Natalie Harder

2017-2018 Rising Voices Fellow Natalie Harder

Natalie Harder is a senior at Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts. When she is not drowning in homework, she enjoys watching cheesy TV shows, procrastinating on BuzzFeed, reading just about anything she can get her hands on, and cuddling with her dog. Outside of school, she is an active member of her temple youth community and has spent many summers at Camp Young Judaea. She is an editor for her school's literary magazine and a founding member of the Film and Best Buddies clubs.

Blog Posts

Natalie Harder at her Bat Mitzvah

A Woman’s Place is in the Cantorate

Natalie Harder

If you ask any member of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Massachusetts, they will tell you that Jodi Sufrin was made to be a cantor. Not only does she have a beautiful voice, but she radiates this soft warmth at all times—inviting everyone to take part in what she is saying or singing. From sing-alongs in Beth Elohim’s preschool to Friday night services, Cantor Sufrin has been a gentle, but nonetheless powerful female presence in my life. She is, and has always been, the type of person I (and every other young Jewish girl at my temple) aspire to be. And as I grew up and became the person I am today, I couldn’t have been luckier to have a role model like her, showing me what being a Jewish woman can mean.

Cast of Twilight

A Sparkling Vampire Ruined My Love Life

Natalie Harder

When I was 11 I fell in love for the first time. He was funny and cute, dorky in the most endearing way, loyal to a fault, a bit of a spaz, very, very fictional, and went by the name of Ron Weasley. Real boys had cooties, so, in fifth grade, most of us preferred the fictional ones. Harry Potter and his best friend Ron Weasley, Troy Bolton from High School Musical (man, was Zac Efron a cutie)... Above all else, we loved Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, the love interests of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga. 

Topics: Schools, Film, Fiction
Legends Football League Game

1 Down and Yards to Go for the Lingerie Football League

Natalie Harder

I’d like to think that I’m really good at pretending to know about football. As a self-proclaimed Green Bay Packers fan, I can name about 5 players and can usually tell which team is scoring the touchdown. Needless to say, when I found myself watching a Packers game at a friend’s house with all of her friends (who didn’t know me, but certainly knew football), I felt pretty out of place. I couldn’t offer much to the conversation comparing Packers’ quarterbacks Brett Hundley and Aaron Rodgers, but when the conversation turned to the Legends Football League (LFL), formerly known as the Lingerie League, I had plenty to contribute. 

Topics: Feminism, Athletes
Egyptians Admire Sarai's Beauty

Sarai and the Silence Breakers

Natalie Harder

Once a month, I meet with about ten other Jewish girls as part of the Rosh Chodesh program. We drink tea, bake cookies, do mindful meditations, and kvetch. Most importantly though, we talk about the impact our female identities have on our daily lives and within Judaism. Earlier this month, over a batch of half-baked brownies, we discussed a Torah portion that rattled the foundation of my identity as a Jewish woman.

Topics: Feminism, Bible
Natalie Harder in Israel

Adonai, Open Up My Ears

Natalie Harder

During the summer of 2016, I went to Israel with my summer camp and met a man named Yehoshua, who, being male, middle-aged, Israeli, ultra-Orthodox, and a Yankees fan, was everything I wasn’t.

Gloria Greenfield Cropped

Lights, Camera, Social Change!

Natalie Harder

Everyone has that movie. The movie you’ve seen a million times and every time you watch it you’re slightly horrified with yourself because you quoted the entire thing and sang some of the background music. But that isn’t what horrifies me most about Spy Kids now. What currently horrifies me the most is that its executive producer, Harvey Weinstein, has been accused by over 30 people of being a sexual predator. 

Rising Voices Fellow Natalie Harder as a Second Grader

Second Grade Sexism

Natalie Harder

“Cutting the tie” was just about the coolest thing you could do in my second-grade class. This, in turn, made Mr. Arthur just about the coolest teacher in the elementary school. 

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Natalie Harder." (Viewed on September 28, 2023) <https://jwa.org/blog/author/natalie-harder>.