A powerful and challenging examination of what Jews believe today by a new generation's dynamic and innovative thinkers.

At every critical juncture in Jewish history, Jews have understood a dynamic theology to be essential for a vital Jewish community. This important collection sets the next stage of Jewish theological thought, bringing together a cross section of interesting new voices from all movements in Judaism to inspire and stimulate discussion now and in the years to come.

Provocative and wide-ranging, these invigorating and creative insights from a new generation s thought leaders provide a coherent and inspiring picture of Jewish belief in our time.

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The work of a coterie of dynamic women--not the brainchild of Reform Judaism's male leaders, as is often thought--Women of Reform Judaism has been a force in the shaping of American Jewish life since its founding as the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods in 1913. The synergy of Reform Judaism's universalist ideas and the women's emancipation movement in the early twentieth century made the synagogue auxiliary a natural platform for women to assume new leadership roles in their synagogues, in Reform Judaism, and in American society. These "sisterhoods" have stood for the solidarity among synagogue women as well as the commitment of these women to important social action issues. Called Women of Reform Judaism since 1993, this oldest federation of women's synagogue auxiliaries has grown from 52 temple sisterhoods to 500 and a membership of over 65,000 women, today a vibrant international women's organization.
Women of Reform Judaism, in cooperation with The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and Hebrew Union College Press, marks its centennial anniversary with this collection of new scholarly essays which looks back at its history in order to understand how the hopes and dreams of its founders have come to fruition. Armed with the rich archival resources of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, including "Proceedings of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, 1913-1955," eighteen scholars contributed essays on the spectrum of Women of Reform Judaism's activities, including their funding of Hebrew Union College during the Great Depression, their support for Jewish education through production of a substantial women's Torah commentary designed to edify lay people as well as scholars and clergy, their promotion of Jewish foodways and art through publication of cookbooks and support of synagogue gift shops, their invention of the Uniongram as a formidable fundraising tool on a par with the Girl Scout cookie, and their efforts to safeguard Jewish continuity through support of youth activities (NFTY).
"Sisterhood: A Centennial History of Women of Reform Judaism" fills a void in the study of women's philanthropic organizations, as the contributions of women to the American synagogue has not yet enjoyed sustained attention. Scholars, clergy, and laypeople interested in the history of American Jewish life and the distinctive place of women in American religious history will benefit from the rich insights and perspectives in these essays.

Hava Shapiro is among the nearly forgotten Jewish women writers who sought acceptance in Jewish literary circles of the last century. Born in Slavuta (modern-day Ukraine) in 1878, she published works of fiction, memoir, literary criticism, and journalism, including a volume of short fiction and a scholarly monograph on the Czech leader Masaryk. Her handwritten diary - the first known diary to be kept by a woman in Hebrew - evokes not only the momentous events of her day but also the experiences of women like herself who failed to follow the dictates of Jewish tradition and aspired to roles beyond those of wife and mother. In ""To Tread New Ground"": Selected Writings of Hava Shapiro editors and translators Carole B. Balin and Wendy I. Zierler present an English anthology of Shapiro's late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Hebrew writings. The selection culls from her short fiction, feminist literary criticism, reportage and literary essays, as well as her diary and hundreds of letters. Shapiro chronicled publicly and privately such cataclysmic events as the Russian Revolution and both World Wars, in addition to critical episodes in the Jewish past, including pogroms, mass migration, ruptures in traditional Jewish life, and the development of Zionism. A list of Shapiro's intimates, whom she describes in both her diary and published reminiscences, reads like a ""who's who"" of the Russian Haskalah: including Y. L. Peretz, Reuven Brainin, David Frischmann, Nahum Sokolov, Micha Yosef Berdischevsky, and Hayim Nahman Bialik. To further contextualize Shapiro's writings, Balin and Zierler include a thorough introduction and translations of critical essays about Shapiro. Balin and Zierler's Hebrew edition of Shapiro's writing, Behikansi atah, which was published in Israel in 2008, brought the first broad attention and readership to Shapiro's remarkable biography and writings. The translations in ""To Tread New Ground"", which include previously uncollected materials, will be welcomed by English-speaking readers interested in Hebrew literature, East European Jewish history, and gender studies.