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Known as much for her signature men’s jackets, cowboy boots, and tortoiseshell glasses as for her stunning (and often scathing) social commentary, Fran Lebowitz has spent a lifetime critiquing cultural norms.
Lia Koenig was celebrated as the First Lady of Israeli Yiddish Theater for her ability to transform herself into characters as varied as Anne Frank and Mother Courage.
Despite her many years acting on Broadway and with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, Zoe Wanamaker may be best known to younger audiences for her role as Madame Hooch in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Tovah Feldshuh set a record for the longest running one-woman show with her starring role in Golda’s Balcony, a Broadway play about Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
As the first full-time female rabbi in Poland, Tanya Segal has creatively transformed Jewish life in the historic city of Krakow through her blending of Jewish learning and performance art.
Rebecca Bayla Taichman’s success as the Tony award-winning director of Indecent is a reflection of her lifelong celebration of plays by and about women.
Gal Gadot has credited her service in the Israeli army with opening doors for her as an actress, including the lead in the 2017 Hollywood blockbuster Wonder Woman.
Rokhl Holzer earned a reputation as an actress with a talent for transforming herself to suit any role, but her most remarkable transformation may have been her shift from Poland to Australia’s Yiddish theater.
Nechama Hendel was beloved for her soulful contributions to Israeli folk music, but when she seemed to betray her Jewish heritage, her fans turned their backs on her.
Focusing on difficult roles written for older women, Therese Giehse earned a reputation as a talented actress who helped bring Bertolt Brecht’s works to life.
Hari Nef, the first trans woman model to be signed to the prestigious IMG modeling agency, has used her public platform to speak out on issues that affect other transgender people.
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 early role as a child assassin in The Professional to her real-life stint at Harvard to her Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan, Natalie Portman has actively sought out professional challenges.
Proving the power of the internet to level the playing field, Tavi Gevinson launched her fashion blog Style Rookie at age eleven and was lauded by Forbes at age fifteen for the massive audience her feminist commentary had garnered.
