(Courtesy of TIFF) “Bella!,” the documentary about Bella Abzug, is the closing film at the 18th annual Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF), Sunday, November 12, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Road in Teaneck. Tickets to the film are on sale now, for $10—www.teaneckfilmfestival.org—and will be $15 at the door if space is available. At the screening, WOW (Women of Wisdom) will present its Woman of the Year Award to the women of National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section in recognition of NCJW’s century of involvement, community service, advocacy and activism.
Joining WOW as sponsors of “Bella!” are former New Jersey State Senator Loretta Weinberg, League of Women Voters of Teaneck, Teaneck Women Together, and the YWCA Northern New Jersey. Weinberg and the film’s writer and director, Jeff L. Lieberman, will participate in a talkback moderated by TIFF co-founder and WOW founder Judy Distler.
Bella Abzug, the feisty Jewish lawyer from the Bronx, managed to balance career, family and social justice after graduating from law school. She was involved with Women Strike for Peace, whose protests against nuclear proliferation were so effective that they changed laws. A seasoned activist at a young age, she ran for Congress in 1970, when the United States was ruled by men. She challenged the status quo, running a successful campaign from the streets of Manhattan, and with her trademark hat and Bronx swagger, entered Congress as one of only 12 women, trailblazing a path for leadership that reflected the broad diversity of the country.
She later opened the largest gathering of feminists in U.S. history—The National Women’s Conference—then turned her gaze internationally to help women in other countries, effectively teaching policy and how to amend U.N. resolutions. Her impact was felt globally.
Hillary Clinton has pointed out that a large number of people do not know Bella’s story. This is an opportunity to learn it. See the film, meet the director, and hear what Teaneck’s own feisty activist—Loretta Weinberg—has to say about the woman who continues to be an inspiration to people all over the world.
