4 | APRIL 6 • 2023 

for openers
Will That Do?

essay
Israeli Women’s Key Role in History

W

e are all familiar 
with the Golden 
Rule: Do unto 
others as you would have 
them do unto 
you. A cynic 
once told me 
that it should 
read; Do unto 
others BEFORE 
they do unto 
you. Be that 
as it may, take 
note of how often our expres-
sions rely on a key word, 
“Do.” Explain? Don’t mind if 
I do.
As youngsters, we may have 
often heard that we should do 
what we were told. We may 
have been encouraged to do 
our part (do our bit) or do a 

good turn for someone. Being 
reluctant, we may have said, 
“No can do.”
If we acted properly, we 
were told that we would do 
our parents proud. Pride 
would also follow asking 
someone to do the honor of 
making a blessing, giving a 
talk, representing us in some 
capacity.
If we knew of a solution to 
a problem, that would do the 
trick. We had to have the will 
to do it, however.
Having the expertise for 
something would enable us 
to do it justice. Following 
through would show a do-or-
die attitude. Encouragement 
is always there to do our own 
thing. For any who try to 

face us down, we may chal-
lenge, “Do you want to make 
something of it?”
On the negative side, a 
wrong sense of competition 
may lead us to try to outdo 
someone or to do him out 
of something. Hopefully, 
we were not tempted to do 
someone in.
If you completely change 
your demeanor, you were 
said to do an about face. 
Maybe you planned a big 
do and then canceled. Well, 
do yourself a favor, recognize 
that it was a fine how-do-
you-do and get on with your 
life.
With any undertaking that 
fails, you realize that you 
won’t do that again in a hurry.

As usual, I will end with 
some “humor” (the best I can 
do):
How much wood would a 
woodchuck chuck if a wood-
chuck could chuck wood? As 
much dew as the dewdrops 
drop when the dew drops do 
drop dew. 

Editor’s Note: Noa 
Tishby, appointed Israel’s 
first Special Envoy for 
Combating Antisemitism and 
Delegitimization by former 
Prime Minister Yair Lapid, said 
April 2 that she was fired by 
the Netanyahu government for 
publicly criticizing its judicial 
reform plan. This article was 
written prior to her firing.
W

omen’s History 
Month just ended, 
and it was a great 
opportunity to 
celebrate the 
contribution of 
Israeli women to 
female freedom, 
dignity and inclu-
sion.
The idealistic 

Jews who built the Zionist soci-
ety in pre-state Ottoman and 
British Mandatory Palestine 
gave social status and rights 
to women that were ahead of 
virtually every contemporary 
society.
In 1898, ahead of the Second 
Zionist Congress, visionary 
leader Theodor Herzl decided 
that women would have the 
right to vote in institutions cre-
ated by the Zionist society in 
the Land of Israel — the Yishuv. 
Debate on universal women’s 
suffrage began immediately 
with the British liberation 
of then-Palestine from the 
Ottoman Turks in 1917 and 
when 25 women were elected 
to the Yishuv’s first Constituent 
Assembly in 1925.
My grandmother was one of 

the strong women who came to 
Israel to live at the first kibbutz 
— Degania Alef. This kibbutz 
granted women equal rights to 
men, including, of course, the 
vote, in 1911 — the year after it 
was founded. My grandmother 
had made a harrowing jour-
ney to escape the Bolshevik 
Revolution in Russia and par-
ticipate in the building of a pro-
gressive Jewish society in Israel.
In the fight for Israeli inde-
pendence in 1947-49, women in 
the elite Palmach often fought 
on the front lines. To this day, 
the Israel Defense Forces are 
renowned worldwide for the 
complete inclusion of women, 
including in the mandatory 
draft and even in combat roles.
In 1951, just three years after 
the modern State of Israel was 

established, the First Knesset 
successfully passed the Women’s 
Equal Rights Law, which guar-
anteed the equal status of men 
and women. Women’s equality 
in Israel was based upon the 
new country’s Declaration of 
Independence, which specifies 
equality for everyone with no 
discrimination based on reli-
gion, race or gender.
One of the great icons of 
20th-century women’s leader-
ship was Israeli Prime Minister 
Golda Meir. From 1969-1974, 
she provided bold leadership in 
turbulent times, including the 
treacherous surprise invasion by 
the Egyptian and Syrian armies 
on the national fast day of Yom 
Kippur in 1973.
Meir was also renowned for 
the wisdom and humanity of 

 Sy Manello
Editorial 
Assistant

Noa Tishby
JNS.org

PURELY COMMENTARY

continued on page 9
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