POLITICS Jewish Democratic Women: Grassroots Activists By Flora Rosefsky Unless you live in an isolated cabin in the woods without access to a smartphone, computer, radio or television, it’s almost impossible not to notice the deep divide of opinions within our community when it comes to politics. Motivated by personal core Jewish values, Valerie Habif and Joanie Shubin Photos courtesy of JDWS // Joining the Women’s March in Atlanta in 2017 are JDWS members sought to create “a safe space for likeAmy Glass, Dee Kline, Alice Wertheim, Rachel Miller, Elisa Ezor and Karla Tievsky. minded women to freely talk about issues of social justice,” they said. enough to exercise our civic responsibilThe group founders were both disapIn 2011 they started with a small ity by voting, that level of engagement is pointed, “that the party that purports to group of 50 women, who showed up at simply no longer sufficient. JDWS aspires want smaller government and less regutheir first meeting to address disinforma- to engage our members beyond the voting lation has now given the government the tion spreading about the Affordable Care booth, to a focus on local issues where we right to have control over a woman’s right Act, also called Obambelieve we can have the to make her own deeply personal healthacare. Fast forward to most direct impact,” she care decisions,” she 2019 where their small said. said. grassroots effort known JDWS encourages JDWS is workas the Jewish Democratmembers to get to know ing closely with the ic Women’s Salon, Atlocal and state repre- two-year-old Jewish lanta, has expanded to sentatives. Democratic Council nearly 1,300 members. “Write to those of America in WashThe group’s top agenda who represent you,” ington, D.C., as it is doing on the national item is “getting out the Shubin said. “Let them level what JDWS aspires to do on the local vote, protecting the inknow your point of level. One member is now reaching out to tegrity of our elections, view on the bills that Members at a meeting to hear promoting progressive matter most to you. and learn from Teresa Tomlinson, candidates and getting Become a social justice candidate for U.S. Senate. members involved in activist.” their local campaigns,” Habif said. The women’s group focuses on a Thanks to member Kate Kratovil, number of issues, including reproductive who handles social media, the group rights, gun violence protection, local hate expands their membership and reaches crime legislation, non-discrimination into the community mostly through the laws, public education, refugee and imJDWS private and closed Facebook page. migration policy, and protection from About 1,000 JDWS climate change. members are engaged JDWS participated on a regular basis in in a late May coalition screen posts, sharing event supporting the progressive events, recInternational Human ommending local poliTrafficking Institute. ticians to support and The most recent event why, and connecting of the women’s group with each other. There was a meeting with are no dues, no fundTeresa Tomlinson, the raisers and no active soformer mayor of Colicitation of members. lumbus, Ga., who is “The current political running against incumenvironment at both bent David Perdue for the national and local his U.S. Senate seat. Postcards from a letter level resulted in a The group expects writing campaign. self-selection process to meet with other of so many Jewish women who seek an Democratic candidates for this position opportunity to be difference-makers,” as their campaigns are announced. Shubin said. “Hyper-partisanship seems to us to “Trump’s election served to rally promote fear and misunderstanding; it many who may not have fully grasped backs us into corners and promotes unthe critical importance of our electoral willingness to compromise, as demonprocess that is at the core of our democ- strated to us very clearly in the passage of racy.” Georgia’s anti-abortion law,” Habif said. Habif added, “Where once it was
contacts in Savannah, Macon and Columbus to see if other Jewish women want to emulate what JDWS is doing here. The group continues to build strong coalitions with other local grassroots groups such as No Safe Seats, Georgia Alliance for Social Justice, Pave It Blue and Red Clay Democrats. Shubin said, “Grassroots groups are not about the grass tops. Our strength is in our roots and we are growing them even stronger.” To that end, Habif said, “We hope more and more Jewish women will join us and lend their voices to our work in support of social justice. “Elections matter. Our civic responsibilities begin in the polling booth, but they certainly don’t end there.” To expand its reach further, JDWS hopes to launch a website “to create more accessibility for those who want to join but who prefer not to use Facebook,” she said. ■ To join JDWS, send a request to jdwsatlanta@gmail.com
ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 9, 2019 | 9