Today is Bella Savitsky’s day.

Bella was the daughter of immigrant Russian Jews in New York City. Emanuel Savitsky owned the Live and Let Live Meat Market; Esther was a housewife.

When 13-year-old Bella’s father died in 1933, she was forbidden to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish at synagogue because tradition dictated only men could recite the prayer.

But Emanuel Savitsky had no sons. And Bella’s love for her father ran deeper than her respect for tradition. She stood and prayed the Kaddish defiantly.

Bella Savitsky Abzug never lost her feminist defiance. A fiery politician, Abzug declared a woman’s place was in the House — the House of Representatives — to which she was elected in 1970. Congresswoman Abzug championed women’s equality issues and, in 1971, sponsored legislation establishing Aug. 26 as Women’s Equality Day.

The date commemorates the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. The date also salutes ongoing efforts toward full equality for women, as stated in a letter appearing on this page and written by John Neurohr of Valencia.

Neurohr is director of communications for Keystone Progress, a statewide organization promoting liberal issues including the Pennsylvania Agenda for Women’s Health, a set of bills currently before the state Legislature. The legislation includes measures for the establishment of better workplace accommodations for pregnant women and nursing mothers; buffer zones around clinics that perform abortions; and pay equity legislation that would clarify and update the legal standards for pay-equity lawsuits.

Today there are innumerable examples of women taking leadership roles. There are women business executives, university presidents, leaders in entertainment, politics, the military and space exploration. There are even three women justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, feminism continues to redefine itself. Disney movies and the spinoff toys encourage our daughters to perceive themselves as tough, smart and resourceful as well as beautiful; and 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis just became the first girl to pitch a victory in the Little League World Series.

And women now stand alongside their male relatives to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish, thanks in large part to a defiant 13-year-old named Bella Savitsky.