Forward 50 | Sheila Katz: A voice for Jewish women
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Sheila Katz first made headlines this year by going public with her story of being sexually harassed by a prominent Jewish philanthropist. She told The New York Times that, in 2015, when she was an executive at Hillel International, Michael Steinhardt, a billionaire she was trying to cultivate as a donor, repeatedly asked her if she wanted to have sex with him.
Katz was among six women interviewed who accused Steinhardt, and The Times article reported that a law firm Hillel hired to investigate concluded that he had harassed her and another employee. “I want to let other women who went through similar things to know that they are not alone,” Katz said in the article, which was produced in partnership with ProPublica, a nonprofit that does investigative journalism. Steinhardt said in a statement that he regretted making comments in professional settings “that were boorish, disrespectful, and just plain dumb,” and that he had meant them in jest.
Since telling her story, Katz has become an even higher-profile feminist advocate, taking the helm of the National Council of Jewish Women, which has 90,000 members, as its chief executive for women. She also played a big role in creating — and sits on the advisory board of — Safety Respect Equity, a new Jewish coalition focused on fighting sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The coalition has enlisted 100 Jewish organizations, and raised $6.5 million, to help change policies and practices at Jewish organizations — including Hillel — regarding women in the workplace and communal spaces.
Sheila Katz
What do you eat for breakfast? The patriarchy.
What’s the last thing you listened to on your phone? Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts”
Earliest Jewish memory: Watching the “Shalom Sesame” Hanukkah episode.
Heroes: Oprah is my forever hero. And this past year I took big inspiration from the young Jews who organized the Never Again Now Actions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their first protest was on my second day as the CEO of National Council of Jewish Women. They reminded me of the ways we must all put our bodies on the line to fight for what we believe in from a deeply Jewish place. I take that message with me in my work advocating on behalf of reproductive health, rights, and justice every day.
2019 memory: Receiving so much love from friends and family on my first day as CEO of National Council of Jewish Women!
What is your favorite thing about being Jewish? Joining a legacy of fierce Jewish feminists to create true progressive social change.
What app can you not live without? Twitter. It is my go-to place when I need to commiserate (I lived on Twitter during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings) and when I want to celebrate (you may have seen me gush about my unforgettable meeting with my shero Gloria Steinem).
Weekend ritual: Relaxing
Read more
An article about Katz becoming CEO of the National Council.
A Forward OpEd she wrote this fall about the migrant crisis.
And one from 2018 about sexual assault on campus. Follow Sheila Katz on Twitter @SheilaKatz1.
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