
As a college student studying during a year abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem years ago, I participated in programs offered by the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center (RAC), which trained students to advocate for civil and human rights through a Jewish lens. That experience defined my Judaism as one rooted in action and activism. My experience with the RAC played a role in inspiring me to write about Jewish women who dared.
October 7th was a turning point for many of us. For nearly six years, I’ve lived in Jerusalem with my husband and children. In the days and months that have followed, we’ve run back and forth to shelters as rockets fell and sirens wailed. Our oldest son attends Himmelfarb High School, which has lost over half a dozen recent graduates; young men whose names are now etched into our collective memory including Hirsch Goldberg-Polin, Aner Shapira, and Ben Zussman. Their losses reverberate through our community in ways both deeply personal and profoundly monumental. Life has been stripped to its rawest essence: survival, family, and faith. Yet amid the heartbreak, I have found strength in the stories of Jewish women throughout history who stood tall in uncertain times.
A few months before October 7th, I began writing “Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women.” As a professional speechwriter, I’ve spent years crafting others’ stories while remaining invisible. But when my children had their b’nei mitzvah, I saw firsthand the gender disparities even within our progressive Jewish community. My son received tefillin and a Tanach set; my daughter received mostly jewelry and handbags. These experiences prompted me to step out of my comfortable invisibility to write a book celebrating Jewish heroines and challenging the exclusion of women from our narratives and rituals.
After October 7th, my work took on a deeper meaning. Alongside stories of daring Jewish women, the book includes 100 original portraits by Jewish female artists worldwide. Overnight, some of these artists were displaced from their homes in Israel’s north and south, and others on our publishing team were called up for reserve duty. Suddenly, the carefully curated list of women felt incomplete. How could it not include those whose courage illuminated the darkness of October 7? Figures like Inbal Lieberman and Rachel Edri were added -- women who embody the audacious spirit of Jewish resilience, echoing Tanach heroines like Judith and Yael, whose bold actions in desperate moments changed history.
While October 7th changed the book, the book also changed those of us who created it. It reminded us that, even in moments of isolation, we are part of something larger. Jewish women across millennia have faced darkness, much like what we face today, with audacity, resilience, and courage. For some, that meant choosing life, raising a family, and rebuilding. For others, it meant making groundbreaking contributions in their professional fields. The throughline of Jewish history is not trauma or destruction—it is Jewish women who chose life despite it all.
My goal when writing this book was to tell untold history while reframing it. The Jewish story is not defined by persecution, but by perseverance. From the Tanach to today, Jewish women have risen to meet the moment, wielding chutzpah as their superpower. Whether through quiet defiance or bold action, they have shaped our future with strength and vision.
Today, as a mother in Israel, I live with the tension of raising children in a land that is both miraculous and fragile. The stories in this book remind me that I am not alone. I am part of a continuum of Jewish women who have faced uncertainty with courage and creativity. In a time when Jews feel isolated, these stories are a lifeline, connecting us to each other and the enduring legacy of resilience that defines us.
What do we need now? Chutzpah. The daring to persevere, rebuild, and believe. Jewish women from our history have shown us the way. May their light guide us forward.
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