JWA: Weaving Women's Words: Baltimore Stories

Welcome

Weaving Women's Words: Baltimore Stories honors the lives of thirty Jewish women who lived in Baltimore among family and friends. Each has a story to tell.

Born early in the twentieth century, our narrators lived through decades of political, social and economic upheaval, as well as dramatic changes in expectations for women and Jews. Doctors and lawyers, homemakers and saleswomen, our narrators reflect the astonishing diversity that characterized the lives of this pivotal generation of Jewish women.

Over a period of two years, the Jewish Women's Archive captured their memories through oral history interviews as part of a national initiative to preserve the stories of American Jewish women. This exhibition explores their worlds through the women's own words, intimate photographic portraits, and vibrant works of interpretive art.

Through these lenses, we invite you to share the stories of a dynamic generation of Jewish women, whose stories have too often been missing from the pages of our communal experience. These are new histories, histories capable of renewing us.



Welcome Weaving Women's Words: Baltimore Stories honors the lives of thirty Jewish women who lived in Baltimore among family and friends. Each has a story to tell. Born early in the twentieth century, our narrators lived through decades of political, social and economic upheaval, as well as dramatic changes in expectations for women and Jews. Doctors and lawyers, homemakers and saleswomen, our narrators reflect the astonishing diversity that characterized the lives of this pivotal generation of Jewish women. Over a period of two years, the Jewish Women's Archive captured their memories through oral history interviews as part of a national initiative to preserve the stories of American Jewish women. This exhibition explores their worlds through the women's own words, intimate photographic portraits, and vibrant works of interpretive art. Through these lenses, we invite you to share the stories of a dynamic generation of Jewish women, whose stories have too often been missing from the pages of our communal experience. These are new histories, histories capable of renewing us.
Narrators Rosalie Silber Abrams Fiola Blum Elsbeth Levy Bothe Shoshana Shoubin Cardin Rose P. Cohen Lois Blum Feinblatt Ruth Finkelstein Bess Fishman Edith Furstenberg Sarah Kappelman Harris Clementine L. Kaufman Naomi Kellman Nina Lederkremer Elsie Miller Legum Beatrice L. Levi Ruth Surosky Levy Selma Litman Micky Loveman Esta Maril Amalie Rothschild Jane Krieger Schapiro Shirley Silver Selis Minna Shavitz Vivienne Shub Lillie Steinhorn Frances Berman Sulsky Hanna Weinberg Ingeborg B. Weinberger Laurie Schwab Zabin	Art themes Resilience by Robbin Ami Silverberg Industry by Wendy Jachman Achievement by Rhoda London Creativity by Lynne Avadenka Community by Tammra Sigler Continuity by Harriete Estel Berman Sustenance by Bonnie Lee Holland Activism by Leslie Golomb Hartman Innovation by Carol Hamoy Heritage by Viviana Lombrozo Connection by Debra Olin Exhibition credits About participating artists
The exhibition catalogue is available for purchase. Portraits of the narrators are by photographer Joan Roth. For over three decades, Roth has traveled the world to photograph Jewish women in their own environments. Her award-winning photographs have been published and exhibited worldwide and are now in private collections and museums. The Jewish Women's Archive is profoundly grateful to her for her dedicated participation in Weaving Women’s Words in Baltimore and Seattle. Her work provides a richly nuanced portrait of Jewish women in these communities and an invaluable record of American Jewish women at the turn of the twenty-first century. Weaving Women's Words: Baltimore Stories was on view at the Jewish Museum of Maryland from March 2004–January 2005. © 2004 Jewish Women's Archive