Thematic Features
Travel
One sign of a modern society is that the summer months become a time to take a break from work and school, and many people use the break to travel. Whether for a summer trip to a family reunion, national park, or beloved beach or for a more extended journey to distant climes, traveling is often a life-changing experience. more >>
Military
A showcase of the different roles that Jewish women have played in the military over the last 150 years. As nurses, members of the WAAC and WAC, navy seals and marines, airwomen, and chaplains, women fought in battles during the Civil War, World War I and II, Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and today. more >>
Civil Rights
Since 1976, the United States and Canada have celebrated Black History Month every February. The Jewish Women's Archive marks Black History Month by sharing the stories of Jewish women actively committed to civil rights during a pivotal chapter in the movement's history. Featured here are 16 extraordinary women who dedicated themselves to fighting for civil rights. Read moving firsthand accounts by these inspiring women about the life changing events of the Civil Rights Movement. more >>
Western Pioneers
Andrea Kalinowski brings together quotes from diaries and news stories, photographs, and quilt patterns to tell unique stories from these pioneer women's lives. In Western Pioneers, you will find excerpts from these diaries and memoirs, pictures of the women Kalinowski incorporated into her artwork, and additional pointers to online resources about Jewish women as pioneers of the American West. more>>
Olympics
There is a long history of Jewish women competing in the Olympics—from the ground-breaking track star Bobbie Rosenfeld to Charlotte Epstein, the "Mother of Women's Swimming in America", and discus-throwing champion Lillian Copeland. It also includes Margaret Lambert, who was barred from the German team in 1936, and Syd Koff, an American who chose not to participate in the "Nazi Olympics." more>>
Politics
This past century women have successfully entered into the male-dominated world of Politics. Florence Prag Kahn, the first Jewish woman to serve in Congress, succeeded her husband upon his death in 1924 and served the San Francisco area for five terms. Kahn's inauguration into Congress occurred shortly after Rose Schneiderman unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 1920. Schneiderman was a passionate political activist, lending her voice to areas of reform including women's suffrage and the labor movement. more>>
Midwives
The Passover story is most often associated with the leadership of Moses, but in fact the cycle of protest that culminated in the exodus from Egypt began with the courageous acts of two women who disobeyed Pharaoh’s decree to murder all Hebrew male babies born in Egypt. These women, Shifra and Puah, practiced a bold and noteworthy profession—midwifery. It was their commitment to preserving human life and their skills as midwives that provided the safe and secret delivery of Hebrew children. more>>
Artists
Explore the works of significant Jewish women artists, including Judy Chicago, Louise Nevelson, and Ruth Light Braun. more >>
Comedy
In featuring Jewish women comediennes, the Jewish Women's Archive puts the spotlight on a tradition that has been neglected for far too long. more >>
