America's Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today

by Pamela S. Nadell

Overview

A groundbreaking history of how Jewish women maintained their identity and influenced social activism as they wrote themselves into American history.

What does it mean to be a Jewish woman in America? In a gripping historical narrative, Pamela S. Nadell weaves together the stories of a diverse group of extraordinary people—from the colonial-era matriarch Grace Nathan and her great-granddaughter, poet Emma Lazarus, to labor organizer Bessie Hillman and the great justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to scores of other activists, workers, wives, and mothers who helped carve out a Jewish American identity.

The twin threads binding these women together, she argues, are a strong sense of self and a resolute commitment to making the world a better place. Nadell recounts how Jewish women have been at the forefront of causes for centuries, fighting for suffrage, trade unions, civil rights, and feminism, and hoisting banners for Jewish rights around the world. Informed by shared values of America’s founding and Jewish identity, these women’s lives have left deep footprints in the history of the nation they call home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393358308
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Pamela S. Nadell holds the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s and Gender History and directs the Jewish Studies Program at American University. Her works include America’s Jewish Women, winner of the 2019 National Jewish Book Award’s Jewish Book of the Year, and Women Who Would Be Rabbis. Past president of the Association for Jewish Studies, she lives in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Prologue 3

1 "Many are the blessings I partake of": America's Early Jewish Women 9

2 "Mothers in Israel": The American Jewesses 55

3 "A new kind of Jewess": Eastern European Jewish Women in America 109

4 "Woman is looking around and ahead": Wider Worlds 157

5 "Down from the pedestal… up from the laundry room": Into the Future 217

Acknowledgments 263

Notes 267

Index 303

Editorial Reviews

Painting a vivid picture of a golden land that often defaulted on its promises, Nadell creates an extremely readable portrait of Jewish women collectively realizing their power to change their destiny—whether through creating charitable organizations or joining forces in the broader workers' movement. It's especially pleasurable to hear stories of Jewish activism around the battle for women's suffrage and the availability of birth control—both of which gave American women as a whole more agency and capacity for self-determination…America's Jewish Women is a thoughtful history of a group of diverse, passionate, contemplative, vocal and dynamic women, and is a welcome addition to the American historical canon. It's truly remarkable to read this book and appreciate how these women—numerically small, qualitatively great—made such a tremendous impact on this nation.

The New York Times Book Review - Jordana Horn

"America’s Jewish Women is a thoughtful history of a group of diverse, passionate, contemplative, vocal and dynamic women, and is a welcome addition to the American historical canon."— Jordana Horn New York Times Book Review

"The definitive history of Jewish women in America."— Jonathan D. Sarna, author of American Judaism: A History

"With an expansive knowledge of both American Jewish history and women’s history, [Nadell] brings to this book unparalleled insights."— Deborah E. Lipstadt, author of Antisemitism: Here and Now

"[A] swift-paced and concise history.… Nadell fluidly intersperses thumbnail accounts of the famous and less so with a discussion of trends in American Jewish life."— Julia M. Klein Forward

"We learn a great deal about some spectacularly brave and innovative women who transgressed traditional boundaries to break new ground."— Elaine Margolin Jerusalem Post

"A masterful and remarkably timely history which should be on every shelf. In becoming America’s Jewish women, generations of immigrants and their native-born daughters transformed themselves, their faith, and the nation they called home."— Abigail Pogrebin, author of My Jewish Year

"A compelling and well-researched chronicle.… The contributions of these remarkable women shine in Nadell’s impressive book."— Julie Hale BookPage

"An accessible, yet scholarly account of our history."— Bettina Berch Jewish Book Council

"Excellent."— Joseph Preville World Religion News

"[Nadell] has turned the diverse life stories of dozens of women across centuries of time into a mesmerizing whole. This is a book to read and reread, then sit back and contemplate, with a smile, the wondrous achievements of Jewish women in America."— Francine Klagsbrun, author of Lioness

"Nadell has taken on a big job in covering such a multidimensional, important subject. Nadell does it in informative and succinct style, and the result is a readable, valuable text."— Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2018-11-11

The distinct diaspora story of Jewish women in America.

Nadell (Women's and Gender History, Jewish Studies/American Univ.; Women Who Would Be Rabbis, 1998, etc.) presents a sweeping history of American Jewish women beginning in the mid-17th century. Focusing on specific individuals and even specific families, the author presents a personalized story that is slanted toward progressive Jewish women and the legacy of Reform Judaism. Nadell follows a natural and predictable progression through the history of American immigration. The first American Jews were few in number and, despite opposition from some quarters, managed to live alongside their non-Jewish neighbors in relative harmony. The Revolutionary and Civil wars punctuate their family stories, and though Jewish women largely lived out domestic roles, they did manage to win certain new freedoms and places of influence in their communities. In the late 1800s, Jewish women took part in many of the era's social reform movements and laid the groundwork for important work that would be required with the coming wave of immigrants in the early 20th century. These new Jewish immigrants, mainly fleeing Russian pogroms, lived difficult lives in precarious economic times, but many managed to succeed even in the face of increased anti-Semitism. Throughout these years, Jewish women entered the ranks of political and social progressives. A final wave of immigrants, survivors of the Holocaust, added new complexity to the American Jewish community. In the postwar era Nadell explores the lives of such diverse Jewish women as Joyce Brothers, Betty Friedan, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among many more less-famous individuals, whose roles in popular culture, politics, and social trends have been significant. The author largely succeeds in providing a fascinating portrait of American Jewish women, though her subject matter is definitely slanted toward Reform and even secular Jews. She offers little examination of Orthodox or even Conservative Jewish women's lives, especially in the modern era.

A worthwhile history given the difficulties of capturing such a wide-ranging population.

Kirkus Reviews

2019 National Jewish Book Award, Winner