22Mar

The Zookeeper’s Wife, a Holocaust Film that Celebrates Light

zookeeperswife

Last week I screened The Zookeeper's Wife, a Holocaust-themed film directed by Niki Caro. The Holocaust is a very personal issue for me. My feelings have very deep roots, stemming back to my childhood and it often fuels my writing. I've interviewed survivors, written about my recent visits to concentration camps, talked about why my being a mother makes the connection even deeper, and why we must #NeverForget. I also gravitate towards Holocaust films and review them as often as possible. Holocaust films are not easy to make and I've watched my share Read More

29Apr

10 Empowering Quotes from Women in the World 2015

WomenInTheWorld

I was lucky to attend the sixth annual Women in the World Summit in New York City last week. Words can’t quite capture the experience of being at an entire event wrapped around the narrative on issues affecting women from Washington to Uganda, discussing the setbacks and successes of the women’s movement. With the potential for a female to run as the next President of the United States, the event was even more empowering than previous years. This year, Women in the World partnered with The New York Times, as well as Georgetown University, for research Read More

29Mar

The Dovekeepers on CBS: A Femisist, Biblical Tale

The Dovekeepers

I'm a sucker for Jewish stories that revolve around women, particularly going back to Biblical times. Anita Diamant's The Red Tent was such story story that took the route and appeared on Lifetime a few years ago. It wasn't the best adaptation but I give the network credit for even trying to tackle such a complicated, brave story (particularly as a former Lifetime staffer). CBS is bringing another feminist, Biblical tale to the screen as a 4-hour mini-series callled The Dovekeepers (based on a book by Alice Hoffman). It premieres on Tuesday, March 31 Read More

24Feb

Postpartum: The Musical

Hello Flo

A while ago, I wrote about Hello Flo, a company whose idea to send tampons through the mail to young girls via subscription went viral last year. They had two videos that hit You Tube to promote a Period Starter Kit for girls: The company has had two hilarious viral successes in advertising its Period Starter Kit for girls— "Camp Gyno" and "First Moon". I interviewed founder Naama Bloom about how she's helping kids grow up last year and was so impressed with her goals - they're so genuine. And now she strikes again with a genuine mission - to help Read More

23Feb

The Beauty of #AskHerMore

AskHerMore

Last night my dear friend and fellow blogger, Aliza Worthington, invited me to join a group on Twitter called "AskHerMore". At first, I was confused by its meaning, but once I figured it out, I was overjoyed. For years, women have been complaining about news reporters the red carpet, having primarily been asked about their gowns rather about the hard work they've put in to make it where they are. It looks like times are changing, and E's Fashion Police should be very interesting tonight! Last night Reese Witherspoon posted the image above on Read More

10Aug

Srugim’s Three Feminists

srugim

I've just spent three weeks completely glued to an Israeli show called Srugim.  To be honest, I've been completely obsessed and of course, now wish I had spread it out over a longer period of time. Srugim was broadcast in Israel between the years of 2008-2011. The plot revolved around a group of friends in Jerusalem -- Yafit, Amir, Nati, Reut and Hodaya-- all in their 20s, all single, all Orthodox Jews, all looking for meaning of life and love but with Jewish rituals in mind. Kind of Friends, kind of Sex and the City with a Jewish slant. I first Read More

07Jun

A (Rare) Solo Traveler

grand bahama island

No, this isn't a book review. I just felt like the image above sums up how I feel about where I am right now. I'm actually on a press trip in the Bahamas at the Grand Lucayan. I decided not to bring any members of my family on this trip largely for financial reasons. I yearned for a trip where I could not only focus on my writing but also seeing things through a different lens. I first became aware of the beauty of solo travel many moons ago while backpacking through Europe after college, when, as Journalism major, I carried a notebook and pen and Read More

30May

Review: Maleficent, a Feminist Film

Malifecent

I always worry about Disney movies, as much as I love them. The female characters always seem to need me. Or to be saved by men. Of they need to be kissed by men in order to live. That has been the story of several of their fairytales, including the very popular Sleeping Beauty. In that story, a handsome Prince breaks a spell cast on the Princess by Malifecent and not only are they reunited, she is saved and the palace awakens. Everyone lives happily ever after as a result of the Prince's actions, even though he is a minor character in the story. Oh, Read More

28May

Orange is the New Black Returns to Netflix (w/ Spoilers!)

orange is the new black marquis

Don't hate me. I know you love Orange is the New Black as much as I do. Not only am I about to tell you that I've seen the first episode of season two of the series, set to premiere on Netflix on June 6th, but I also got invited to the NYC premiere party at the Ziegfeld Theater! Okay, now you really hate me. What can I tell you about the evening? It was surreal - from watching the actors walk down the red carpet to viewing my favorite show in a room full of passionate OITNB watchers to attending the party where I saw my favorite characters standing in Read More

24May

Two Fiery Shows About Women and our BFFs

Broad City

(This post recently appeared on BlogHer.) We haven’t had a profound shortage of female bonding orientated programming as of late. Girls on HBO, for example, is a gritty, realistic show about the real life jealousies and issues that develop between friends as they navigate the waters of young adulthood. But as much as I love it, it’s about women much younger than myself, and as much as I try to relate to Hannah, Marnie, Jess and Shoshanna, I realize that that the similarity factor can only go so far. They don’t have the most functional of relationships, Read More