Happy first day of Hanukkah! With Bernard Madoff bringing a bit of gloom and doom to our nation's holiday season, now is an especially important time for us to be (re)-inspired by those who bring out the best of Jewish life and social responsibility.

To help mark the eight days of Hanukkah, meet eight inspiring Jewish women whose stories are told at jwa.org:

1.    Rita Arditti - Human Rights Activist and Women Who Dared Honoree

2.    Ruth Pulda - Prominent Lawyer and Women's Rights Activist

3.    Justine Wise Polier - First Woman Justice in New York

4.    Gilda Radner - Beloved Comedian

5.    Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum - Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST), New York's GLBTQ Synagogue

6.    Arva Gray - Jew By Choice and Jewish Communal Leader

7.    Susan Maze-Rothstein - Diversity Activist, Lawyer, and Women Who Dared Honoree

8.    Janet Rosenberg - Former President of Guyana

Share these stories with loved ones, tell them at your table, and e-mail them to your friends!