A history and celebration of Jewish women through the centuries.
This is an indispensable resource about the role of Jewish women from post-biblical times to the twentieth century. Unique in its approach, it is structured so that each chapter, which is divided into three parts, covers a specific period and geographical area.
The first section of the book contains an overview, explaining how historical events affected Jews in general and Jewish women in particular. This is followed by a section of biographical entries of women of the period whose lives are set in their economic, familial, and cultural backgrounds. The third and last part of each chapter, “The World of Jewish Women,” is organized by topic and covers women’s activities and interests and how Jewish laws concerning women developed and changed.
This comprehensive work is an easy-to-use sourcebook, synopsizing rich and diverse resources. By examining history and analyzing the dynamics of Jewish law and custom, it illuminates the circumstances of Jewish women's lives and traces the changes that have occurred throughout the centuries. It casts a new and clear light on Jewish women as individuals and sets women firmly within the context of their own cultural and historical periods.
The book contains illustrations, boxed text, extensive endnotes, and indices that list each woman by name. It is ideal for women’s groups and study groups as well as students and scholars.
"An impressive chronological and geographical sourcebook . . . Recommended. General readers through faculty."—Choice
"This is a good reference book for almost any library with a Judaica collection. It would also be a fine Bat Mitzvah gift."—Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
"An excellent tool for exploring a rich sampling of individual Jewish women from ancient times to the beginning of the twentieth century and learning what historians have unearthed about them."—Feminist Collections
"[A] wonderful, unique contribution to the study of Jewish women."—Canadian Jewish News
| Acknowledgments | ||
| Introduction | ||
| Alphabetical Guide to Jewish Women in the Text | ||
| Ch. 1 | Buried Treasures: Archeological Evidence from the Ancient Near East | 1 |
| Ch. 2 | A Written Legacy: Literary Evidence from the Ancient Near Fast to 600 C.E. | 21 |
| Ch. 3 | Jewish Women Under Islam: The Near East, North Africa, and Spain to 1492 | 47 |
| Ch. 4 | Further from Home: Jewish Women in Christian Europe to 1492 | 73 |
| Ch. 5 | A Separate Community: Jewish Women in Italy until the 1800s | 103 |
| Ch. 6 | European Jewry Moves East: The Early Modern Period (1492-1750) | 129 |
| Ch. 7 | A Difference Voice: Jewish Women in the Lands of Islam (1492-1750) | 165 |
| Ch. 8 | Opening Doors: Jewish Women During and After Haskalah (1750-1900) | 199 |
| Ch. 9 | Jewish Women in the New World: From the First Settlement until 1900 | 237 |
| Epilogue | 273 | |
| Appendix | 275 | |
| Notes | 279 | |
| Bibliography | 325 | |
| Index | 347 |
Anonymous
Posted March 24, 2003
This book is perfect for anyone curious about how Jewish women lived in the centuries before the 20th century. It would also be wonderful for a Bat Mitzvah gift or a gift for a college student. While it is encyclopedic in format and content, the fascinating letters, memoirs, stories and photographs of famous, as well as unknown, women bring their successes, trials, and religious life to the reader with great impact. The excellent index lets you follow any topic over the centuries, and the copious notes answer the ever-present question: where did the authors discover that gem? It is a fantastic value.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 7, 2003
I marvel at the research, the very readable text, and the sheer fun it is to dip into the book and find colorful stories. The authors pulled off an amazing feat, and made what could have been a dull reference book into a pleasurable experience in every way.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 7, 2003
This volume is more than a superior reference book. It offers to even the casual reader an exciting world, heretofore almost unknown to most people, a world of exceptional individuals and a revealing and unexpectedly vivid portrayal of their milieu. The book is studded with quotations from historical documents as well as excerpts from the subjects' own writings. Its pages yield a new look at the procession of everyday Jewish communal life from antiquity to current times.
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Overview
A history and celebration of Jewish women through the centuries.
This is an indispensable resource about the role of Jewish women from post-biblical times to the twentieth century. Unique in its approach, it is structured so that each chapter, which is divided into three parts, covers a specific period and geographical area.
The first section of the book contains an overview, explaining how historical events affected Jews in general and Jewish ...