Jewish Feminist Justice Work: Focus on Israel/Palestine

Alpert describes several places where feminist perspectives have nourished. The Jewish feminist movement in Israel began in earnest in 1988 with the founding of Women in Black. After the First Intifada, Women in Black organized weekly vigils at key sites in every city in Israel. Every Friday, women dressed in black and stood in silence to protest the occupation and mourn the deaths resulting from the brutal response of the Israeli military to the Palestinian uprising. The power of this simple ritualized demonstration caught on and spread around the world; Women in Black now operates in twenty countries, protesting against the culture of war that produces violence against women. It is a powerful contribution that Israeli feminists have made to create this global activist network.