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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Through her generosity, Henrietta Blaustein created and sustained a foundation, a hospital’s maternity center, and dozens of other charitable initiatives and organizations.
While 150,000 women eventually served in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II, Matilda Blaustein was remarkable both as one of the first to volunteer and because she was joined in the service by her daughter, Bernice.
Blanche Bloch helped open new opportunities for women in music as both a founding member and conductor of the New York Women’s Orchestra.
Miranda “Randy” Bloch not only served as a Marine during World War II, she was one of the rare women Marines to be issued flight orders, helping pilots and air crew train for radar bombing runs.
A wealthy socialite and salon hostess in her day, Adele Bloch-Bauer became the center of an historic legal case when her niece demanded the return of her portrait, stolen by the Nazis.
Gay Block’s photography allowed her to explore surprising facets of her subjects, from girls at summer camp to Holocaust survivors to her own mother.
As editor of the women’s page of the New York Call, one of America’s first socialist newspapers, Anita Block ensured the section covered subjects of real social and political interest to women, commenting, “It was probably the only women’s page which never printed a recipe or a fashion note.”
The first woman in her synagogue to chant Haftorah, Hadassah Blocker taught hundreds of women to take part in the Torah service.
Known for playing character roles as a wisecracking, working-class girl, Joan Blondell performed in movies, television, and on stage from age one until her death.
Rachel Bloom has combined her passion for musical theater, her gift for comedy, her feminist sensibility, and her roots in Jewish humor to create the award-winning show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
From her first film role in Charlie Chaplin’s 1952 Limelight to her performance in 2010’s The King’s Speech, Claire Bloom has remained a favorite of many acclaimed directors.
Helen Abrahams Blum earned a reputation as a talented painter before discovering a passion for all aspects of theater, from set design to directing.
Judy Blume’s books, known for their humor and their honest portrayal of the pains of adolescence, have shaped generations of young girls.
Florence Meyer Blumenthal created an arts foundation that funded hundreds of promising artists and allowed them to focus on pursuing their craft.
Despite having almost no training in either fashion or business, Claire Bodner ran a successful fashion design company that was featured in the top magazines and stores in the country.
Journalist Ruth Bondy made larger events more relatable for readers through her insightful human interest stories.
By studying both isolated and mixed populations in Israel, Batsheva Bonne-Tamir uncovered the genetic histories and relationships between long-separated communities.
Heather Booth helped transform the American political landscape from her early involvement in both civil rights and abortion rights through her campaign for marriage equality.
Madeline Borg dedicated her career to giving children second chances—through studying juvenile delinquency, working with child welfare and probation associations, and by founding the Big Sister movement.
Through performance art pieces like Kate Bornstein Is a Queer and Pleasant Danger and The Opposite Sex is Neither, Kate Bornstein questions society’s understanding of gender as a binary.
Using Israeli innovations in solar technology, Sivan Borowich-Ya’ari created Innovation: Africa to bring more reliable electricity to developing communities throughout Africa.
Anna Pavitt Boudin defied expectations throughout her career, both as one of the first women dentists in America and as the founder and president of the Women’s American ORT, one of the largest Jewish women’s organizations in America.
Admired for her darkly comic wit by writers like Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and John Ashbery, Jane Bowles became the center of an avant-garde circle in Morocco.
Barbara Boxer earned a reputation as a powerful voice for liberal causes by leading the charge on issues like sexual harassment, the Iraq War, and marriage equality.
The first Jew known to set foot on Canadian soil, Esther Brandeau disguised herself as a boy to gain freedom and independence.
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How to cite this page
Jewish Women's Archive. "Profiles." (Viewed on November 20, 2018) <https://jwa.org/people>.
