Her Works Praise Her: A History of Jewish Women in America from Colonial Times to the Present

I finished a dense volume of Jewish women in America by Hasia Diner this month. At times I could only read a page or two at a time, but that was mostly because I was so tired. Her analysis of the change of Judaism in America opened my eyes to the power and beauty that lies with being a woman, the one who leads the home into Sabbath and who also makes sure things run smoothly and the bills get paid. Here are some excerpts from the books, as well as some famous Jewish women (and men). I've decided to break this up into installments; it will be easier for me to post and you people will probably read it if it's not ten pages.



The central, beating heart is the Jewish home, indeed an entire network of Jewish homes that creates the Sabbath atmosphere, the festive rituals, the necessary foods, and the spiritual sustenance that constitute the Jewish conception of holiness. Only a house cleaned and polished in honor of the holy day, only a table covered with a starched cloth and laden with traditional delicacies, only the presence of possibility f children to carry on the tradition, affords the necessary complement to the ritual of the synagogue. (5-6)

But we do know for sure that colonial Jews kept another central element of traditional piety, the dietary laws. For a woman trying to provide her family kosher food, everything to do with their sustenance rises to the realm of the holy. Going to the market, raising chickens in the yard, churning butter and making cheese, seasoning a cut of meat, turning it on the spit, planning a day's meals, setting the table, clearing the dirty dishes, washing, drying and putting them away -- each of these deceptively ordinary acts brings her in touch with ultimate law of the Universe, as commanded by G-d and written in the Torah. (35)

And as in earlier days, some Gentile wives embraced Judaism. European-born Marcus Spiegel, for example, met a Quaker girl named Caroline on his peddling rounds in Ohio. They married and he brought her to Chicago, where in 1853 she became one of the city's first Jewish converts. Eleven years later Marcus died in the Civil War battle of Vicksburg, but Caroline remained loyal to her new faith for the rest of her days. (At the time of his death, Marcus was intending to go into business with his brother Joseph. Joseph went ahead and opened the planned store, which eventually grew into the Spiegel catalog company.) (91)