Barbra Streisand joins thousands at ‘Jewish Women for Kamala’ virtual fundraiser
Speakers used Yiddish phrases, talked about Jewish holidays and praised Kamala Harris’ commitment to Israel and to fighting antisemitism
A screenshot of Barbra Streisand as she kicked off a virtual “Jewish Women for Kamala” fundraiser. Courtesy of Jewish Women for Kamala/Screenshot via YouTube
By Beth Harpaz August 15, 2024
The inimitable Barbra Streisand kicked off a virtual “Jewish Women for Kamala” fundraiser Thursday night watched by thousands of supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
“It’s been said that Jewish women are known to speak out and tell you what they think, and I’m one of them,” Streisand said before tearing into Harris’ Republican opponent, Donald Trump, as a “convicted felon” making a “naked grab for power, a blueprint for dictatorship.”
Streisand suggested sending Trump “back to where he belongs — in his golf cart, lying about his scores.” She added that her Passover Seder always includes stories of “rebellious women like Esther and Miriam,” and challenged listeners to find their “own rebellious spirit” to elect Harris.
Referring to Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, she added: “Let’s not forget, she married a nice Jewish guy!”
The latest in a series of fundraisers
Organizers said 35,000 people tuned into the 90-minute event. The Zoom connection reached its participant limit almost immediately and some listeners switching to a YouTube link missed the first few minutes. The program was co-sponsored by the Jewish Democratic Council of America and the Jewish Women for Kamala Harris Facebook Group.
Harris did not take part in the gathering, which followed similar online events for Black women, Black men and white women, along with one for “white dudes” that featured actors Jeff Bridges and Mark Ruffalo.
Each fundraiser has attracted tens of thousands of participants and raised millions of dollars for Harris’ campaign. Organizers of the Jewish women’s event could not immediately say how much money was raised, though they asked for donations throughout the evening.
Israel, antisemitism — and Yiddish phrases
In addition to Streisand, speakers at the Jewish women’s event included U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, comedian Judy Gold and actresses Shaina Taub and Emmy Rossum.
The speakers made liberal use of references to Jewish holidays — like Streisand’s mention of Passover — and Yiddish and Hebrew phrases.
“Is there anyone on this call who doesn’t want to just sit and kibitz with Kamala for a few hours?” Wasserman Schultz said. She called Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a “true mensch,” and said Harris embodies the spirit of tikkun olam. “Honesty, hope, nachas, laughter — these two bring so much of it,” she said.
And while many of those on the roster highlighted Harris’ support for abortion, in vitro fertilization, gay rights and other issues on which Democrats and Republicans differ, they also took pains to emphasize Harris’ commitment to Israel and to fighting antisemitism.
Rosen noted that when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Harris and the Biden administration “rallied behind an aid package to help Israel defend itself.” And in choosing Walz as her vice presidential candidate, Rosen said Harris “chose a man who literally wrote his master’s thesis on Holocaust education.” Together, Rosen said, they would “build a safer country for the world and for the Jewish people.”
Disputing Trump’s contention about Jews for Harris
Several speakers addressed Trump’s contention that Jews who vote for Harris hate Israel. “I’m a Jewish voter, an American Jewish voter, and contrary to what Donald Trump has stated, just because I’m voting for Kamala and Tim, I don’t hate Israel and I don’t hate my religion,” said Julie Zebrak, a political consultant and activist.
Alana Zeitchik, an Israeli American, said six of her family members — including her cousin Danielle Aloni and Aloni’s three young children — were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, and she credited a deal brokered by the Biden administration with getting all but one of them released. Zeitchik said she was hopeful that Harris’ “commitment to pushing Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to a deal” would return the remaining hostages, including Aloni’s husband, and “alleviate the unimaginable suffering for Palestinians in Gaza.”
Taub spoke in a prerecorded segment from the Broadway theater where she performs in Suffs, the musical about women’s suffrage that she created. She recalled going to a Rosh Hashanah reception at Harris’ home where Harris invoked a quote from the Jewish text, Pirkei Avot: Ethics of Our Fathers, that Taub used as an epigraph on the script.
“You are not obligated to complete the work,” she said. “Neither are you free to abandon it.”
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