Phoebe Maltz Bovy is a former editor of the Sisterhood blog at the Forward. Her writing has appeared in several publications, including The New Republic and The Atlantic. Her book, “The Perils of ‘Privilege,’” was published by St. Martin’s Press in March 2017. She has a PhD in French and French Studies from New York University, and has read a lot of 19th century French Jewish newspapers for a 21st century American.
Phoebe Maltz Bovy
By Phoebe Maltz Bovy
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Life Knesset Members Met With American Jewish (Men) Leaders
On his “Martini Judaism” blog at Religion News Service, Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin discusses “a private meeting between American Jewish religious leaders and members of the Knesset, held under the auspices of the Ruderman Family Foundation.” In the piece, Salkin names attendees, remarking, between parentheses, “Yes, there were more women Knesset members than women American…
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Life How Gendered Dining Rules Like Pence’s Hurt Women At Work
When the Washington Post reported last week that in 2002, Vice President Mike Pence claimed “he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and that he won’t attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side, either,” the internet, shall we say, reacted. Some reactions were, however, more helpful than others. Does…
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Life The Limits Of ‘Lean In’ Empowerment
In an interview with USA Today, Sheryl Sandberg, of Facebook fame, admitted that “[i]n terms of women in leadership roles, we are not better off” than four years ago, when her bestselling book “Lean In” was published. Sandberg does not appear to have turned away from the approach the book suggests, namely getting women to…
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Life The Charming Absurdity Of ‘Grace And Frankie’
I’ve been catching up with “Grace And Frankie,” Season 3 of which is now binge-ready on Netflix. The show, co-created by Marta Kauffman, features a classic sitcom duo: the uptight WASP (or maybe she’s Catholic?), Jane Fonda’s Grace, and the hippie-ish Jew, Lily Tomlin’s Frankie. Think Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern, had we met them…
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The Schmooze WATCH: Mayim Bialik On Why Women Shouldn’t Be Called ‘Girls’
Do you cringe when you hear adult women referred to as “girls”? Have you never really thought about the phenomenon? Either way, you should check out Mayim Bialik’s video, “‘Girl’ vs. ‘Woman’: Why Language Matters.” Bialik makes the excellent point that a man behind a bank counter would not typically be referred to as a…
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Life Daily Mail ‘Brexit’ Headline Mixes Objectification And Gibberish
It’s a little-known fact that most women’s torsos are propped up by these things called legs. Are you a woman? Glance down and you might yet see the body parts in question. The Daily Mail has inspired outrage (and gotten in hot water) for running a cover photo of Theresa May, British Prime Minister, with…
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Life What Aaron Sorkin’s Gaffe Has In Common With White House Photo-Ops
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin had an epiphany of sorts over the weekend. He announced at an industry event that he could not believe people who aren’t white men face obstacles in Hollywood. Did he really only just notice this, one wonders? Without entering his mind — a superpower that eludes this Sisterhood Editor — it’s impossible…
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Life When Breast Is Not Best: ‘Breastfeeding’ Scandal Rocks Canadian Media
The expression ‘breastfeeding controversy’ evokes the eternal debate over whether it’s better to breast- or bottle-feed infants. Or maybe the question of where, if anywhere, the act of breastfeeding shouldn’t be endeavored. (Or, quite possibly, Talmudic breastfeeding conundrums.) Or that’s what it did evoke, until recently: As followers of Canadian media are already copiously aware,…
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