Are you there, readers and writers? It’s me, Becky, JWA’s new blog editor! This month, I joined the Jewish Women’s Archive as the organization’s Communications and New Media Specialist. In this role, I’ll be managing JWA’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, assisting our amazing podcast team, and editing Jewish Women, Amplified.

Fittingly, my relationship with the Jewish Women’s Archive began by writing for the blog. In my first piece for the site, I discussed one of my favorite shows, Grace and Frankie, and the power of women’s friendships. This past year and a half especially, my relationships with other women have acted as invaluable sources of strength and comfort in a world that increasingly feels unsafe and unjust. I commiserate with other women. I am able to share my anger with other women. I work through my thoughts with other women. I hope that Jewish Women, Amplified can similarly act as a safe space for all of you, in which to “start conversations, stimulate debate, and inspire each other to think and act boldly.”

With this in mind, I would like to deconstruct the blog’s name: Jewish Women, Amplified. What is the significance of Amplified and who does JWA include under the banner of Jewish Women? Let me be clear about this: When we say Jewish Women, we mean ALL Jewish women. We mean trans women and Jewish women of color. We mean queer Jewish women. We mean women who have converted to Judaism and women who are struggling with their Jewish identities. We mean Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ethiopian Jewish women. We mean Jewish women of different abilities and of all ages. When we say all, we mean all.

And what about Amplified? Why is it important to amplify the voices of Jewish women? Because in a society that has historically refused women the right to speak and deemed our stories unimportant, it is a radical act to communicate our experiences. Amplifying the voices of Jewish women—and all oppressed groups—is an act of rebellion, as well as a necessary step toward building a world that is more inclusive and equitable.

In 1996, Nora Ephron famously offered these words of advice to the graduating class of Wellesley College on rebellion: “I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.”

I’m so excited to help amplify your voices and experiences as blog editor. Let’s make some trouble.

Submit to Jewish Women, Amplified and learn more about the blog, here.