Marcia Freedman is an American-Israeli women’s rights and peace activist. Born in the United States in 1938, Freedman emigrated to Israel in 1967. During the early seventies, she was a founder and leader of the feminist movement in Israel. In 1973 she was elected to the Knesset and served until 1977 as a member of the Citizens Rights Movement. During her tenure, she advocated for women’s issues and feminist reform in Israel. As a result of her work, the Youth Ministry’s budget for girls in distress was increased and wife battering in Israel was investigated. She also introduced legislation that led to the reform of Israel’s highly restrictive abortion law. She co-founded the Women's Party in 1977. In 1977 she also opened the first battered women’s shelter in Israel and helped create a network of support and services for women. She returned to the United States in 1981 and was active in women’s and peace issues. In 1990 she published her memoirs, Exile in the Promised Land, to wide acclaim. She again returned to Israel for extended stays from 1997 to 2002, helping to found the Community School for Women, which offered courses in women’s studies to disadvantaged women in Israel. She was also the founding president of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom in 2002, also known as Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace.
References:
Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, also known as Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace: http://btvshalom.org/
Marcia Freedman. “Gay & Lesbian Biography”, edited by Michael J. Tyrkus and Michael Bronski, St. James Press, 1997.
