It is no coincidence that many of the most celebrated female performers throughout both the 19th and 20th centuries - women widely considered to represent the spirit of their times - were Jewish. Mock traces a lineage that stretches from the first international stage stars, Rachel of the Comedie-Francaise and Sarah Bernhardt, to stars of film and television such as Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Roseanne. In a unique enquiry, this book embraces issues of gender, sexuality, race, class and nationality through the figure of the Jewish woman to show how a very specific marginal identity has transformed mainstream cultures.