Marcia Freedman Remembrances

Marcia Freedman passed away peacefully on September 21, 2021. Her many accomplishments include serving as the first and only American born woman and only out lesbian ever in the Israeli Knesset, a founder of the Israeli feminist movement; the founding president of the U.S. Jewish peace group Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace (2002-2009); president of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival; and  founding editorial board member of Persimmon Tree, an online magazine for women over 60. She was a longtime advocate for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community, Palestinians, and elders. She was also a prominent voice on behalf of the struggle for Israeli-Palestinian peace and justice. Marcia’s activism impacted the lives of millions of Israelis and North Americans.

This is a collection of remembrances from some of Marcia’s many friends and activist comrades about how her life touched them. Upon reading them, her daughter Jenny responded, “I’m speechless with gratitude for this at the moment. There will be a time when I can say more I think but for now I simply thank you from the bottom of my heart for enriching my memories of my mother with your own. Each time someone tells a story of her, I remember more and a new image is added to my narrative. She left a very big hole, larger than most of us do I think.”

There is also a Marcia Freedman Photo Album and a list of Marcia Freedman Resources below. Marcia requested that donations in her honor be directed to Gun Free Kitchen Tables (GFKT) in Israel. GFKT collects and seeds knowledge and concern about guns throughout civil society in Israel, challenging and undoing the militarized equation of guns with security.