In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus.

"[13] When her father died, Abzug, then 13, was told that her Orthodox synagogue did not permit women to say the (mourners') Kaddish, since that rite was reserved for sons of the deceased.

However, because her father had no sons, she went to the synagogue every morning for a year to recite the prayer, defying the tradition of her congregation's practice of Orthodox Judaism.

[11] She went on to major in political science at Hunter College of the City University of New York and simultaneously attended the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Abzug first met Mim Kelber, who would go on to co-found WEDO with her, at Walton High School and they went on to attend Hunter College with one another.

She appealed the case of Willie McGee, a black man convicted in 1945 of raping a white woman in Laurel, Mississippi, and sentenced to death by an all-white jury who deliberated for only two-and-a-half minutes.

[16] Abzug was an outspoken advocate of liberal causes, including the Equal Rights Amendment, and opposition to the Vietnam War as well as the military draft.

In 1972, her district was eliminated via redistricting and she chose to run against William Fitts Ryan, who also represented part of the West Side, in the Democratic primary.

However, Ryan died before the general election and Abzug defeated his widow, Priscilla, at the party's convention to choose the new Democratic nominee.

[24] She was frequently verbally abusive toward staff members, including referring to Doug Ireland as a "fat cocksucker.

After being forced to remove her iconic hat before entering the House floor, Abzug once remarked that she felt "naked and unrecognizable."

[6][30] Abzug never held elected office again after leaving the House, although she remained a high-profile figure and was again a candidate on multiple occasions.

[33] She authored two books, Bella: Ms. Abzug Goes to Washington[34] and The Gender Gap,[35] the latter co-authored with friend and colleague Mim Kelber.

In early 1977, President Jimmy Carter chose a new National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year and appointed Abzug to head it.

[36] She would continue this work as one of the two co-chairpersons for the National Advisory Committee for Women until her dismissal in January 1979, which would create a flash point of tension between the Carter administration and feminist organizations in the United States.

[38] In the last decade of her life, in the early 1990s, with Kelber, she co-founded the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), in their own words "a global women's advocacy organization working towards a just world that promotes and protects human rights, gender equality, and the integrity of the environment.

They met on a bus in Miami, Florida while heading to a Yehudi Menuhin concert, and they remained married until his death in 1986.

Abzug was a cousin of Arlene Stringer-Cuevas and her son Scott Stringer, who were also involved in politics in New York City.

In 1991, Abzug received the "Maggie" Award, the highest honor of the Planned Parenthood Federation, in tribute to their founder, Margaret Sanger.

[49] In 2004, her daughter Liz Abzug, an adjunct Urban Studies Professor at Barnard College and a political consultant, founded the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) to mentor and train high school and college women to become effective leaders in civic, political, corporate and community life.

[59] In the 1989 Beastie Boys music video for “Hey Ladies” someone can be seen holding a sign saying “Vote For Bella Abzug”.

The film includes interviews with Barbra Streisand, Shirley MacLaine, Hillary Clinton, Lily Tomlin, Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Maxine Waters, Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas, Charles Rangel, David Dinkins, and Renée Taylor.