Kol Ha-Isha Meets Kilroy

Happy International Women's Day! I spent the holiday in Tel Aviv, with women directors from social service and social change organizations from all over the country as part of Kol Ha-Isha's project, "Women Renewing Management."

Yvonne, the exuberant facilitator, celebrated her birthday today. She brought the cloth, the multi-colored stones and the candle we used this weekend to build a small altar of sorts at the center of our circle (see previous entry). The theme was "work" as the day commemorates the 1857 strike of hundreds of textile workers in New York, demanding living wages and reasonable hours. We heard two lectures by professors at Bar Ilan University - one on unrecognized, unpaid work done by women and another on supervision and mentorship by women and for women/ how to build networks that strengthen individual women and bridge social gaps. We danced and moved and flowed to a CD called "Gardens of Eden" with the lights dimmed. Did I mention how much I love Kol Ha-Isha?

Hopping back to Jerusalem, I celebrated the chag at the Cinameteque with Nadine and Sanaa. We listened to feminist, activist Hannah Safran, speak on her new book "Don't Wanna Be Nice Girls," a history of Israeli feminism. Her words were followed by a screening of a gorgeous Dutch movie, "Antonia," from which my head is still whirling.

The following picture was discovered on Danya Ruttenberg's blog at jerusalemsyndrome.blogspot.com and created by Miriam who posted it at http://sospire.blogspot.com. I call it "Kol Ha-Isha Meets Kilroy" in memory of my role as Gladys the Riveter in my eigth grade play, "Kilroy Was Here."



Along the lines of empowerment and inspiration, I am deeply grateful for the ten days I spent at home - navigating New York with friends from Brown and Ramah, jogging with my dad along the Delaware-Raritan canal, cruising through Princeton with my mom, dining in DC, and spending a dazzling shabbat in Plainsboro with family, neighbors, roommates, bunkmates, beachmates, skimates and 2nd grade teammates. Thank you all for making me so happy!!! Please stay in touch.

As most of you know, I have trouble sitting still. Adler and I found a last minute travel deal. We are heading to Athens tomorrow for the weekend. I will bring Lysistrata to read on the plane - perhaps an appropriate text of intersection between International Women's Day and the Acropolis. . .