Events and Activities Ideas:
International Women's Day - March 8, 2002
Nowhere in the world can women truly claim that they have the same rights and opportunities of their male counterparts. On March 8th each year, this important day is reserved as an opportunity for women the world over to have their issues heard. While the message is sent, it is not always received in many countries.
Background: International Women's Day
According to recent UN reports – “They (women) continue to be among the poorest: the majority of the world's absolute poor are women. Three quarters of the women over the age of 25, in much of Asia and Africa, are illiterate. On the average, women receive between 30 to 40 cents less than males for the same work. Everywhere women continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women of reproductive age.“
The roots of International Women's Day began almost 150 years ago on March 8, 1857. On this date, one of the first real organized actions of women's solidarity took place in New York City. Hundreds of women staged a strike against the garment and textile factories in New York City, protesting low wages, long working hours and inhumane working conditions.
Fifty-three years later, in 1910, at a meeting in Copenhagen, the Women's Socialist International decided to commemorate this strike by observance of an annual day for women's rights/issues – International Women's Day.
In 1975, during International Women's Year, the UN began to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th. Two years later, in 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring March 8th as United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on a date to be chosen by each UN Member State.
As Jews and Zionists, the role of female involvement and leadership has been as important as that of male leadership. The contributions of women such as Golda Meir and Henrietta Szold are examples of the wonderful influence that women offer the world stage. Israel is one of the few armies in the world where mandatory conscription for citizens includes women, and women generals, lieutenants and drill instructors are now a much more common sight than in years past.
From a Jewish perspective, women do not suffer the gross hardships that their female equivalents face in other parts of the world. But then again, there are still important issues that even the Jewish community needs to address for women.
Event Ideas:
1) Israeli Craft and Jewelry Fair – Here is a different and minimal effort program that you can host. In the student union or an area where there is a great deal of student traffic, host a small Israeli craft and jewelry show.The key to this event is to invite a few small, local importers of Israeli crafts and jewelry to sell their goods on campus. Let them deal with the sale of goods. All you need to do is take care of the reservation of the space for them and promoting the event. You may also want to consider having an information table next to the sales tables.
2) International Cookbook Project – Here is an interesting campus-wide fundraiser that you can do with the other ethnic groups on campus to celebrate International Women's Day. The concept is simple: each group is responsible for contributing 8 to 12 unique ethnic recipes to be compiled into a cookbook that will be sold as a fundraiser. Obviously, your focus will be on the Israeli or Jewish cuisine.
They key to this project is to make sure timetables are met by all that contribute to the project. Have your English majors proof the copy for the book and utilize your graphic design majors to create a professional looking product that people will want to own. If you can secure 3 or 4 sponsors or advertisers, you can offset the cost of printing and have all proceeds go to an international women's charity. Also, don't forget to get mom and grandma a copy!
If this is too much, scale it back and create a small cookbook of Israeli and Jewish recipes. Surely, mom and grandma would be more than happy to help you with this effort. You can use the final product as a fundraiser or as a give-away to new members.
3) Women of the World Expo – International Women's Day is a special day reserved to address the issues and needs of women around the world. If your campus is having a celebration, get involved.
An interesting community program for International Women's Day is the Women of the World Expo. This is a campus wide program that allows each of the religious, ethnic, gender-based, feminist and social campus groups to showcase what they have to offer for women. Your role is to present women's issues from the Jewish and/or Israel perspective.
As an expo, this program doesn't need to be complex. It might be as simple as a series of tables in the student union during the main traffic hours where people can walk around from table to table and gather information. Make sure to have the women's studies department and the office of student affairs present with their own tables.
Also, you should be able to get a great deal of community support, especially in the areas of women's health/wellness and social services. Invite members from your health clinic, local hospital and local government to also participate and provide resources for the event.
Alternative Dates:
Women's History MonthResources:
World Zionist Organization, Jewish Agency, National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, Jewish Women's International, Women's American ORT
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