Profiles
Browse this section for short profiles of some of the thousands of Jewish women found throughout jwa.org. We will be adding new profiles to this section regularly and welcome your suggestions for women to add.
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Helene, queen of the Persian province of Adiabene, earned the respect of both the early rabbis and the chronicler Josephus for her leadership and unusual piety.
A spy for the Nili ring, Sarah Aaronsohn fought to free Palestine from Turkish rule and withstood torture for her ideals.
Lina Abarbanell’s expressive voice inspired more than one light opera, but even after she retired from the stage, her talent for casting and directing other performers shaped powerful performances like the world tour of Porgy and Bess.
Rosalie Silberman Abella’s early experiences as a refugee fueled her dedication to justice and led her to become the first Jewish woman elected to the Supreme Court of Canada.
After surviving the Holocaust, Dina Abramowicz reconstituted her rich cultural heritage as the formidable head librarian of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
The first woman to serve on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Ruth Abrams upheld the rights of women and minorities throughout her career.
As the first female executive editor of the New York Times from 2011–2014, Jill Abramson fought to change the newspaper’s culture, mentoring female reporters, choosing female bureau chiefs and focusing more attention on stories about race and gender issues.
A formidable leader of the women’s movement, Bella Abzug fought to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and other vital legislation for the rights of women. During her three terms in Congress, she advocated for groundbreaking bills including the Equal Rights Amendment and crucial support of Title IX.
After the death of her rabbi husband, Paula Ackerman took over leadership of their congregation with the enthusiastic support of her community.
Celia Adler won acclaim and success in the Yiddish theater world as a founding member of the Jewish Art Theater.
As an actress and a teacher, Stella Adler transformed a generation of American actors though her understanding of Method acting.
Racie Friedenwald Adler helped shape a number of Jewish institutions, most significantly the Women’s League For Conservative Judaism.
Notorious for her connections with gangsters at the height of Prohibition, Polly Adler fought to become “the best goddam madam in all America.”
As a theologian, a committed Jew, and a pioneer of the Jewish feminist movement, Rachel Adler challenged her religion from within.
Barbara Ochs Adler pursued her commitment to Jewish and civic causes through her leadership of organizations ranging from child services to criminal justice and prison reform associations.
In her powerful performances of plays ranging from Shakespeare’s tragedies to A Doll’s House, Sara Adler helped elevate the possibilities of Yiddish theater.
Nima Adlerblum’s scholarship and Zionist activism helped shape worldwide perspectives about the land where she was born.
In her short life, Grace Aguilar wrote twice as many books as Jane Austen, from popular historical romances to an introduction to Judaism that was used by both churches and synagogues.
French actress Anouk Aimée captivated audiences in films from Fellini’s La Dolce Vita in 1960 to Altman’s Prêt à Porter in 1994.
Fay Ajzenberg-Selove not only made significant contributions to physics, she made huge strides for women by demanding she be judged on her merits, not her gender.
Yelena Akhtiorskaya transmuted her own family’s immigrant experience into her ambitious debut novel, Panic in a Suitcase.
In her fifty-years as one of Israel’s most celebrated singer/songwriters, Chava Alberstein has run the gamut from recording pop hits to reviving Yiddish classics.
Mildred Elizabeth Levine Albert carved a niche for herself in the fashion world as the head of a modeling agency and an inventor of new kinds of fashion shows.
Miriam Albert helped B’nai B’rith Women transition from an auxiliary of the men’s association to an independent organization.
Amy Alcott dedicated her life to the game of golf and spent years chasing one last, elusive win before finally making it into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
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How to cite this page
Jewish Women's Archive. "Profiles." (Viewed on April 20, 2018) <https://jwa.org/people>.
