Bella Abzug
Bella Abzug | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1977 | |
Preceded by | Leonard Farbstein |
Succeeded by | Ted Weiss |
Constituency | 19th district (1971–1973) 20th district (1973–1977) |
Personal details | |
Born | Bella Savitsky July 24, 1920 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | March 31, 1998 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 77)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Martin Abzug
(m. 1944; died 1986) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Arlene Stringer-Cuevas (cousin) Scott Stringer (cousin) |
Education | Hunter College (BA) Columbia University (LLB) Jewish Theological Seminary |
Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, politician,
In 1970, Abzug's first campaign slogan was, "This woman's place is in the House—the House of Representatives."[3] She was later appointed to co-chair the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year created by President Gerald Ford's executive order, presided over the 1977 National Women's Conference, and led President Jimmy Carter's National Advisory Commission for Women.[4] Abzug was a founder of the Commission for Women’s Equality of the American Jewish Congress.[5]
Early life
Bella Savitzky was born on July 24, 1920, in New York City.[6] Both of her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants.[7] Her mother, Esther (née Tanklefsky), was a homemaker, and her father, Emanuel Savitzky,[6] ran the Live and Let Live Meat Market on Ninth Avenue.[8] Even in her youth, she was competitive and would beat other children in all sorts of competitions.[9][10] She ran the cash register at her father's deli as a young girl.[8]
Her religious upbringing influenced her development into a feminist. According to Abzug, "It was during these visits to the synagogue that I think I had my first thoughts as a feminist rebel. I didn't like the fact that women were consigned to the back rows of the balcony."[11] When her father died, Abzug, then 13, was told that her Orthodox synagogue did not permit women to say the (mourners') Kaddish, since that rite was reserved for sons of the deceased. However, because her father had no sons, she went to the synagogue every morning for a year to recite the prayer, defying the tradition of her congregation's practice of Orthodox Judaism.[5][12]
Abzug graduated from
Legal and political career
Abzug was admitted to the New York Bar in 1945, at a time when very few women practiced law, and started her career in New York City at the firm of Pressman, Witt & Cammer, frequently working cases in matters of labor law.
As a lawyer, she specialized in
Years before she was elected to the House of Representatives, she was an early participant in Women Strike for Peace.[6][13][16] Her political stance placed her on the master list of Nixon political opponents.[citation needed] During the McCarthy era, she was one of the few legal attorneys willing to openly combat the House Un-American Activities Committee.[13][5]
Congressional career
I've been described as a tough and noisy woman, a prizefighter, a man-hater, you name it. They call me Battling Bella.
— Bella Abzug, in her 1971 Congress journal, quoted by Braden in Women Politicians and the Media[17]
Elections
Nicknamed "Battling Bella",[17][15] in 1970 she challenged the 14-year incumbent Leonard Farbstein in the Democratic primary for a congressional district on Manhattan's West Side. She defeated Farbstein in a considerable upset and then defeated talk show host Barry Farber in the general election. In 1972, her district was eliminated via redistricting and she chose to run against William Fitts Ryan, who also represented part of the West Side, in the Democratic primary. Ryan, although seriously ill, defeated Abzug. However, Ryan died before the general election and Abzug defeated his widow, Priscilla, at the party's convention to choose the new Democratic nominee. In the general election Priscilla Ryan challenged Abzug on the Liberal Party line, but was unsuccessful.[18] She was reelected easily in 1974. For her last two terms, she represented part of The Bronx as well.
Tenure
She was one of the first members of Congress to support
She was the sponsor for the Equality Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) that made it unlawful to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age.[20]
She was frequently verbally abusive toward staff members, including referring to Doug Ireland as a "fat cocksucker."[21]
Although they were banned on the House floor, Abzug was known for her colorful and vibrant hats, and was seldom seen without one. After being forced to remove her iconic hat before entering the House floor, Abzug once remarked that she felt "naked and unrecognizable." She famously reminded all who admired them: "It's what's under the hat that counts!"[22][15]
In February 1975, Abzug was part of a bipartisan delegation sent to Saigon by President Gerald Ford to assess the situation on the ground in South Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War.[23]
Abzug was a supporter of Zionism. As a young woman she was a member of the Socialist-Zionist youth movement of HaShomer HaTzair.[24] In 1975 she challenged the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 (revoked in 1991 by resolution 46/86), which "determine[d] that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination."[25] Abzug said about the topic, "Zionism is a liberation movement."[5]
Campaign for U.S. Senate
Abzug's career in Congress ended with an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in 1976, which she lost by less than one percent to the more moderate
Later life and death
Abzug never held elected office again after leaving the House, although she remained a high-profile figure and was again a candidate on multiple occasions. She was unsuccessful in her bid to be mayor of New York City in 1977,[27] as well as in attempts to return to the US House from the East Side of Manhattan in 1978 against Republican Bill Green,[28] and from Westchester County, New York, in 1986 against Joe DioGuardi.[29]
She authored two books, Bella: Ms. Abzug Goes to Washington[30] and The Gender Gap,[31] the latter co-authored with friend and colleague Mim Kelber.
In early 1977, President Jimmy Carter chose a new National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year and appointed Abzug to head it. Numerous events were held over the next two years, culminating in the 1977 National Women's Conference in November.[32] She would continue this work as one of the two co-chairpersons for the National Advisory Committee for Women until her dismissal in January 1979, which would create a flash point of tension between the Carter administration and feminist organizations in the United States.[33]
Abzug founded and ran several women's advocacy organizations. She founded a grassroots organization called Women USA,[13] and continued to lead feminist advocacy events, for example serving as grand marshal of the Women's Equality Day New York March on August 26, 1980.[34]
In the last decade of her life, in the early 1990s, with Kelber, she co-founded the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), in their own words "a global women's advocacy organization working towards a just world that promotes and protects human rights, gender equality, and the integrity of the environment."[35] In 1991, WEDO held the World Women's Congress for a Healthy Planet in Miami, where 1,500 women from 83 countries produced the Women's Action Agenda 21.[36]
At the UN, Abzug developed the Women's Caucus, which analyzed documents, proposed gender-sensitive policies and language, and lobbied to advance the Women's Agenda for the 21st Century at the 1992
During her last years, Bella kept up her busy schedule of travel and work, even though she traveled in a wheelchair. Bella led WEDO until her death, giving her final public speech before the UN in March 1998.[37]
After battling
Personal life
In 1944, Bella married Martin Abzug, a novelist and stockbroker. They met on a bus in Miami, Florida while heading to a Yehudi Menuhin concert, and they remained married until his death in 1986.[40] They had two daughters.
Abzug was a cousin of Arlene Stringer-Cuevas and her son Scott Stringer, who were also involved in politics in New York City.[41]
Abzug used to comment that if male lawmakers were going to swim naked in the Congressional swimming pool as was the tradition, that that would be fine with her.[42][43]
Honors and legacy
In 1974, Jeff London created a sculptural "People Furniture" of Abzug having a good idea.
In 1991, Abzug received the "Maggie" Award, the highest honor of the Planned Parenthood Federation, in tribute to their founder, Margaret Sanger.[44]
In 1994, Abzug was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.[6] The same year, she received a medal from the Veteran Feminists of America.[15]
Abzug was honored on March 6, 1997, at the United Nations as a leading female environmentalist.[6] She received the highest civilian recognition and honor at the U.N., the Blue Beret Peacekeepers Award.[45]
In 2004, her daughter Liz Abzug, an adjunct Urban Studies Professor at
In 2017, Time magazine named Abzug one of its 50 Women Who Made American Political History.[47]
Various landmarks in New York City bear Abzug's name. On March 1, 2019, the recently built Hudson Yards Park was renamed Bella Abzug Park as a tribute to women's history month and its location in her former Congressional district.[48] In New York City's Greenwich Village, a portion of Bank Street is named for Abzug.[49]
In popular culture
She appeared in the WLIW video A Laugh, A Tear, A Mitzvah,[50] as well as in Woody Allen's Manhattan (as herself),[51] a 1977 episode of Saturday Night Live,[52] and the documentary New York: A Documentary Film.[53]
She appeared as herself in Manhattan (1979 film) at a real function that was shot by the film.[citation needed] In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Abzug's name and picture.[54]
Abzug appeared in Shirley MacLaine's autobiographical book Out on a Limb (1983). In the 1987 ABC Television mini-series of the same name, Abzug was played by Anne Jackson.[55]
In 2019
In the 2020 FX limited series, Mrs. America, Margo Martindale portrays Abzug.[57] The program examines the unsuccessful multi-year battle to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.[57] That same year, Bette Midler portrayed Abzug in the film The Glorias.[58]
Abzug was featured in a segment in the 2007 documentary NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell, which explores in depth what life was like during the year 1977 in Manhattan. An excerpt from a press conference of Bella Abzug is used when discussing the differences in political views between Abzug and fellow mayoral candidate Ed Koch. Geraldo Rivera gave detailed commentary on Bella's personality and political style.[59]
Jeff L. Lieberman produced the 2023 documentary Bella! about Abzug's life and political achievements. The film includes interviews with Barbra Streisand, Shirley MacLaine, Hillary Clinton, Lily Tomlin, Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Maxine Waters, Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas, Charles Rangel, David Dinkins, and Renée Taylor.
Selected bibliography
Books
- Abzug, Bella (1972). Ziegler, Mel (ed.). Bella!: Ms. Abzug goes to Washington. New York: Saturday Review Press. ISBN 9780841501546.
- Abzug, Bella; Kelber, Mim (1984). Gender gap: Bella Abzug's guide to political power for American women. Boston: ISBN 9780395354841.
- Abzug, Bella (1995). Women: looking beyond 2000. New York, New York: ISBN 9789211005929.
- Abzug, Bella; Zarnow, Leandra (2019). Battling Bella: The Protest Politics of Bella Abzug. Boston: ISBN 9780674737488.
Papers
- Abzug, Bella; Jain, Devaki (August 1996). Women's leadership and the ethics of development (Gender in Development Monograph Series #4). New York: UNDP United Nations Development Programme. Link.
See also
- Women's Equality Day
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- List of Jewish feminists
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
References
- ^ "Bella Abzug". HISTORY. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ISBN 1559724803.
- ^ "ABZUG, Bella Savitzky". History, Art, & Archives: US House of Representatives. Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House's Office of Art and Archives. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ^ “1977 National Women's Conference: A Question of Choices,” 1977-11-21, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting
- ^ a b c d e Mark, Jonathan (April 3, 1998). "Bella Abzug's Jewish Heart". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8160-4100-8. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ^ ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Bella Abzug profile". jwa.org. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Levy, Alan Howard. The Political Life of Bella Abzug, 1920–1976 Political Passions, Women's Rights, and Congressional Battles. Lanham, Md.: Lexington, 2013.
- ISBN 9780841501546.
- ISBN 1559724803.
- ^ a b c d "Bella Abzug". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ISBN 0-374-29952-8, pp. 49–56
[1] - ^ a b c d e Baer, Susan (April 1, 1998). "Founding, enduring feminist Bella Abzug is dead at 77 'Battling Bella' served three terms in House". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ Faber, Doris. Bella Abzug. Lothrup, Lee and Shepard, 1976. pp. 61–69. Juvenile book.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8131-0869-8. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ "Bella Abzug, 77, Congresswoman And a Founding Feminist, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Archived from the originalon October 1, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ Abzug, Bella S. (May 29, 1973). "H.R.8163 - 93rd Congress (1973-1974): Equal Credit Opportunity Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- OCLC 56057911.
- ^ Rozensky, Jordyn. "Halloween: JWA Style". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
- ISBN 9781594035722.
- ISBN 9781930143319.
- ^ Lewis, Paul (December 17, 1991). "U.N. Repeals Its '75 Resolution Equating Zionism With Racism". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Morris, Stephen J. (April 29, 2005). "Lessons From the Fall of Saigon". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ "ABZUG, Bella Savitzky". History Art & Archives: US House of Representatives. Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House's Office of Art and Archives. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Fowler, Glenn (February 18, 1978). "Green's Victory Is Official, but Mrs. Abzug is Silent". New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ "Bella Abzug Biography". BIOGRAPHY. A&E Television Network. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ISBN 0-8415-0154-8. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ISBN 0-395-36181-8. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "The National Women's Conference in Houston, 1977". Uic.edu. January 9, 1974. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Halloran, Richard (January 14, 1979). "23 Leave Committee Over Abzug Dismissal; 23 on Carter's Committee Resign Over His Ouster of Mrs. Abzug; Questions His 'Rationality'; In Support of Carter; No Endorsement Now". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "PunʞLawyer". Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Velez, Denise (March 14, 2016). "They Call me 'Battling Bella'". SandiegoFreePress.org. San Diego Free Press. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ a b "Bella Abzug". Teaching Tolerance. Southern Poverty Law Center. August 7, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "Bella Abzug at the 42nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women". March 16, 1998. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ Mansnerus, Laura (April 1, 1998). "Bella Abzug, 77, Congresswoman And a Founding Feminist, Is Dead". The New York Times.
- ^ Resting Places: The Burial Places of 14,000 Famous Persons, by Scott Wilson
- ^ "Women in Congress 1917–2006" (PDF). GovInfo. US Government Publishing Office. p. 447. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ 'NYC Comptroller Candidate Scott Stringer Enjoys Celebrity Support,' The Jewish Voice, August 21, 2013
- ^ Congresswoman Bella Abzug: Good Person and Changemaker
- ^ "What's the congressional gym like?". Slate. June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022.
- ^ "PPFA Margaret Sanger Award Winners". Planned Parenthood. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ "Bella Abzug Leadership Institute - BALI". www.abzuginstitute.org. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012.
- ^ BALI News and Events Archived October 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine published online, Fall 2007.
- ^ Zorthian, Julia (March 8, 2017). "International Women's Day: 50 Who Made US Political History". Time. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ "Bella Abzug Park News – NYC PARKS ANNOUNCES THE RENAMING OF HUDSON YARDS PARK IN HONOR OF ACTIVIST, CONGRESSWOMAN BELLA ABZUG : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Bella Abzug Street co-naming Flyer" (PDF).
- ^ "A Laugh, A Tear, A Mitzvah | KQED". KQED Public Media. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ Golembewski, Chris Kaye, Vanessa. "39 Moments, 40 Crazy Seasons". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ New York: A Documentary Film, retrieved March 1, 2019
- ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 2015). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ Terry, Cliffor (January 16, 1987). "Maclaine Leaves Little On 'Limb'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn (October 23, 2019). "Off Broadway Review: Harvey Fierstein's 'Bella Bella'".
- ^ ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (February 13, 2020). "Julie Taymor's Gloria Steinem Biopic 'The Glorias' Sells to LD Entertainment, Roadside Attractions". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (August 8, 2007). "RReview: 'NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell'". Variety. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
Further reading
- Levy, Alan H. (2013) The Political Life of Bella Abzug, 1920–1976: Political Passions, Women's Rights, and Congressional Battles (2013), excerpt and text search; coverage to 1976
- Levy, Alan H. The Political Life of Bella Abzug, 1976–1998: Electoral Failures and the Vagaries of Identity Politics (Lexington Books, 2013)
- Mahler, Jonathan (2005). ISBN 9780312424305.
- ISBN 9780374531492.
- ISBN 9780674737488.
- Zarnow, Leandra (2011), "The legal origin of "the personal is political": Bella Abzug and sexual politics in cold war America", in Laughlin, Kathleen A.; Castledine, Jacqueline L. (eds.), Breaking the wave: women, their organizations, and feminism, 1945–1985, New York: Routledge, pp. 28–46, ISBN 9780415874007
External links
- Quotations related to Bella Abzug at Wikiquote
- Media related to Bella Abzug at Wikimedia Commons
- United States Congress. "Bella Abzug (id: A000018)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Bella!, 2020 Documentary Feature Film
- About Bella Abzug (on the website of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute)
- Blanche Wiesen Cook, an entry about Bella Abzug from the Jewish Women's Archive
- "Bella Abzug". Find a Grave. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- Bella Abzug at IMDb
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- FBI file on Bella S. Abzug at the Internet Archive
- Bella Abzug at the National Women's Hall of Fame