Women’s March 2018
BY DR. NURIT ISRAELI
On the sunny Saturday
afternoon of January 20,
my husband and I proudly
joined our granddaughter, our
daughter-in-law, and thousands
of other protesters for the 2018
Women’s March in NYC.
It was an emotionally evocative
experience: I felt inspired, empowered,
and grateful for the opportunity
to stand up for human rights
with so many others who took to
the streets to voice their concerns.
It was an inclusive march:
women and men; young and old;
people of many races, ethnicities,
and religions; baby strollers and
wheelchairs; dog owners with their
dogs in tow—all moved together,
diverse yet united in their efforts
to keep decency at the forefront.
It was a dignified march: multitudes
of people protesting spiritedly,
yet peacefully and respectfully, their
commitment to a common good
discernible.
There was a profusion of handmade
signs in multiple shapes,
sizes, and colors. Not only women
rights were addressed, but human
rights, such as immigration, healthcare,
environmental protections,
racial justice, freedom of religion,
workers’ rights, etc. I was surrounded
by “Hope,” “Equality,”
and “Unity.” I felt affirmed by
some passionate pleas of fellow
marchers: “Build Kindness Not
Walls,” “United We Stand Divided
We Fall,” or a quote from Maya
Angelou: “In Diversity There Is
Beauty and There Is Strength.” A
man who walked hand-in-hand
with his 90-year-old mother on one
side and his granddaughter on the
other carried a sign stating, “I Am A
Proud Feminist.” “I am walking for
her better future,” his mother told
me, pointing to her granddaughter.
Being an immigrant myself, a sign
quoting Emma Lazarus’ poem
inscribed at the base of the Statue
of Liberty touched me deeply:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses, yearning to
breathe free.”
Flashbacks to my childhood…
I was born in the midst of World
War II to parents who lost most
members of their families during
the Holocaust. They stood firmly
for people’s rights—any people
whose rights were infringed upon—
teaching me that we must stand
up for other people’s rights if we
expect others to stand up for ours.
I remember marching every May
1st (initially on my father’s shoulders)
through the streets of Haifa,
the city where I grew up, to mark
International Workers Day, learning
from an early age to believe in
equality, liberty, and justice for all.
Marching with my 22-year-old
granddaughter, whose commitment
to social activism I truly admire, I
felt that, in some ways, we continue
to carry on the dream of a better
world like an Olympic torch… Yes,
even though we are not there yet,
the promise that “we shall overcome
someday” was palpable. In
spite of everything—YES!
Dr. Nurit Israeli and Dr. Ilan Israeli—proud to march
A river of protesters filling
Central Park West
Sign o’ the times
Dr. Nurit Israeli with granddaughter, Ella Israeli: passing on the torch
6 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ March 2018