It’s been quite a week for women. On the brink of electing the first female President, the dream was shattered – whilst, unfortunately, the glass ceiling was not.
In her concession speech, Hilary Clinton urged “To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”
The very next day, 400 girls, from 18 faith schools across London, gathered together in Westminster to take their own steps towards realising Clinton’s words, at a conference called ‘Women of Faith: Leading the Change”.
I was lucky enough to attend this, along with nine other girls from the sixth form of my school, JCoSS. JFS was the other Jewish school in attendance. The conference was organised by and held in honour of the 125th anniversary of Ursuline High School Wimbledon, a Catholic state school. Its aim was to bring together women from a multitude of faiths and backgrounds, to inspire, empower and educate one another.
The day began with a discussion, on our tables of ten people (from a mix of schools). We discussed the values we hold closest to us, the values of our faith, and which one of these values we, as a group, thought was most important. It was interesting and insightful to learn that when we talked of "Tikkun Olam" (repairing the world), the other girls on our table decided that this core Jewish value was the most significant of them all. We had an interesting discussion about the way in which it encompasses so many key values, such as equality, tolerance and kindness. It was a moment of true pride in our religion!
Following this, there were more than 20 female speakers and something to learn and be inspired by in each of their speeches. However, there were a few that I found particularly touching and empowering.
Tulip Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, told the story of how she became interested in politics. She is Muslim, but grew up in “Jewish Hampstead”, attending Seders and Friday night dinners and with “Irish Catholic Kilburn across the road”. This ethnic diversity was key in her upbringing. However, she was keenly aware that this was certainly not the case in the world of politics.
Siddiq’s speech was inspiring. She urged the audience “Get involved. Women in politics change the way our country’s run. If you fail once, you have to try again.” This is such an important message, that encouraged many of the girls listening – myself included – to become more active, and to widen their knowledge and political understanding.
The two Jewish speakers in attendance shared vital messages. Lady Gilda Levy spoke of setting up the Women’s Interfaith Network to encourage women to speak out in a male dominant society and eloquently expressed her view that “we have to fight. Jews have to fight bigotry. Go out and speak out; it makes a difference.”
Georgia Gould, the Councillor for Kentish Town, explained that being in politics means “you spend a lot of time with middle-aged men.” For the audience of young women aspiring to lead the change in eradicating gender norms, this was somewhat upsetting to hear. Gould went on to powerfully state “never take no for an answer.” I found both these speakers to be extremely encouraging, and very interesting to listen to.
Amid ongoing fears of growing antisemitism, it was powerful to be in a room where different faiths brought people together, rather than tearing them apart. There was a true sense of community, and it is an experience I will keep with me.
Ella Garai-Ebner is a sixth form student at JCoSS
