Leaders speak on Women’s History Month: Bassie Shemtov
Editor’s note: This is first in a series of women profiles to celebrate Women’s History month
March is Women’s History Month and to celebrate, The Oakland Press is looking to give voice to women across the county.
This week, we’ll be presenting responses from women in different industries and from different walks of life to explore what it means to them to be a woman in this day and age — professionally and personally.
Bassie Shemtov
Q. What is your industry and job title?
A. I am the director of Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization that provides support for individuals with special needs and their families through recreational, social, educational and vocational programming.
We also provide support to individuals and families struggling with isolation, addiction and other family-related crises.
Q. How long have you been in the industry?
A. Friendship Circle was founded in 1994 by my husband Levi and me, which was 27 years ago.
Q. What does the current women’s movement mean to you, professionally and personally, respectively?
A. I’m so happy that the world has finally caught up with what the Torah has always said. For many years throughout many parts of the world, women were seen as inferior. In truth, the Torah has taught us to view every person as created with a unique set of gifts and abilities.
As Jews, we don’t think of women as inferior. We celebrate what we can each do uniquely. We focus on the unique and special gifts, talents and abilities given to women to fulfill our unique purpose in this world. I want us to celebrate the gifts that G-d gave each of us, man or woman. Women were gifted with abilities that men don’t have and vise versa.
Women can hold onto their femininity and fulfill their mission through those feminine strengths.
Q. How has the professional world changed for women over the past 5 years in your eyes?
A . I don’t necessarily see that much has changed in the last five years, but I’ve seen the concern of narcissism. There is more concern for “who am I” or “what am I.” Instead, we should all readily take our unique gifts and work together to make the world a more incredible place that we know it can be. We shouldn’t worry about how we are viewed by others. We have to tap into our own purpose and hold it precious, hold true to it.
Q. What defines a strong woman?
A. To me, I look at what makes a strong woman the same way I look at what makes a strong man or a strong child.
What makes someone a strong person?
For each of us to know who we are, we have to understand our purpose and our mission.
We have to delve deep within to ask ourselves this question. Once we can find our true purpose and the reason why we’re here, that’s what makes a strong person.