This page is dedicated to the memory of Rachel Corrie

Honouring Great Women

On this page HaSM wishes to honour women from all walks of life, whether professionals, politicians, students, house wives, artists, journalists, or elected or other dignitaries, who despite the odds, never wavered from their support of human rights and standing by wronged people, the downtrodden, the oppressed, and in some cases valiantly risked their safety, or selflessly risked their careers, or dedicated their lives, or in some cases gave their lives - as Rachel Corrie did - for the sake of the rights and liberty of people who are not their own.

Many women have accomplished great achievements, but this page is dedicated to those who went against the current - literally against the accepted current wrongs, against the powers that be, against the haters and oppressors, to do, say, support, work for what's right, just, civilized, humane, ethical and moral. In other words put principles and values ahead of political expediency, career advancement, financial incentives, etc.

It is always the easiest path to beat, joining Goliath in beating up on David, on the weak, the oppressed, the occupied, the denigrated, the persecuted. It's easy and pays instant dividends and produces immediate rewards.

It was the easiest path to take back when the Jews were the persecuted and hated and hardly anyone came to their defense, cared to support or speak up for them. It was a shameful stain upon humanity as a whole, but especially upon those who at the time looked the other way even after they had stumbled upon the truth of what was going on and seen how wrong it was.

Today it is no different. Some people - sadly, even those who because of their own history of persecution ought know better - stumble upon the truth and choose expediency, financial interests, the path of what is most popular, their own hateful agendas, the tempting book contract or media coverage if they jump on the bandwagon and beat up on the downtrodden, while others set all those self-interests and material inducements aside, and choose integrity, honour, principles, ethics, morals, ideals, dignity and conscience, and do what's right, even if it will affect their personal lives, careers, or financial situation.

For the reasons above we do not include women "firsts", such as first woman in space, first woman to fly, first female prime minister, first woman elected to parliament, first woman president, famous queens or empresses, or famous or rich celebrities etc. unless of course that "achievement" was coupled with real work for the oppressed and wronged.

So the reader will not find Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Thatcher, or Mia Farrow here. They might have achieved something for themselves, their careers, their image, their fame, or even for their nations as a whole, which is fine, and presumably represents success, or even milestones along the path toward women's emancipation and empowerment, which are worthy causes, but a far cry from sacrificing their lives, careers, interests, etc. to do something for the persecuted, the oppressed, the unfortunate, the looked-down upon, the disadvantaged, the underprivileged, the weak, the downtrodden.

In some cases they even represent the exact opposite of what we celebrate here. Though they pretend to champion noble causes, they are really in it for any of a range of possible or obvious ulterior motives. They pretend to champion some noble cause or other, but in reality it is all an image building move, with other agendas to suit, and a lot of hypocrisy to let it go down more easily. Such actions are very transparent and will not fool the wise and experienced, even if they may work for public consumption.

Mia Farrow and her fake concern over Darfur is a good example of a very dubious and suspect cause. Her sudden concern for human suffering appears more of an attempt at diverting attention from the long-standing, ongoing tragedy of the long-suffering Palestinian people, the kind of tragedy that truly brave, conscientious, and courageous women take on. She never put in a word in support of them all those decades that their suffering has been going on under her very nose! In her current actions she only manages to draw attention to her past failures and shortcomings. And indeed, to any intelligent, upstanding person, she has discredited rather than enhanced her public image.

If she truly is the kind of person who is sensitive to human suffering, where was she all those decades of Palestinian suffering? It reflects very poorly on her, more so than if she had continued to be silent like others are.

If she had been already actively involved in humanitarian causes, alleviating other human suffering, and then simply took an extra interest in Darfur it would have been more convincing even normal and understandable, but a total blind eye to such obvious suffering as that of the Palestinians and then suddenly developing a bleeding heart for the Darfurians, whose support can encompass any of a number of well-publicized agendas, appears quite disingenuous.

Thus this page is dedicated to a genuinely honorable, noble woman, Rachel Corrie.

Some women included here have both the positive and the negative, but they deserve mention for the positive and the genuine care and concern they show for the underprivileged, the persecuted, the targeted for hate, etc. to the best of their capability. Not everyone is equally capable of the same exertions, efforts, and feats whether mentally or physically, we must recognise.

Such a controversial figure is Hillary Clinton, about whom we received a few objections. Her basic stance is one of support for the weak, but currently, political expediency sadly took precedence over her basic beliefs on some issues. However, because she did do, and try to do and still tries to do good for the disadvantaged when she can, in gratitude we feel she deserves a spot here.

Rachel Corrie

Marla Ruzicka

Irena Sendlerowa

Vanessa Redgrave.

Barbara Hall