Last night, thousands of Jewish women joined a call for Kamala Harris which featured some of this nation’s biggest Jewish stars, like Barbra Streisand, Tony-winner Shaina Taub and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Susie Essman.
Moderating the call were actresses Emmy Rossum of “Shameless” and lawyer and activist Mandana Dayani. “When I think about what it means to me to be a Jew,” Rossum shared with the virtual crowd over Zoom, “it’s values, ethics, morals, kindness, equality, a sense of community. It’s about standing up for what’s right, being unafraid to be who we are, and to reach for joy even in dark times.” Rossum shared that she was proud to be there to hear Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff speak in LA this past Tuesday, where “he spoke with pride about being a Jew” and talked about hosting the first seder at the Vice President’s residence. She praised Emhoff’s commitment to fight antisemitism as first gentleman, in the U.S. and “all across the world.”
“It’s been said that Jewish women are known to speak up. I am one of them,” Streisand shared after a laudatory introduction and proceeded to do just that, not mincing words when sharing her feelings about Donald Trump, warning against “Project 2025” and praising Harris as someone who will lead with “compassion” and not “fearmongering.”
Streisand ended her speech by talking about her own family’s Jewish traditions. “At our Passover seder, we like to expand the traditional stories of Jews to include and celebrate Jewish women — rebellious women like Esther and Miriam. Too often the word rebellious is used to describe women who challenge authority, but without that challenge, change rarely happens. So let’s all find our own rebellious spirit to fight hard for our country. Your vote is your voice, let it be heard loud and clear,” she shared, hoping that people will choose to vote for Kamala for all the reasons she stated, but also, she added, “Let’s not forget, she married a nice Jewish guy.”
Senator Jacky Rosen, the only Jewish woman, mother and only former synagogue president in the senate thanked Babs for “using that amazing voice of yours to lead us today.”
The wackiest speech of the night, however, came from Susie Essman, who said she could call Trump “a Jew hater, an icky, creepy guy, a poster boy for small dick behavior” but that she wouldn’t because “we’re better than that.” She compared the upcoming election to “that fly in your kitchen that’s buzzing around. You start a battle with it and it’s like you can’t win, it keeps on moving and moving, but finally it lands on the window sill and SQUASH. And you got it, you won, and it feels so good” She concluded that that’s how it’s going to feel for her to elect Kamala in November.
She called Harris a “gift” who is “going to protect the rights for all Americans — not just Jewish women, all of us.”
“Now, my eggs, you know, they’re old and decrepit at this point,” Essman said, “but I care about all of you younger women. And I have three daughters, although, truth be told, they’re my stepdaughters. So you know that’s what makes me, you know, a childless cat lady, even though I’m allergic to cats.” That was a clear reference to Trump VP nominee JD Vance, who once said that this country is run by childless cat ladies who want to make others miserable. Essman added that “Kamala is going to protect your right to control your own bodies.”
Essman also lauded Harris’s humorous demeanor, saying that she’s not a “farbissina punim,” using the delightful Yiddish term for sourpuss. She urged those on the call to “embrace your power and be the badass Jewesses that I know you all are,” which she said you can do by donating, calling and volunteering.
Shaina Taub appeared in a pre-recorded message from the “Suffs” dressing room, saying that she couldn’t be on the call because she was on stage on Broadway and musing that was perhaps the most Jewish excuse of all. Taub said that, like the women of “Suffs” who fought for a woman’s right to vote, Kamala Harris is to her the embodiment of tikkun olam. She mentioned that at a Rosh Hashanah event with Harris, she heard her quote the same line from the Talmud that she used as a epigraph for “Suffs”: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
“We know we won’t finish the fight for freedom and equality in one lifetime,” she said, adding that we also know that it’s not an excuse to not do that work. She also said that “Suffs,” like perhaps the women rallying behind Harris, is about “a messy imperfect coalition… they did not agree on everything.” She shared that despite the political differences of the many attendees watching the call, the stakes are too high and that “we won’t let that get the better of us.”
She finished by singing an excerpt from the moving song at the end of the musical, “Keep Marching.”
The event was full of other impressive women. Comedian Judy Gold who spoke about the importance of protecting freedoms as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and wished everyone a hearty “shalom.” Social media influencer and author Hannah Bronfman, who talked about reproductive rights (both Mandani and Rossum had their babies through IVF and talked about the need to protect women going through the process). And Alana Zeitchik, whose relative David Cunio is still being held hostage by Hamas, praised Kamala’s support for the families of hostages, including her own, and her focus on diplomacy. Rossum shared how she held back tears while listening to her speak.
You can watch the entire call here:
