Bella Abzug

Bella Abzug Born Bella Savitsky July 24, 1920 New York City, New York, U.S. Died March 31, 1998 (aged 77) New York City, New York, U.S. Political party Democratic Spouse(s) Martin Abzug Children 2 Education City University of New York, Hunter (BA) Columbia University (LLB) Jewish Theological Seminary Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, U.S. Representative, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus. In 1970, Abzug's first campaign slogan was, "This woman's place is in the House—the House of Representatives." 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. Bella Savitzky was born on July 24, 1920 in New York City. Both of her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Her mother, Esther (née Tanklefsky), was a homemaker, and her father, Emanuel Savitzky, ran the Live and Let Live Meat Market. Even in her youth, she was competitive and would beat everyone, including the boys, in all sorts of competitions. 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. Abzug graduated from Walton High School in New York City, where she was class president, and went on to Hunter College of the City University of New York and simultaneously attended the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She later earned a law degree from Columbia University in 1944. Legal and political career Abzug was admitted to the New York Bar in 1945, and started practicing in New York City at the firm of Pressman, Witt & Cammer, particularly in matters of labor law. She became an attorney in the 1940s, a time when very few women practiced law. Early on, she took on civil rights cases in the South. She appealed the case of Willie McGee, a black man convicted in 1945 of raping a white woman in Laurel, Mississippi and sentenced to death by an all-white jury who deliberated for only two-and-a-half minutes. Abzug lost the appeal and the man was executed. Abzug was an outspoken advocate of liberal causes, including the Equal Rights Amendment, and opposition to the Vietnam War. In 1998 Ms. Magazine named Abzug a role model. In 2004, her daughter Liz Abzug, an adjunct Urban Studies Professor at Barnard College and a political consultant, founded the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) to mentor and train high school and college women to become effective leaders in civic, political, corporate and community life. To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the first National Women's Conference, a ground-breaking event held in Houston in 1977 and over which Bella Abzug had presided, BALI hosted a National Women's Conference on the weekend of November 10–11, 2007, at Hunter College (NYC). Over 600 people from around the world attended. Besides celebrating the 1977 Conference, the 2007 agenda was to address significant women's issues for the 21st century. Abzug was a 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. In 2010, BALI hosted their 2nd Annual Bella and Bella Fella Awards Banquet. Notable winners of the awards include Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Raab, and Ken Sunshine. In 2017, she was named one of Time magazine's 50 Women Who Made American Political History. In 2018, The Wing named a meeting room at their Washington D.C. location after Bella Abzug, calling it "The Office of Bella Azbug, Battle Leader". The video "Bella Abzug: In Her Own Words" was produced by Progressive Source Communications for the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute. On March 1, 2019, the recently-built Hudson Yards Park was renamed after Abzug as a tribute to women’s history. According to IMDB, filmmaker Jeff L. Lieberman is directing a feature documentary film entitled Bella! about the life and political achievements of the groundbreaking feminist, activist and pioneering congresswoman. The film features brand new 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. It's scheduled to premiere in 2020, coinciding with the upcoming historic 100-year anniversary of the Women's Right to Vote.