By Jofa Executive Director Daphne Lazar Price
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This week’s parsha, Shemot, describes Moshe’s rise to power in Egypt, and his evolution as the reluctant hero who will lead the Israelites from slavery to freedom.
But as central as we all know Moshe to be in our emergence as a nation, if we take another look at the parsha, we see that Moshe’s birth and very survival lies in the hands of six extraordinary heroines, without whom the story would be far from complete: Shifra, Puah, Miriam, Yocheved, Bithiah bat Pharaoh, and Tzipporah.
These brave, visionary women bore intuitive knowledge and an inherent sense of morality as they non-violently fought back against tyranny. In doing so, they put themselves at risk to pave the road for Moshe to grow into his leadership role. Thus they helped lead the way toward the Israelites’ redemption from slavery, and lay the groundwork for the future Jewish practice, liturgy, and identity of the Jewish people. Their boldness and courage are, to paraphrase the Ramban, “Ma’aseh imahot, siman la’banot” – the actions of our foremothers setting precedent for our daughters, for generations to come.
While I have always taken particular interest in stories by and about women, I had the particular privilege this week of seeing Ramban’s adage brought to life, while attending the International Lion of Judah Conference of the Jewish Federations of North America, as a guest of Ann Pava, President of Micah Philanthropies. There, Israeli women shared so many powerful, precedent-setting stories – not just speaking from the dais and on panels, but then repeated in hallways, on elevators, and during mealtimes, because participants felt so deeply moved by what they heard. I could not help but think that here too, precedent was being set that would last for generations to come.
The timing is spot on: As we recount the ancient biblical stories of the women of the Exodus this week, we are reminded of the innumerable bold and courageous acts of women, before, during, and after the October 7 atrocities. Since leading Jofa’s mission to Israel in January 2024, I have heard a painfully large number of firsthand accounts of what transpired during these fateful days. To be sure, there were far more than six women heroes. Indeed, there were – and are – countless modern-day heroines whose tireless efforts seek to save the lives of our people – and the souls of our nation:
The tatzpitaniot, army spotters based at the Gaza border, saw clearly what was about to transpire. This all-female IDF unit serves as the eyes of the military. They knew what they saw and followed their instincts, courageously and with some audacity reporting their findings to their superiors and their superiors’ superiors. Tragically, they were summarily ignored and dismissed, told that they were hired for their eyes and not their brains.
The tankistiot, the all-women tank unit that expeditiously turned all of its attention and efforts to combat terror attacks around Gaza, defended nearby communities and mitigated even worse damage. Their brave actions ended the debate about women’s suitability for combat roles.
Female religious leaders have also led in exemplary fashion: from Sara Evron, the first woman to head the religious kibbutz movement, representing 24 communities and over 15,000 people around Israel, who helped save Kibbutz Sa’ad; to the women of the Shura military base, who painstakingly prepared victims’ bodies for burial; to Rabbanit Anat Sharbat, who has led Shabbat services at hostage square nearly every week since October 7 – to name just a few.
Women who were taken hostage on October 7 and have been released or rescued – including Amit Soussana, Mia Shem, Noa Argamani, and Aviva Siegel – bravely tell their shocking stories to anyone who will listen, raising awareness and spreading the truth about their incomprehensible experiences, and advocating for the release of those still in captivity.
The mothers of those who were taken hostage – such as Rachel Golberg-Polin and Einav Danino, mothers of Hersh z”l and Ori z”l – have taken to stages around the world to plead fervently for their children’s, and all of the hostages’ returns. Shelly Shemtov – mother of Omer and Yarden Gonen, sister of Romi – has advocated alongside many other mothers and families who are part of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which works non-stop for the return of their family members and all remaining hostages.
Victims’ advocates like Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy and Lee Yaron continue to thoroughly and painstakingly research, document, and catalogue the stories, artifacts, and patterns of gender-based atrocities from October 7 – as well as testifying to them and sharing them as widely as possible with anyone who will listen.
Women in Jewish organizational leadership – including my colleagues Sheila Katz at NCJW, Meredith Jacobs at JWI, Hadassah leadership, and many more – have steadfastly persisted in utilizing their voices and platforms to advocate for the women who have suffered, tell their stories, and call out the many self-proclaimed “feminists” who have chosen to remain deafeningly silent all this time.
The qualities that we think of as leadership are often coded as masculine. Should a woman hold them, she is considered unnatural, strange, crazy. Yet both here in the chapters of Shemot that form the very foundation of our religion – and today as unthinkable tragedy continues to play out – we see remarkable women demonstrating profoundly every day what it means to be a leader.
Both in our parsha, and right now, we see women — from prescient ancient midwives, slaves, and royalty, to passionate modern-day advocates — who intuitively take on these leadership qualities in order to achieve a higher good, fulfill a higher purpose.
Just as these six ancient gedolot hador, giants of their generation and pioneers of the Jewish people, who exemplified women’s resilience, courageousness, fortitude, and bravery, are met with generations of wonder and awe, let’s recognize these same powerful leadership qualities being demonstrated right here in our midst. And let us take their collective examples as a call to foster, empower, and promote women’s leadership by recognizing the same traits in those around us.
Besorot Tovot ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~ Shabbat Shalom
