Kay Greenwald is not especially fond of large crowds. So it may seem a bit strange that the cantor of Congregation Beth Am flew across the country last week to participate in the largest-ever rally for abortion rights, the “March for Women’s Lives” on Sunday, April 25.
“We are only one Supreme Court justice away from losing this right,” she said, voicing concern that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, considered to be a swing vote, could retire. “The last decision on abortion was in our favor 5 to 4, and if she goes, the Bush administration will put a pro-life judge on the bench, and we will lose this right.”
Furthermore, Greenwald said, “This is a deeply personal decision, and not something our government needs to be involved in.”
Greenwald was one of 24 people — 23 women and one man — from the Los Altos Hills Reform congregation to fly to Washington, D.C., especially for the march.
Women of Reform Judaism held a Saturday, April 24, night Havdallah service on the eve of the abortion-rights rally, with the Jefferson Memorial bathed in candlelight.
The proportion of women to men in the Beth Am delegation reflected that of the greater march, as thousands of Jewish women joined hundreds of thousands of American women — and a spattering of men — rallying for abortion rights at the National Mall.
Bay Area Democratic politicos, including Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, were in the front line of the rally.
“As Jews, we know what it means to have fundamental rights and liberties stripped away,” Marsha Atkind, president of the National Council of Jewish Women, told an overflow crowd Sunday, April 25. “And today, one of our most basic rights, our right to reproductive freedom, is under attack in courtrooms and legislatures across the country.”
Pundits have cited Jewish support for the Bush administration’s stance on Israel, the fight against terrorism and, in some cases, the war in Iraq. But for some American Jews, those positions do not counterbalance what they see as the administration’s chipping away at civil liberties.
The political message from those Jews was clear this past weekend. Andrea Rouah, executive director of the San Francisco chapter of Hadassah who also made the cross-country trip, said she felt the demonstration was as much anti-Bush as pro-choice.
“The Bush administration is being blamed,” said Rouah, who marched with Hadassah women from around the country, “and many of the chants were anti-Bush.”
Many marchers wore stickers for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“We’ve seen an erosion of civil rights and human rights in this country by an administration that is secretive and is afraid to hear dissent,” said Sharlene Dane, who flew to Washington from Los Angeles for the rally.
Her sister, Sharon Hollander of St. Louis, said she remembered a time before abortion was legal, and she was determined to protect the right to abortion for her daughters.
“We don’t want the rights to disappear and they’re in danger,” she said. “The government is now in the hands of people that would abolish rights we fought to maintain.”
The march drew large contingents of Jewish women — and some men — young and old. Hadassah and the National Council of Jewish Women bused in delegations from around the Northeast and Midwest. Hadassah’s representatives wore red T-shirts; the National Council of Jewish Women’s delegation wore blue.
The Conservative and Reconstructionist movements were represented as well.
“It’s so important that we do this under Jewish auspices,” said Roni Berkowitz, president of the Chesapeake Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, which represents the Washington area. “It’s not just a matter of choice. The Talmud teaches us there are times that it is incumbent on women to have an abortion,” she said, referring to instances in which abortion is allowed if the mother’s life is in jeopardy.
Many of the groups assembled spoke out against last year’s passage of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, which outlawed a specific abortion procedure technically known as intact dilation and evacuation, which generally is carried out late in a pregnancy.
Some Jewish groups also criticized Bush’s signing of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act earlier this month. That legislation made attacks against pregnant women that harm embryos a separate crime. They said granting a fetus legal status contradicted the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding legal abortions.
Orthodox Jews generally differ from the other streams when it comes to abortion, and Orthodox Jewish representatives in Washington have expressed support for both acts.
But polls have shown that more Jews support abortion rights and Roe v. Wade than any other religious or ethnic community in the United States, according to the Union for Reform Judaism.
“We’re being shouted out by the religious right,” said Sandi Costello, who joined a Hadassah delegation from Albany, N.Y. “It’s important for people to know that people who have a firm foundation in religion and ethics value choice.”
That contingent seemed very skeptical of Bush’s overtures to Jews.
“The president is making decisions that are overtly political, motivated to go for the Jewish vote,” said Jane Marcus, another of those from the Beth Am delegation. “I hope Jews look at all of the president’s policies before they vote.”
June Walker, Hadassah’s national president, said it is important for the Jewish community to be involved in issues beyond Israel.
“We cannot be one-issue people,” she said. “We must be part of the society we live in.”
Meredith Pensak, 22, said she was optimistic that young American Jews would carry the mantle for these types of domestic crusades. The Wesleyan University student came to the rally with her mother.
“We’re aware that it’s not just us; we have to fight for everybody,’ Pensak said.
Rouah said she was impressed by the passion she saw, as women of all ages flocked to support their own right to choose.
“These were women really caring about themselves and their bodies. Women need to be in control of their own bodies and destinies, and we don’t need the government to regulate our lives.”
Alexandra J. Wall is a staff writer at j. Matthew E. Berger is a staff writer at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.