Women of Valor

A social activist leads a revolution to allow ultra-Orthodox women to enter Israeli politics, in this extraordinary portrait of courage and the struggle for gender equality. In some parts of the Haredi community, a woman’s obligation is to marry and bear children and serve as the primary breadwinner while her husband studies religious texts. Haredi political parties in Israel forbid women from seeking public office. Fed up with the status quo, Esty Shushan is fighting to change that. She co-founded a nonprofit calling for the representation of Orthodox women in the Knesset, taking their case to the UN women’s rights committee and the Israeli Supreme Court. To prepare the next generation for leadership roles, her Nivcharot organization mentors young women and works to get the first female name on the ballot. But change comes with a cost, as Esty’s activism brings threats, suspicion, and online harassment. Ostracized as a “fake Haredi,” she must reconcile her deep-rooted commitment to ultra-Orthodox life with her efforts to bring the silent voices of women to the center of Israeli discourse. (Miami Jewish Film Festival)