Marcia Freedman

Career

In the early 1970s she helped create and lead the feminist movement in Israel. Freedman was the founding president of Brit Tzedek v"Shalom and a past president of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Born in Newark in the United States, Freedman was active in the American Civil Rights Movement between 1960 and 1967.

She helped found the Israeli feminist movement in 1971.

In 1973, the feminist movement decided to support Shulamit Aloni"s Ratz (the Civil Rights Movement), and Freedman was given third place on the Ratz slate. Prior to the 1977 elections Freedman formed the Women"s Party, though she did not stand as its candidate.

Freedman helped create an advocacy and support network for women in Israel. Freedman, returning to Israel in 1997, also founded the Community of Learning Women, which provided education in women"s studies and computer literacy.

Freedman has written a memoir, Exile in the Promised Land.

She is also the author of many articles and reviews.

Achievements

• The party failed to cross the 1% electoral threshold though it did succeed in attracting public support for women"s issues. She was a co-founder, together with Barbara Swersky and others of Israel"s first shelter for battered women, established in 1977 in Haifa.

Politics

In 1967 she immigrated to Israel, and soon became involved in activism and politics. The party won three seats, and Freedman was elected to the Knesset. Ratz soon merged into Ya"ad – Civil Rights Movement, but Freedman and Aryeh Eliav broke away to form the Social-Democratic Faction (later renamed the Independent Socialist Faction).

Membership

While a member of the Knesset, Freedman was outspoken on women"s issues and brought to public attention issues that had never been discussed publicly in Israel, including domestic violence, breast cancer, rape, incest, and teenage prostitution. As of April 2008, Freedman is a member of J Street"s Advisory Council.