Jewish leaders are reeling after what they say was a decision by Ms.
magazine to refuse to accept a full-page advertisement featuring three
prominent Israeli women.
The advertisement, submitted to the feminist publication by the American Jewish Congress, featured photographs of three
women who hold leadership positions in Israel, including the president of the Israeli Supreme Court, Dorit Beinisch; Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, and speaker of the Knesset, Dalia Itzik. Underneath the photographs, the advertisement included the text, "This is Israel."
Officials from the American Jewish Congress said they were shocked by the magazine's decision, which they said amounted to anti-Israel sentiment. "For a magazine that I believe has stood for empowerment and supporting
women in high positions of society, it was just stunning," the group's president, Richard Gordon, said. "Clearly, there is an anti-Israel sentiment here that is being exhibited, because there is no other possible rationale for making a decision like this."
Officials at the American Jewish Congress said they conceived of the advertisement this past fall, when a member of its board suggested the group publicize the accomplishments of the three women. They first contacted the magazine in October about placing the advertisement, and they were working on its final details in mid-November when the magazine decided against running it. The advertisement was supposed to run inside the magazine and would have cost $3,800.
The director of the American Jewish Congress' Commission for Women's Empowerment, Harriet Kurlander, said a representative from the magazine told her the advertisement was too controversial and was likely to "cause a lot
of opposition."
"If we print the ad, it will create a firestorm," Ms. Kurlander recalled being told. A lifelong advocate of women's rights, she called the magazine's decision hurtful. "I'm shocked," she said. "I'm not throwing accusations; I'm not calling names. All I'm saying is, I can't come to any other conclusion given the facts," she added. "If there's another conclusion to be
drawn, I'd like to hear it."
