Rosalind P. Petchesky

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Rosalind Pollack Petchesky (born August 16, 1942) is an American political scientist, and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Hunter College, City University of New York. [1] She is the founder of the International Reproductive Rights Research Action Group (IRRAG). [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Rosalind Pollack Petchesky was born in Bay City, Texas to Roberta Friedman and Simon Pollack. [3] She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in a Liberal Zionist family. [4]

Petchesky graduated from Smith College summa cum laude, and has a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University. She previously taught at Ramapo College.

Career

Petchesky is known for incorporating differing theoretical frameworks, including ethics, political philosophy, history, political science, and others, into the study of reproductive rights. [5]

From 1972 to 1987 she was Professor of Political and Social Theory at Ramapo College of New Jersey. In 1987 she was hired as Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of Women's Studies at Hunter College in New York. Petchesky lectures widely and is the author/editor of many professional articles and numerous books. [3]

Petchesky is on the international advisory board of Signs , [6] an international journal in women's and gender studies.

Activism

Petchesky describes her youth as "involved and influenced" by the Civil rights movement. She stopped attending synagogue when her father and rabbis did not support her anti-racist activism. She says that a class at Smith College under Ibrahim Abu-Lughod was her first interaction with a Palestinian. Following her retirement from academia, she dedicated herself to Anti-Zionist organizing with Jewish Voice for Peace. [4] In 2021, Petchesky co-editied the book "A Land With A People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism." [7]

On October 27, 2023, Petchesky was the oldest person arrested at Grand Central Terminal in a protest calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. She organized a group of more than 30 Jewish seniors to participate. [8] She was also among a group of 18 Jewish elder women who chained themselves to the White House front gate prior to the annual Hanukkah party. [9]

Awards

Works

References

  1. "Rosalind Pollack Petchesky — Hunter College". www.hunter.cuny.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  2. "International Reproductive Rights Research Action Group". OCLC WorldCat Identities. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Collection: Rosalind Petchesky papers | Smith College Finding Aids". findingaids.smith.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-28. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 3.0 license.
  4. 1 2 Girard, Françoise (2024-02-20). "An indomitable anti-Zionist Jewish feminist talks about the steadfastness (sumud) of Palestinians". Monthly Review. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  5. "Rosalind P. Petchesky - MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  6. "Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society -". Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  7. Khatri, Shabina S. (January 4, 2024). "81-year-old Jewish activist fights Zionism in the US, one arrest at a time". www.trtworld.com. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  8. Mansoor, Sanya (2023-11-17). "The Jewish Americans Calling for a Ceasefire". TIME. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  9. Johnson, Jake (Dec 11, 2023). "Chained to White House Fence, Jewish Elders Chant 'Cease-Fire Not Genocide'". www.commondreams.org. Retrieved 2023-12-13.