At the original Women’s March in 2017, Jewish women were prominent among the participants. Synagogues and Jewish organizations from Reform to Chabad sent large contingents to the flagship march in Washington, as well as to smaller marches around the country. Two years later, the leaders of the March are confronting charges of mismanagement and local chapters are looking to go their own way. For Jewish women, there is the additional issue that top leaders of the organization have been accused of engaging in or condoning anti-Semitism.
For example, Katherine Siemionko, founder of the Women’s March Alliance in New York City, says that her group has lost thousands of social media followers and newsletter subscribers in response to articles criticizing the national organizers. Donors have dropped out and celebrities have declined requests to speak, citing concerns of anti-Semitism. “It’s been a huge impact,” said Siemionko. “It’s shifted everything that we do.”
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