By Elana Luban
On the evening of Saturday, February 2nd, around twenty-five YC and SC students had the pleasure of seeing the hit Focus Films Productions movie “On the Basis of Sex,” for free. The event was put together by Yeshiva College Student Association (YCSA), which sponsored free tickets for the undergraduate YU population to see the film at the Lincoln Center AMC, and organized transportation from Wilf campus. About 25 YU students, more than half of whom were men, chose to spend their time watching a biographical film about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s attorney days fighting for gender equality in the eyes of the law.
The trip to see the iconic biopic, which even features a scene with the Justice herself, was organized by the YCSA president and vice president, Akiva Frishman and Amitai Miller, respectively. The club heads intended the night to be a “fun and educational event.” It had been in the works for a while; they commented, “We started planning before the movie came out, but we had to postpone due to finals and winter break.”
In regards to the initiative for men on the uptown campus of Yeshiva University to plan an event focused on the accomplishments of a legendary gender equality activist, Frishman and Miller replied, “We were motivated to organize the trip for a few reasons. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg not only occupies an esteemed position on the U.S. Supreme Court but has become a cultural icon. We recognize many students are inspired by Justice Ginsburg’s career combatting sex-based discrimination, and we were excited to facilitate an opportunity for students to learn more about her,” they commented. “Plus,” they added, “we heard it’s a good movie.”
Many students lauded the organized planning and casual environment of the event, remarking that YU should invest in more events like these since they are both more enjoyable and more informative. Philip Nagler (YC, ‘20) says, “The event was a great way to start the semester — it was well organized, and I had a lot of fun.” Keren Amouyal (SC, ‘19) says, “What can I say, it was a great reason to leave my room! Free, and fun… I wish YU would do this more often, like once a month. They should have more casual events like this!” She adds, “I was surprised about them having this particular movie, but it was so nice that they did! And it was amazing to be a part of it.”
About the inspirational protagonist of the film, Shayna Herszage (SC, ‘21) comments, “One thing I find amazing about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is that she’s from an older generation, but she remains current, which shows that the move toward gender equality has been a long time coming, and there have been many years of fighting toward where we are now.”
Asked about the YCSA trip, she says, “The event itself was great, because I was expecting it to be me, a bunch of girls, and maybe a few reluctant guys, but there were actually plenty of girls and guys both; it showed a moment of support and a lack of toxic masculinity, even if just for a few hours.”
All in all, students express pride in YU, and particularly YCSA, for enabling an event like this to happen, and hope that more unifying and fun events like this continue in the future.