DISTINGUISHED JEWISH AMERICAN AND ISRAELI FEMINISTS
TO BE HONORED AT KNESSET CEREMONY JANUARY 26
AS PART OF AJCONGRESS DIALOGUE 2000 TO BE HELD IN ISRAEL

      (January 10, 2000)   Leading American and Israeli feminists who have profoundly affected the lives of other women will receive the Woman Who Made A Difference Award on January 26 in a ceremony at the Knesset in Jerusalem, as part of the upcoming American Jewish Congress Dialogue 2000: "Woman as Jew, Jew as Woman: Taking Stock at the Millennium," which will be held in Israel from January 23-26.

       The award will be presented to the American women by the AJCongress Commission for Women's Equality (CWE), and to the Israeli women by the Israel Women's Network (IWN), in proceedings under the auspices of Naomi Chazan, Member of the Knesset.

       The American women being honored, many of whom will be present at the ceremony, include, in alphabetical order:

• Bella Abzug, former member of the United States Congress (In Memoriam)
• Leona Chanin, Jewish communal leader
• Betty Friedan, Author, The Feminine Mystique; Founder, National Organization for Women
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice, United States Supreme Court
• Blu Greenberg, Orthodox feminist author and lecturer
• Elizabeth Holtzman, former member of the United States Congress
• Francine Klagsbrun, author and lecturer
• Jacqueline Levine, Jewish communal leader
• Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Author, Deborah, Golda and Me
• Susan Weidman Schneider, Founder, Lilith
• Virginia Snitow, Founder, U.S./Israel Women to Women

         "In selecting the American women we are honoring," explained Susan Jaffe Tane, Chair of CWE, "our goal was to choose the few who, because of their singular remarkable gifts, not only made significant contributions in their own field, but, perhaps more importantly, had a deep impact upon the lives of other women. We sought those who truly made a difference."

         Elizabeth Holtzman, who participated in the historic 1984 AJCongress Dialogue in Israel, expressed her gratitude about receiving the award and stated, "The aim of Dialogue 2000 is to share our frustrations and our dreams and to help each other." Noting that the 1984 Dialogue led to the creation of the CWE and the IWN, Ms. Holtzman declared, "I hope that our energy and vision will take us to a new plateau in terms of improving the status of Jewish women."

         The award ceremony will take place during the 35th Annual America-Israel Dialogue sponsored by AJCongress. These Dialogues traditionally provide unique opportunities for Israelis and American Jews to discuss matters of mutual interest in the hopes of broadening understanding between them. During Dialogue 2000, American and Israeli women will examine the status of Jewish women today and chart a course for the future.

         For further information, contact Lois Waldman, CWE Director, at 212-360-1548.

  ---

        The American Jewish Congress, founded in 1918 by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Justice Louis D. Brandeis and other distinguished Jews, specializes in combatting all forms of bigotry through law and legislation. Considered the legal voice of the American Jewish Community, it works to safeguard Jewish interests, protect basic freedoms enshrined in the American Bill of Rights and to advance the security of Israel.

  ---

  GO TO THE PREVIOUS PRESS RELEASE

  GO TO THE NEXT PRESS RELEASE

  GO TO A LIST OF THIS MONTH'S PRESS RELEASES

  GO TO PUBLIC RELATIONS HOME PAGE

  GO TO THE LIST OF MAIN SUBJECT CATEGORIES

  GO TO THE HOME PAGE AND MAIN INDEX

  ---

  Webmaster: Lowell B. Copeland, Office of Public Relations, American Jewish Congress
  For information please contact: webmaster@ajcongress.org or pr@ajcongress.org.