Hillel Ryerson Celebrates International Women’s Day

Written By Sara Yacobi-Harris, Student

In celebration of International Women’s Day on Tuesday March 8th, with the help of Gal, our Ryerson Hillel Israel Fellow, I had the opportunity to host an evening of performances by female singers and actors at Hillel Ryerson. We wanted to create an event where we would discuss and celebrate the accomplishments of Jewish and Israeli women. As a 4th year Humanities student, this event gave me the opportunity to combine my interests of performance art and feminism. We had an eclectic range of performances, as Ryerson students of all backgrounds performed pieces such as Ester Rada’s song “Could it Be” and other works like the Rivka Miriam’s poem “The Girl Who Fell into the Well.” We wanted our audience to take part in creating the art as well, so we put together a large canvas and supplied paint for our guests to collaborate in making a painting titled “To Be a Woman”. The painting became as colourful and diverse as our line-up of performances. On the loft walls, we created an exhibit of prominent Jewish and Israeli women, from different backgrounds that represent various fields. Along with their photos, we added a short biography in order to expose our crowd to the diversity of women that exist in Israel and the Diaspora.  All in all, the event was beautiful and empowering, and fostered an opportunity for a group of incredible young women to share their talent. Sami Cooper, the Vice President of Hillel Ryerson, attended the event and said “it was an evening to truly inspire, empower, and motivate. It was a night of love, music, and art.”