Remarkable Jewish Women: Rebels, Rabbis, and Other Women from Biblical Times to the Present

A perfect Bat Mitzvah gift. Portraits of more than 80 women who have played their part in the shaping of Jewish history. They range from Sarah and Ruth to modern day heroines such as Golda Meir and Judy Resnick.

Grade 7 Up. This updated, expanded, and more user-friendly version of the authors' Written Out of History (Bloch, 1978; o.p.) contains over 80 brief biographies, chronologically arranged. Introductory and background material is provided for each period. Coverage is impressively wide-ranging. Although some figures do not receive full entries, they are mentioned in other entries and listed in the index. Some of the subjects will be well known to readers familiar with Jewish history: Gluckel of Hameln, Dona Gracia Nasi, Rebecca Gratz, Hannah Szenes, Golda Meir, and Betty Friedan. Other entries introduce important but neglected personalities. Several heroines of the Holocaust are profiled. A major theme is women's role in religion. The handsome illustrations include numerous black-and-white photos from various archives and private collections, making this edition more accessible and visually appealing. Like the earlier version, Remarkable Jewish Women does not include contemporary Jewish women in Europe. It also gives less coverage to the Greco-Roman period. However, this update highlights more current figures, placing particular emphasis on female rabbis and Talmudic scholars. Many of the biographies offer role models, although the authors point out that some of the women listed rejected Judaism as a religion and the Jewish community. An excellent and much-needed reference tool.?Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
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