Roughly 700,000 people marched in more than 300 locations across the United States for this year’s annual Women’s March on Jan. 19. The most recent marches were much smaller than the inaugural marches in 2017, which drew more than 4 million people. Some believe the numbers were down in part because of allegations of anti-Semitism among some leaders of the national Women’s March organization.

[For a full timeline of the allegations, view this Jewish Telegraphic Agency story from January: http://bit.ly/Womens-March-Allegations].

Every state except for Arkansas and Louisiana held a Women’s March, but some local march groups distanced themselves from the national organization. The St. Louis march, for example, was not sponsored by the national Women’s March — it was a completely independent event. 

Megan Fennell, a member of the St. Louis Women’s March planning committee for the past two years, and a member of Central Reform Congregation, agrees that participation was down this year for the event but she isn’t quick to blame anti-Semitism. 

“Its hard to judge the participation numbers this year. They were definitely down from last year but it was raining and the temperatures were freezing this year,” said Fennell. “MoDOT had spent the past two days warning people to stay off the roads. Last year it was 45 degrees and sunny.” 

Fennell does not deny that the negative press about the national Women’s March leadership group might have had local consequences. 

“I noticed a difference in the planning process. Conversations had to begin with an explanation to establish what we’re about and that we’re not affiliated with the [national] group,” Fennell said. “People are wary and unwilling to to help. Some of the things we are working towards got lost and we lost momentum.”

Fennell notes that the main goal of the St. Louis Women’s March this year was to encourage engagement rather that just marching. “We’re not just about a walk — we’re about people doing the work to make the change that they are advocating.”

Even if this year’s participant numbers were down, there were still plenty of people who felt compelled to brave the cold and show up for the march last month.

“I chose to go because I feel as if I was marching not only for myself, but for women around the world,” said Lindsey Ormont, a junior at Parkway Central High School. “(The march) stands as a symbol for unity and sisterhood.”

Other local teens expressed similar sentiments. Some even cited their Judaism as a reason for marching.

“It’s so important to rise up and march with other women to show our support for one another and our solidarity for the adversity and discrimination that women face,” said Taylor Stern, another junior at Parkway Central. “Being Jewish and being a girl both puts me at a disadvantage in the world.” 

Women and Judaism have played interesting roles in each other’s history. With the issue of anti-Semitism rising to the forefront of a march that was initially inspired by millions of women of all faiths and ethnicities to show support for a vast array of issues, it can be difficult for Jewish women to decipher whether or not to participate. 

“There is nothing more Jewish than trying to level the playing field by making a just society where all people are believed to have infinite worth,” Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation said. “This is also a core belief of feminism.”

Many women found themselves in a tricky situation last month. They could either choose to march for equality, though that could mean walking alongside women who were anti-Semitic and did not support them, or they could stay home and watch everything unfold from behind a TV screen. 

 “Just like race or religion, there’s no reason that a factor I can’t control like my gender should determine my rights,” said Stern. “I want to support marches that promote equality, but I don’t want that to translate to the unintentional support of anti-Semitism.”

Fennell recognizes the dilemma of not wanting to be aligned with the national movement when supporting the local Women’s March. She thinks its a bigger problem than just sharing a name with a group that some feel is anti-Semitic. 

“Its not just the participation of the Jewish community, it seems like everyone is overwhelmed, were all desensitized and suspicious of each other’s motives.” said Fennell.

But Fennell, who is a medical text editor by profession, sees so much to be gained by working together locally, outside the shadow of the larger movement. 

“I really do believe there is so much to be done in the realm of social justice. The St. Louis region has a lot of issues that we can work on together including homelessness and lack of low-income medical care in the city,” said Fennell. “The loss of momentum kills me a little bit. I would love to find a way to build back trust with the greater community.”