last March that
as many Democrats are running for Senate
attracted several hundred women. They
spots. EMILY’s List, a group that raises
broke into groups to develop action
money to support female Democratic can-
plans in various areas, including edu-
didates, said more than 25,000 women have
cation, science and the environment,
contacted them in the past year about run-
immigration, health, anti-gerrymander-
BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ning for office.
ing and gun violence.
Lori Goldman of Bloomfield Township,
Linda Ross of Huntington Woods
a member of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, had been politically active
chaired the health care group, even though her background was in fine art. Like
since the 2008 election but says last year’s election put her into overdrive.
Goldman, she admitted there were years when she hadn’t voted. But, after the
Goldman, 58, admitted that for most of her adult life she didn’t bother to vote,
2016 election, she realized the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was in jeopardy. Family
and when she did, she didn’t give it much thought. “My boyfriend [now her hus-
members had struggled with health care costs, and Ross, who owned the Sybaris
band] supported the Bushes, so I voted for them,” she said.
Gallery in Royal Oak for many years and now works as a consultant to small muse-
Goldman says she was intrigued by Barack Obama and worked for both of his
ums and art collectors, recognized the importance of expanded insurance cover-
campaigns, making phone calls and ringing doorbells.
age.
After the 2016 election, women are
motivated to work for change on both
sides of the aisle.
continued on page 20
18
March 29 • 2018
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