Lesley Sachs

Apply for a Blog

Mar 17, 2019, 2:06 PM

A Taste of Joy: Reflections by Susan C. Bass (WRJ)

Dear Friends, I am honored to share with you words of reflection from WOW's 30th anniversary service on Rosh Hodesh Adar II, sent by Susan C. Bass, President of Women of Reform Judaism. She gives voice to our struggle, and...

Mar 10, 2019, 3:28 PM

‘Provocation’?! J’Accuse!

Women of the Wall worshipers were viciously attacked by an organized mob on Friday -- blaming us is the height of cynicism

Jan 29, 2019, 2:24 PM

Dreams Deferred – But Undefeated

Lesley Sachs, director of 'Women of the Wall' being detained and arrested for wearing a tallit at the Western Wall (photo: Miriam Alster / Flash 90)

Though the deal is frozen, Women of the Wall’s mission was and remains to enrich the landscape of Jewish life for all

Jan 6, 2019, 4:29 PM

From the ‘Wall of Women’ to Women of the Wall

Last week, I was thrown off balance by a headline from one of Israel’s leading news outlets: “A Victory For Women of the Wall of India.” The article reported an astonishing 385-mile human chain, which consisted of five million Hindu...

Dec 26, 2018, 4:37 PM

Our Voices in the Gender Index

The Center for the Advancement of Women in Public Sphere (WIPS) publishes an annual Gender Index that analyzes longitudinally the conditions of gender inequality in various realms of life in Israel, including political, economic, and cultural representation, and the...

Nov 15, 2018, 4:06 PM

A spitting image

Illustrative: A group of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men and boys oppose the prayer service of the Women of the Wall, April 24, 2016. (AFP Photo/Thoman Coex)

If this is how Jews treat other Jews, how can we ever move to a place of peace and respect?

Oct 21, 2018, 1:59 PM

A round table meeting

My appetite grew with each whiff of fresh bourekas in the Carmel Market. My friend Cheryl and I ordered a platter of savory pastries to share. Typical of the Carmel Market on Friday afternoon, the tiny eatery was packed,...

Sep 26, 2018, 1:09 PM

The Right To Wave

“Mutar li?” “Am I allowed?” This innocent inquiry ranks highest among the most common responses I have heard from women walking by Women of the Wall’s public booths inviting passersby to wrap tefillin and tallit and wave the lulav and...

Aug 27, 2018, 8:32 PM

Giving With Open Arms – And Open Eyes

At the supermarket, I pause for a moment, double-checking my shopping list. I have entered with a plan, having memorized the store layout long ago. And yet, the most basic items on this “mission” seem unnecessarily complicated: where are...

Jun 24, 2018, 10:34 AM

A Tale of Two T-Shirts

As a girl, my morning routine began by staring in the mirror with dread, sulking as I straightened my school uniform’s collar. The uniform taunted me with its neutrality, its sameness. I wanted to “wear my heart on my...

Load more

About Me

Lesley Sachs is the 2014 recipient of the NCJW Jewel Bellush Outstanding Israeli Feminist award and was one of the founding members of “Isha L’isha – Haifa’s Feminist Center” and worked for 10 years in the Israel Women’s Network. Lesley served as executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), vice president of the World Union For Progressive Judaism and founding director of Project, Kesher Israel. She is currently working as the executive director of Women of the Wall. She served on the board of directors for the Jerusalem Women’s Shelter, board of directors for the JNF-KKL and currently she is chair of the pre-army mechina Michmanim in Jaffa.