Olivia Gnad

2022-23 Rising Voices Fellow Olivia Gnad

Olivia Gnad is a senior at Quaker Valley High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the senior captain of her mock trial team and loves anything related to law. She is also president and founder of the debate club and is the education leader of her school’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance. She is a cellist, an Irish dancer, and a painter. When not arguing about something, she can be found studying Jewish history, making a Spanish omelet for her friends, or poring over the newest book in her collection.

Blog Posts

Outline of a woman sitting on the ground on pale yellow background

The Warning Light

Olivia Gnad

The problem with Jews distancing ourselves from anxiety is that it doesn’t go away when we do.

Collage of Alicia Jo Rabins and a river on purple background

Finding Meaning in Midrash Through Song

Olivia Gnad

When I heard Alicia Jo Rabins' performance of “River So Wide,” it brought the world of the Torah close to me in a way it had never been before.

Collage of Lily James in The Exception on purple patterned background

The Exception's Antisemitism Is, Unfortunately, Not An Exception

Olivia Gnad

Between using atrocities as a way to create romantic drama and its rush to excuse antisemitism, The Exception is a movie that never should have left the writer's room.

Collage of candlesticks on a stack of books with a light purple background

Setting My Feminist Intentions with Shabbat

Olivia Gnad

When I unfold my little silver candle holder and light the flames, I bring in the light of a commitment to practicing my Judaism alongside my feminism.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Olivia Gnad." (Viewed on November 12, 2024) <https://jwa.org/blog/author/gnad-olivia>.