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Oral History Collection

The Nicki Newman Tanner

Oral History Collection

As part of JWA’s mission to expand the narrative of Jewish history, we have collected and recorded hundreds of interviews with leaders, activists, and community members across the United States, documenting their encounters with major events and movements of the 20th and 21st centuries and the many ways that gender, class, place, and religious and ethnic identities have shaped women’s lives. With generous support from Nicki Newman Tanner,  Mass Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, we are proud to make these interviews and transcripts available to the public. All entries include transcripts; audio or video recordings are also available where narrator permissions allow. 

More about the collection

Sharon Cohen Anisfeld

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Ronda Spinak interviewed Sharon Anisfeld on March 24, 2014, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Project. Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld shares her experiences and perspectives as a religious leader, discussing topics such as ethics policies, the Book of Esther, the evolving role of rabbis in contemporary society, and the importance of adaptability, empathy, and understanding of religious traditions in her leadership role.

Judith Ehrlich

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Lynne Himelstein interviewed Rabbi Judi Ehrlich on March 5, 2014, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Oral History Project. Ehrlich shares her journey from Orthodox Judaism in South Africa to becoming a rabbi in America, including her religious upbringing, education in Israel, work as a matchmaker, career as a rabbi, challenges in her family, and her role as a chaplain, providing support to patients and families dealing with loss.

Bernice Frieze

Project
Women Whose Lives Span the Century

Rochelle Ruthchild interviewed Bernice Frieze on January 16, 1997, in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Whose Lives Spanned The Century Oral History Project. Frieze shares stories of her family's immigration to the United States, her upbringing in Boston during the Great Depression, her family life, Jewish practice, and involvement in charitable work.

Nancy Kaufman

Project
General

Judith Rosenbaum interviewed Nancy Kaufman on July 14, 2023, in Newton, Massachusetts. This interview is a detailed account of Kaufman's life, from her upbringing in Brookline, Massachusetts, to her involvement in the Jewish community, including her experiences with adversity, community service, and advocacy.

Suzanne Offit

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Ronda Spinak interviewed Rabbi Suzanne Offit on March 26, 2014, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Project. Suzanne began her rabbinical studies around the age of forty and shares her journey of embracing her Jewish identity, discusses her work in end-of-life care, including a special encounter with Charlotte Bloomberg and the subsequent grant to Hebrew College, and reflects on the transformation of her marriage and spiritual practices throughout her rabbinical education.

Shayna Rhodes

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Ronda Spinak interviewed Shayna Rhodes on March 17, 2014, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Project. Shayna reflects on her Orthodox upbringing, her frustration with limited questioning in her early education, her feminist awakening during her time at Barnard College, and her journey towards becoming a rabbi, emphasizing the support of her family, her evolving religious practices, and her mission to empower women's voices in Talmud scholarship.

Sonia Saltzman

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Sonia Saltzman on December 21, 2004, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Collection. Saltzman reflects on her childhood in Chile, her determination to have a bat mitzvah, her family's move to New Jersey, her personal growth through studying Hebrew and preparing for her bat mitzvah with her son, and the transformative power of her bat mitzvah experience.

Nancy Sargon

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Nancy Sargon on December 23, 2004, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Sargon discusses her family background, her Jewish upbringing in a Conservative family, her experiences with Jewish education, her career path in social work, and her bat mitzvah experience in 2000, emphasizing her commitment to Jewish education and ritual practice for herself and her children.

Elyse Winick

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Lynne Himelstein interviewed Rabbi Elyse Winick on March 23, 2014, Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Oral History Project. Elyse's journey from her early Jewish upbringing, college experiences, and mentorship led her to become a rabbi, where she now serves as the Jewish chaplain at Brandeis University and reflects on the role of women rabbis in the present and past, while also discussing her personal connection to Judaism.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Oral History Collection." (Viewed on December 21, 2024) <https://jwa.org/oralhistories>.