Vote

Today I voted for a woman

I voted for my grandmother

Who worked in a chocolate factory

And taught me how to paint

I voted for my great grandmother

Who labored in a sweat shop

I voted for Eve

Who was punished with pain for

Destroying paradise

I voted for Rebecca

Who had a mind of her own

I voted for Leah

Who was never well-liked

But is the mother of a nation

I voted for Miriam

Who opened her mouth at times

She shouldn’t have

And suffered

I voted for Deborah and Yael

Who fought our wars

And won

I voted for Batsheva

Whose beauty was exploited

I voted for Anne Frank

Who was murdered

I voted for myself

Because I have a sense of where I am

And where I am going

I voted for tomorrow

I voted for my mothers

So one day I could tell my daughters

That I voted.

Rebecca Keren Eisenstadt is a performer, producer, and private Jewish educator. www.rebeccakeren.com