4 | MAY 13 • 2021 

PURELY COMMENTARY

B

ella Abzug was a force 
of nature. She was the 
first Jewish woman 
elected to the U.S. Congress 
and a leader in the women’s 
movement. 
Abzug, who 
died 23 years 
ago, served 
three terms in 
the House of 
Representatives 
in the 1970s.
Ahead of her 
time, she championed progres-

sive changes, co-authored and 
shepherded through passage 
of the Freedom of Information 
Act and the Right to Privacy 
Act. Abzug personified the 
beautiful Jewish tradition of 
tikkun olam by fighting for 
women’s rights and LGBTQ 
equality and nondiscrimination 
protections.
On May 14, it will be 47 
years since the first LGBTQ 
civil rights legislation was 
introduced into Congress. Bella 
Abzug launched that effort 

with the Equality Act of 1974. 
With co-sponsorship of the bill 
by then-U.S. Rep. (and future 
New York City Mayor) Ed 
Koch, another venerated Jewish 
political and community lead-
er, they pushed equality for-
ward. Though this legislation 
has languished in the Senate, 
today, the LGBTQ and other 
progressive communities are 
urging Congress for protections 
following in the footsteps of the 
efforts of Abzug and Koch.
Across our country, in the 

absence of a federal law prohib-
iting LGBTQ discrimination, 
comprehensive nondiscrimi-
nation protections for LGBTQ 
Americans have been passed 
state by state and city by city. 
While such progress is worth 
celebrating, a patchwork of 
civil rights laws is insufficient 
to guarantee consistent protec-
tions across the nation. That’s 
why I joined more than 200 
faith leaders, including over 
20 rabbis from communities 
across Michigan in signing 

Rabbi 
Michael 
Moskowitz 

W

on’t you sit for a 
spell? No, I do not 
want you to just 
become comfortable; I need 
you to pay attention to your 
spelling.
Yes, I 
know there is 
Spellcheck and 
now Autocorrect 
(“Did you mean 
Automatic?”). 
However, a lack 
of knowledge is 
causing us to miswrite our 
140-plus characters due to 
homonyms/homophones. 
(And do not get me started 
on those wild abbreviations!)
If you are wholly involved 
in accurate communication, 
you will not feel so holy if 
you get messed up with holly. 
You need to hear what you 
have written here and, except 
for the fact that you can-
not accept criticism, do not 

expect to be a clear commu-
nicator.
Are word choices our only 
method of passing an hour? 
Your answer to that depends 
on whether you’re going to, 
despite the weather, brave it 
out with a dictionary.
Bear in mind that you can 
bare your soul in writing, but 
also do it aloud so that you 
know the words you choose 

are allowed.
If you ail, some ale might 
be a remedy. Too much, 
however, might lead to an 
epithet being written for your 
epitaph.
You will never get a medal 
if you meddle in other’s busi-
ness. It takes nerves of metal 
to prove your mettle.
Do not be so vain as to 
inject a vein of humor when 

the weather vane of conver-
sation indicates a serious 
mood.
It is one thing not to waste 
food but you should not be 
over indulgent; be mindful of 
your waist.
One idea that has won 
many hearts is to break 
bad news gently and to put 
a brake on overstepping 
bounds.
If you can adapt to new 
ideas, then you can adopt 
new procedures. Never use 
a flower if you need flour; 
know that too much scent has 
often sent folks away from 
you; what you sow, so shall 
you reap.
If all of this has proven too 
much to take in, remember 
two principles: Your principal 
investment in learning will 
get you through this phase of 
texting and nothing will ever 
again faze you. 

Sy Manello 
Editorial 
Assistant

for openers

Have You Heard?

guest column

Honoring the Past, 
Looking to the Future

Faith leaders call for passage of the Equality Act. 

continued on page 6

