Some women adopted non-Jewish identities to support the resistance. For most, though, it was simply a strategy for survival – one with constant risk of exposure and execution.
Articles on Jewish women
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Traditional Jewish ceremonies, like Christian ones, marked a woman’s transition from daughter to wife − going from her parents to her husband. But there are creative ways to reflect gender equality while honoring tradition.
Jewish traditions to mark a marriage often involve ceremonies and celebrations before the big day, whether it’s a ritual bath or even a fiance’s conversion to Judaism.
‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ may seem worlds apart from the growth and appeal of ‘by and for women only’ films produced by Orthodox Jewish women, but all these films share a focus on the potential of Jewish ritual.
A memorial at the site of the 1911 fire remembers those who died; a cadre of young Jewish women helped push for change in the wake of the tragedy.
In minority faith groups that already face hate, women who have experienced harassment sometimes fear bringing negative attention to their community.
Recent generations of Jewish women have looked to reinvent rituals marking the most meaningful moments in their lives, especially childbirth and motherhood.
Gender identity and sexual orientation are often overlooked factors that impact how people experience antisemitism.
Judith Kaplan became the first American bat mitzvah in 1922. The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony has become more popular for girls ever since.
The Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which in 2022 begins on the evening of Dec. 18, focuses on the story of the male Maccabees. But women are also heroes in histories from that era, including Judith and Hannah.
A Jewish studies scholar discusses the societal changes that women are leading in ultra-Orthodox communities.
While male and female prisoners at Auschwitz faced the same ultimate fate – torture, forced labor and near-certain death – women sometimes reacted differently to Nazi captivity.
Top contributors
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Director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, Brandeis University
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Research Associate, Brandeis University
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PhD Candidate in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Hebrew & Jewish Studies, UCL
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Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University
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Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University
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Professor of Social Work and Judaic Studies, University of Michigan
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Director, the Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research, Bar-Ilan University
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Postdoctoral Fellow in Holocaust Studies, Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies, College of Charleston
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Professor of Sociology, Emerita, Brandeis University
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Kraft-Hiatt Professor in Judaic Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder