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Beyond the Synagogue Gallery : Finding a Place for Women in American Judaism
Beyond the Synagogue Gallery Finding a Place for Women in American Judaism Author:Karla Goldman Beyond the Synagogue Gallery recounts the emergence of new roles for American Jewish women in public worship and synagogue life. Focusing on the nineteenth century, Karla Goldman describes an era in which immigrant communities strove for middle-class respectability for themselves and their religion in American society, even while fearing a loss ... more »of traditions and identity. For acculturating Jews some practices, like the ritual bath, quickly disappeared. Women's traditional segregation from the service in screened galleries was gradually replaced by family pews. By the end of the century, the spread of women's activism within a network of organizations brought collective strength to the nation's established Jewish community. "Goldman's scholarly and well-researched book . . . focuses on how women found their place in American Judaism and the power they attained by their access to communal organizations. She is particularly eloquent on the reinvigorating effect of women upon dry and lifeless religious communities." —Jewish Chronicle "Weaving together anecdotes with choice quotes from letters and newspapers, Goldman presents a thorough yet accessible historical study of women's growing participation in synagogue activities in the United States . . . [and] tells a triumphant story of Jewish women's organizations in enabling women's contributions." —Library Journal "A thorough survey of the innovations introduced into the American synagogue in the nineteenth century by the Reform movement, focusing on the Jewish woman's gradual religious emancipation . . . An interesting and well-written study." —Kirkus Reviews Karla Goldman is Historian in Residence, Jewish Women's Archive, Brookline, Massachusetts.« less