Ms. Magazine Blocks Ad on Israeli Women
January 10 2008 - 12:52PM
PR Newswire (US)
NEW YORK, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ms. Magazine has long
been in the forefront of the fight for equal rights and equal
opportunities for women. Apparently that is not the case if the
women happen to be Israeli. The magazine has turned down an
AJCongress advertisement that did nothing more controversial than
call attention to the fact that women currently occupy three of the
most significant positions of power in Israeli public life. The
proposed ad (The Ad Ms. Didn't Want You To See:
http://www.ajcongress.org/site/DocServer/Ms.pdf?docID=1961 )
included a text that merely said, "This is Israel," under
photographs of President of the Supreme Court Dorit Beinish, Vice
Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni and
Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik. "What other conclusion can we reach,"
asked Richard Gordon, President of AJCongress, "except that the
publishers �?? and if the publishers are right, a significant
number of Ms. Magazine readers �?? are so hostile to Israel that
they do not even want to see an ad that says something positive
about Israel?" When Director of AJCongress' Commission for Women's
Empowerment Harriet Kurlander tried to place the ad, she was told
that publishing the ad "will set off a firestorm" and that "there
are very strong opinions" on the subject �?? the subject presumably
being whether or not one can say anything positive about Israel.
Ms. Magazine publisher Eleanor Smeal failed to respond to a
signed-for certified letter with a copy of the ad as well as
numerous calls by Mr. Gordon over a period of weeks. A Ms. Magazine
representative, Susie Gilligan, whom the Ms. Magazine masthead
lists under the publisher's office, told Ms. Kurlander that the
magazine "would love to have an ad from you on women's empowerment,
or reproductive freedom, but not on this." Ms. Gilligan failed to
elaborate what "this" is. "The only conclusion that one can reach
from this behavior is that Ms. Magazine feels that an ad
highlighting the accomplishments of three incredibly talented and
dedicated women would offend their readership. Since there is
nothing about the ad itself that is offensive, it is obviously the
nationality of the women pictured that the management of Ms. fears
their readership would find objectionable. For a publication that
holds itself out to be in the forefront of the Women's Movement,
this is nothing short of disgusting and despicable," stated Mr.
Gordon. Ms. Magazine has a long record of publishing advertisements
rallying readers to support reproductive choice; opposing the
Religious Right; highlighting the fragility of the pro-Roe v. Wade
majority on the Supreme Court; charging that "Pat Robertson and his
Religious Right cohorts don't like individual freedom;" announcing
support for the "struggle for freedom and human rights;" opposing
the Bush administration's campaign to fill federal courts with
judges who "will reverse decades of progress on reproductive rights
and privacy, civil rights, religious liberty, environmental
protection and so much more;" as well as accusing the Bush
administration of being "bent on rewarding big corporations and the
rich, turning back the clock on women's rights and civil rights,
and promoting a U.S. empire abroad." "This flagship publication of
the American women's empowerment movement publishes ads that are
controversial in the general culture but not so among its
readership," Ms. Kurlander said. "Obviously, Ms. believes our ad
would enflame a significant portion of their readers." Mr. Gordon
added, "What really amazes me is that just recently, in their
Winter 2007 issue, Ms. ran a cover story with a picture of
Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi with the heading in big letters: "This
is What a Speaker Looks Like." While Ms. has every reason to be
proud of Speaker Pelosi and her accomplishments, as are we, the
only discernable difference between Speaker Pelosi and Speaker
Itzik apparently is that Speaker Pelosi is not Israeli." Mr. Gordon
noted that while Israel was apparently too hot to handle, Ms.
Magazine did not extend that taboo to Arab and Muslim women. "What
is even more amazing is that, while refusing to publish a simple ad
praising three very notable women, women who embody the ideal that
Ms. Magazine seemingly espouses, Ms. has run a cover article in the
Fall 2003 issue on Queen Noor of Jordan, has featured a number of
articles on Muslim women, and even ran an article in the Winter
2004 issue entitled, 'Images of Palestine,' which discussed the
Ramallah Film Festival and gave sympathetic reviews to films
concerning 'the liberation of South Lebanon' from Israel as well as
numerous films which portrayed terrorism as legitimate
'revolutionary' activity against Israel and miscast Israel's
activities to counter terrorism as 'oppressive.'" "Clearly Ms. has
changed a great deal from the days when AJCongress members and
leaders of the AJCongress' Commission for Women's Equality �??
including Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug and Ms. co-founder Letty
Pogrebin �?? were at the forefront of the Women's Movement that led
to the creation of Ms. Magazine." AJCongress President Gordon
concluded, "Ms. has the right to turn down our ad. But in
exercising that right, it has spoken loudly about itself and its
readership, and their lingering hostility to Israel." Mr. Gordon
and Ms. Kurlander are available for further comment. Contact David
Twersky at (212) 360-1586 or . The American Jewish Congress is a
membership association of Jewish Americans, organized to defend
Jewish interests at home and abroad, through public policy
advocacy, in the courts, Congress, the executive branch and state
and local governments. It also works overseas with others who are
similarly engaged. DATASOURCE: American Jewish Congress CONTACT:
David Twersky of the American Jewish Congress, +1-212-360-1586, .
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