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Women’s and Gender Studies

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Susannah Heschel

Twenty years ago, writing about Judaism from a feminist perspective, rather than discussing women from “Judaism's” point of view, seemed audacious.

Gloria Greenfield

I was making a conscious decision to change my primary identity from ‘Jewish radical feminism’ to ‘feminist Jew.’

Ann J. Lane, 1931 - 2013

Ann Lane was a bold advocate not simply for women but, even more important, for feminist scholarship.

Gerda Lerner, 1920 - 2013

Lerner's life experience equipped her to resist conformity—in particular, questioning the societal norms insisting that women had no history.

Gerda Lerner at Sarah Lawrence College

Remembering Gerda Lerner: The "Mother" of Women's History

Joyce Antler

Gerda Lerner, pioneer in women’s history, remarkable public intellectual, and life-long activist, died this week in Wisconsin at the age of 92. A member of JWA’s Academic Advisory Council, she was enthusiastic about our mission of chronicling and transmitting the history of Jewish women. No historian was more identified with the field of women’s history. Receiving her Ph.D. at the age of 46, she wrote a series of groundbreaking books in which she almost singlehandedly created a conceptual framework for the field.

The Emma Lazarus FederatioN

A few more stories for the road

Judith Rosenbaum

As I prepare to leave my position as JWA’s Director of Public History after more than 12 years here, my mind keeps returning me back to the summer day in 2000 when I first stepped into the offices of the Jewish Women’s Archive. At the time, I was a disgruntled graduate student, disillusioned with life in the Ivory Tower and the academic study of women’s history. (Was a library really the best place to learn about women’s activism, I wondered?).

Feminist Fist

Nothing to Fear Here, It’s Just a Little Feminism

Jillian M. Hinderliter

After five years of functioning within the pseudo-reality of “Big A” Academia, I often ponder questions of identity formation and self-understanding.

Lynn Gordon, 1946 - 2012

She believed deeply in the enduring importance of feminism, a political force which transformed the world but one Lynn believed had much more to accomplish. She was a deep believer in social justice and also in the centrality and needs of the State of Israel."

Jewish Women's Archive: Report to the Community 2012 Thumbnail

A Look at JWA at 16

Deborah Fineblum Raub

The summer’s whizzed by and so has JWA’s fiscal year (which ends September 30th). As that date approaches, we’ve been taking a hard look at the numbers.

Amy Swerdlow, 1923 - 2012

This beautiful, wise and not-so-organized woman [was] not only a superb organizer but also an inspiring teacher and a colleague who exemplified what it means to meet one’s obligations to the human family.

Jewish American Heritage Month Logo

JWA releases "D.C. Stories": A new oral history exhibit for Jewish American Heritage Month

Ellen K. Rothman

On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush officially proclaimed May Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) to recognize Jewish contributions to American culture over the past 350+ years. President Obama’s 2011 proclamation declares that “this month, we embrace and celebrate the vast contributions Jewish Americans have made to our country… We remember that the history and unique identity of Jewish Americans is part of the grand narrative of our country…”

Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich: navigating hope

Judith Rosenbaum

The news of Adrienne Rich’s death yesterday at age 82 sent me immediately to my bookshelves and an extended swim through the currents of words she has left behind. All writers believe in the power of words—and maybe especially poets, whose words are fewer and so carefully chosen—but for me Rich’s writing particularly and persuasively argued for the ability of words, language, expression to create new realities, to change the world.

Judith Rosenbaum

From Margin to March: What to make of Women's History Month

Judith Rosenbaum

Here’s a not-so-secret little secret about me: I’m a major women’s history geek. I can go on about the stories of women’s lives for hours. Want to know about Emma Goldman?

Gail T. Reimer with Making Trouble/Making History Honorees, March 18, 2012

Making trouble/making history at JWA's second annual luncheon

Leah Berkenwald

Sunday morning, as readers of the New York Times were mulling over a long and thoughtful article about Gloria Steinem's legacy, Steinem herself was with friends and fellow supporters of the Jewish Women's Archive to honor three remarkable Jewish women—Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Elizabeth A. Sackler, and Rebecca Traister — at JWA's second annual Making Trouble/Making History luncheon.

Jewish Partisan Education Project 2012 Youth Writing Contest

What can we learn from Jewish women partisans? Jewish Partisan Education Foundation announces 2012 Youth Writing Contest

Leah Berkenwald

Thanks to the success of feature film Defiance (2008), Americans now associate the history of Jewish partisans with the hunky Bielski brothers, played by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jaime Bell. In the film's depiction of their society hidden deep in the forest women contributed by cooking and gathering food but not so much as leaders or fighters. The real story of female Jewish partisans--in the Bielski encampment and elsewhere--is, of course, much richer.

And the winner is... Women of Valor!

Alan Kravitz
Leah Berkenwald

Leah Wolff-Pellingra is the winner of our contest to rename the History Makers series with her suggestion, "Women of Valor." As it happens, the series was originally titled Women of Valor when it was first introduced in 1997. JWA changed the name to "History Makers" in an effort to improve transparency and better characterize the women in the series in 2008. Inspired by Leah's suggestion, the Jewish Women’s Archive is returning the series to its roots and restoring the project’s original title.

Rose Schneiderman

Her Hat Was In The Ring: New site shares stories of women in politics before 1920

Leah Berkenwald

Kristen Gwinn, Wendy Chmielewski, and Jill Norgren, students of women's history, had a goal: To explore whether women ran for elective office in substantial numbers before ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Thanks to their work, we now know THEY DID. The fruits of their research are now available in a database on a new, free website: www.herhatwasinthering.org.

jwapedia Hashtag

Inspiration for the New Year from #jwapedia

Leah Berkenwald

Last week, JWA asked: Who do you choose to inspire and guide you, your community, and the world, this New Year?

jwapedia Hashtag

#jwapedia: Who inspires you?

Leah Berkenwald

The second round of #jwapedia, JWA's campaign to tweet its Encyclopedia of Jewish women's history, is underway!

Zelda R. Stern

Fall Donor Spotlight

Leah Berkenwald

This fall, JWA is recognizing the contributions of three very different donors.

Gertrude Elion Poster

Posters in the classroom: Outdated or just underused?

Jewesses With Attitude

Earlier this week in The Sisterhood, Renee Ghert-Zand discussed Keshet’s new poster series recognizing “Jewish LGBT Change Makers,” asking if posters were an outdated educational tool. Renee drew comparisons to JWA’s own Women of Valor poster series, and expressed concern that Keshet’s posters would face the same challenges that she saw with ours. She wrote:

Sharon Freed and Lottie Nilsen at JWA’s Institute for Educators

Sharing stories, inspiring change: Lessons from the Institute

Etta King Heisler

Ask any one of my friends or family members: in the weeks leading up to JWA’s Institute for Educators, I was a mess. As the dishes piled up on my desk at the office and my eyeballs crossed from looking at spreadsheet after spreadsheet of catering orders and flight information, a battle between stress and excitement raged in my mind.

Ellyn Polsky and George Kelley at JWA's 2011 Summer Institute for Educators

JWA's Institute for Educators: Making it all about the learning

George Kelley

Last week I was able to spend a week learning from the wonderful people at the Jewish Women's Archive as they were teaching us how to use their online archive in our schools, especially the Living the Legacy curriculum. The curriculum teaches about the role of Jewish women and men in the civil rights movement, an event that changed the world we live in.

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