Faith, Women And Philanthropy: An Opportunity
By Donna M. Rosenthal
(This talk was presented at the
National Conversation on Faith, Women and Philanthropy, San Francisco, CA on
December 6, 2005.)
Faith, women and philanthropy –
looking at how they can come together to address the needs of women and
children in need - is critical. To even use these three words – faith, women
and philanthropy – in the same sentence, indicates that we are living in
unprecedented times and have been given a tremendous opportunity. There are
always barriers to everything we do, but how we perceive the challenge –
positively, not negatively – I believe, is the key.
Jews believe that all human beings are created in the
image of God. They have infinite value, equality and uniqueness. If we are
to make this a reality, to infinitely value each person, then we must
address the conditions of poverty, illness, hunger and hatred that exist in
society. Jews also believe that to work to repair the world, tikkun olam,
- in other words to make a world in which every human being feels as if they
are an image of God - we must join together and act as a role model for
others. Tzedakah, social justice brought about through philanthropy,
is a basic tenet of Judaism.
We all bring different perspectives to the table today.
We are truly women of diversity. Some of us are academics, some of us are
religious leaders from a wide range of faiths, some of us are human service
professionals, and others of us are philanthropists. Some of us are
considered more traditional and some of us are more liberal. But diversity
can and should be a great strength, not a barrier. The barrier is inside
each of us because we expect agreement and sameness. The agreements are
there, but you have to look deeper to find them, and I don’t believe that
you find them by minimizing the very real differences and disagreements that
exist in this room. Those differences can become sources of creativity and
insight when we honestly acknowledge them by maximizing the places where we
actually are all the same – in the love and concern about and empowerment of
women and children. Doing this will help us find new ways to address the
complex problems of our society, new ways to act together, and new areas of
commonality that we don’t yet see.
So, if we are in the room because we care about the
same things, and want to find ways to work together, it is important that we
learn to listen and respect one another, understanding that while we may
disagree with one another strongly in some areas, and we do, there are
truths and values in each of our beliefs that we can all benefit from and
use as a framework to address the problems and empowerment of women and
children with which we are all concerned.
Today there is much discussion about faith-based social
and health services. It always sounds like it is a new phenomenon. But from
the 19th century we have had faith-based human service
institutions in this country. As time evolved, these organizations became
pluralist, serving a more diverse population. But we must not lose sight of
the fact that their purpose and charters all stemmed from their religious
origins. Caring for the poor and those in need, helping to repair the
world, was and remains their mission.
And it has been women who have been in the forefront of
this work…Women across all faiths who have been renowned for their work in
this field…Women who have led the way…Women who have made a difference…Women
who have dedicated their lives to helping others.
Now we are at an important crossroads. The problems of
women and children throughout our country and the world are crying out for
our help. We, women who empowered women to have equal rights in so many
areas, have neglected to galvanize and organize to improve the lives of
women and children in need.
I hope we will not be silent. What if we harnessed
the stories of all the people who want to help and empower others, and made
philanthropy for women and girls so attractive and inviting that everyone
wants to join in?
Narrative leadership is critical to our success. We
learn from our individual stories. And we have important stories to tell -
about our work from a women’s perspective, from religious perspectives, from
the perspective of the people we are helping. We must tell our stories
collectively and individually.
I will tell you a brief story. When I was the
Executive Director of the National Down Syndrome Society, we held a large
international conference. People came from 47 countries. On the eve of the
conference there was an electrical problem, and all the exhibits, which had
been very carefully arranged, were taken down and then reset. The next day,
I came in to find that the Jewish Orthodox Adoption Agency run by a man in a
black hat and a woman wearing a wig, and the Kuwaiti Down Syndrome
Association run by a man in a burnoose and a women wearing a head scarf,
were side by side. It was too late to change their positions. And what
happened. They became friends, giving advice to each other, and exchanging
addresses and telephone numbers.
If the cause is important, touching what is most human
about us - our shared vulnerability - it is amazing, I learned, how many
barriers fall.
That is why I believe that it is critical to provide
the opportunities for women to come together from different faiths and
backgrounds. We have to take responsibility for the traditions that we
cherish, respect others’ beliefs, and contribute to a more just world. It is
important that we build community and help people take the strengths of
individualism into communal participation. One does not negate the other.
We will not all carry out our programs in the same
way. In fact, we will undoubtedly carry out our programs in very different
ways. However, we can learn from one another, and we can respect one
another’s methodologies, and we can encourage and support one another. We
can begin to understand more about each other and focus on the task at hand,
rather than focus on our differences and our dislikes about one another as
women from different faiths, or even different women within our faiths.
We women, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu,
secular etc. etc. can be the leaders once again, and work together toward
our common goals. There will always be among us some who will push the
envelope for change more than others. There will always be among us some
who will urge us to be traditional. But hopefully there will be consensus
that we are working together to help improve the lives of women and
children.
One question before us: How can we get others to join
us? Of course we can reach out to women in their religious institutions.
But, I believe that we also need to reach out in new ways to women who may
not be active in their religious institutions, who are “disconnected”. We
need to understand that for people who say they are secular, who describe
themselves as feminists, many still have roots in their religion. They
score out proud to be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, even
though they may not consider themselves religious. But they do not make the
linkages between their faith and their daily lives. Frankly, I never saw
the linkage between my work and my Judaism until I came to CLAL. Although
Judaism and its basic tenets have informed my work, no one had made that
connection for me before.
We can be helpful in making that linkage for women, and
starting them on their journey. It may not be a traditional journey, but it
will be a compelling one. Engaging women in helping other women through a
concerted effort on all fronts – religious, feminist and philanthropic – can
galvanize them to help in a very meaningful and compelling effort. The
undertaking must be realistic, motivating and effective. It must make a
difference.
In summary, to succeed, I believe, we have to accept,
even celebrate, that we are different, and with that awareness work together
in a network, encouraging one another, inspiring one another, helping each
other to recognize needs and support the programs addressing those needs.
We do not have to stand by ourselves and we do not have to do it the same
way.
But we do need to join together, bringing all the
strengths and components that make us who we are in this room, recognizing
that if we stand up and speak on behalf of women and girls who are in need,
they will have champions in the world today.
Let’s respect our differences, put aside our
disagreements and work together to repair the world, advance life and become
a role model for others to follow. Let us bring our collective religious,
feminist, and philanthropic wisdom and inspiration, yes inspiration, to the
public square on an issue of critical importance and urgency – the needs and
empowerment of women and children throughout the world.
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