A Conversation with Founding Editor of Ms. Magazine Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Moment columnist since 1991, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, is a powerful voice for feminism in the Jewish world and beyond. Pogrebin, in conversation with Moment opinion and books editor, Amy Schwartz, discusses the state of feminism today and her dismay at how the miniseries Mrs. America portrayed her friend Gloria Steinem and represented the world of second wave feminism.

Continue reading

Meet the Jewish Women At the Heart of FX’s ‘Mrs. America’

FX’s newly released Mrs. America portrays the battle between the second-wave feminists who aimed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and conservative Phyllis Schlafly who strongly opposed their agenda and organized the “STOP ERA” campaign. The series documents the stories of these women who shaped the women’s liberation movement—several of whom happened to be Jewish. Here’s a bit about each: Gloria Steinem Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne) is a leader and spokeswoman for the American feminist movement and was head of the movement to ratify the ERA. Steinmen co-founded Ms. magazine and the Women’s Media Center and continues to advocate for women’s equality issues. Steinem’s father was Jewish and the son of immigrants from Wurttemberg, Germany and Radziejow, Poland, according to the Jewish Women’s Archive biography of Steinem (written by Moment columnist Letty Cottin Pogrebin). Steinem’s paternal grandmother,...

Continue reading

In ‘Quiet For Too Long,’ Solvej Schou Gets Loud

Solvej Schou is a Jewish musician, writer and feminist. Her art and politics are largely inspired by her family—particularly her grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor from Poland. The Los Angeles-based musician released her second solo album, Quiet For Too Long, last month, and it was named album of the week by LA Weekly. The release was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, a move which, like much of the album, speaks to Schou’s feminist politics. The album’s themes, which cover political and personal topics from police brutality to women’s body image to mental health, have an urgency inspired by current events. They are complimented by Schou’s music, a kind of bluesy rock ‘n’ roll influenced by famous female musicians from Patti Smith to PJ Harvey to Aretha Franklin. Schou speaks...

Continue reading