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"Knowing our past we shall find strength and
wisdom to meet the present" In the days since September 11, 2001, it sometimes seems like the world has been made over. In the face of such vicious and arbitrary devastation, it is easy to feel that one's everyday pursuits and basic beliefs have lost all meaning. But perhaps ironically, the massive loss of September 11 has also made us realize that personal stories do matter. As we learn about the individuals who perished, we see that each life, whether extraordinary or ordinary, can make a real difference. At a time like this, remembering the past can both reassure and guide us as we attempt to come to terms with a difficult present and a daunting future. All too often, history has been exploited by those seeking to justify expressions of hatred. At the Jewish Women's Archive, we believe -- along with Gertrude Weil, whom we honor this year as a Woman of Valor -- that it is better to build upon our complex past's lessons of strength and wisdom, than upon its record of inimical hatreds. Many of the women featured in the Jewish Women's Archive's programs inspire us chiefly because they insisted that they could make a difference. Many of the historic women selected as Women of Valor were individuals who confronted and overcame what others saw as intractable realities. The contemporary women honored as Women Who Dared have made uncommon commitments and often faced great personal risks to challenge some of our world's many inequities and injustices. The oral histories collected by JWA's Weaving Women's Words project—offering accounts of surviving the Great Depression and World War II or of creating a business, a family, or meaningful community -- afford us access to the experience and insight of women whose lives spanned the last century. The strength, wisdom and resilience that emerge from all of these sources serve as precious guides as we seek to understand and respond to these difficult times.
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