From fiery social activists such as Emma Goldman to businesswomen such as Estee Lauder, Jewish women have made their mark on history. Whether born in the ghetto or into lives of privilege, Jewish women throughout history have overcome prejudice and persecution by the power of their intellect and courage. And what a difference they have made. In this inspiring volume, the histories of fifty Jewish women come vividly alive in text and pictures... Molly Picon, beloved star of the Yiddish Theater, Broadway, and Hollywood, blazed a trail for women in the entertainment industry. Gertrude Stein not only declared "rose is a rose is a rose is a rose," but championed Picasso and other avant-garde painters and writers to shape the direction of twentieth-century art. Betty Friedan penned The Feminine Mystique and kicked off a revolution called Women's Lib. Anne Frank, hiding from the Nazis in an attic in Holland, created the diary that taught us all about the shining wonder of a girl's spirit. From biblical times to the present, the personal odysseys of these and dozens of other Jewish women bear witness to their enormous accomplishments. Captured in a book to keep and cherish, the true stories of these activists, creators, and groundbreakers encourage women everywhere to beat the odds, pursue their dreams, fight back, fight on, and change the world. Book jacket.
The short biographies here are well- written. But I have a number of quarrels with the selection of the book, and with its title. The phrase 'changed the world' seems to me a bit large when describing the lives of popular entertainers ( Barbra Steisand) fashion designers (Trigano) and minor literary figures (Gertrude Stein). It also seems to me unwise and misleading to select people for such lists whose contribution is to enterprises which are in some way antithetical to Judaism. I find on the list (Miriam of Nazareth) and while it is true that this central figure in Christianity is Jewish , her whole meaning as a person has to do with what is not Jewish. This point seems to me an especially point one at a time when there is a not small group of people in the world who have abandoned the Jewish religion , adopted Christianity, and still ( misleadingly) represent themselves as Jewish. This work does have a useful list upon which are included many figures who might have made it the list of fifty.
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