iF October DIGITAL September-October 2020 | страница 26

people
Leslee Udw
Jewish British Filmmaker, Actress, Human Rights
Activist, Founder and CEO of Think Equal
Born in Israel to religious Jewish parents with roots in England, Germany, and Lithuania,
she went with her parents to South Africa at age 9. Leslee rebelled against the
Jewish religion at the tender age of 13. She especially objected to the prayer in which
Jewish men say that they are glad that they were not born a woman. This was the
beginning of her life’s mission. For decades Leslee has fought against gender bias in
relationships and the workplace. While her father wanted her to become a lawyer, she
supported herself working in the theater and teaching at the University. In Capetown.
Her work opportunities in Capetown were limited and she did not want to work only
in the white theaters,, so at the age of 21 she went to London. There she worked at
the National Theater, Royal Court and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
I met with Leslee after her speech at the UN Women for Peace awards where she
was advocating for Eliminating Race and Gender Bias in the World.
26 iF Magazine |September-October 2020