Redefining “A Woman of Consequence”: Jewish Women and Communal Memory

The stories we tell about Jewish women’s lives are often incomplete. Traditional narratives, for instance, often portray Jewish women as limited to their roles in the private sphere. As a result, valuable pieces of Jewish history are missing. Judith Rosenbaum examines the role of Serah bat Asher as a carrier of communal memory, arguing that although she was mentioned little in the Torah, without her the story of the Jewish people would not have continued. Rosenbaum asserts that it is important that we make sure that the many facets of Jewish women’s lives are not lost through selective storytelling. By honoring all dimensions of Jewish women’s lives, past and present, we capture a more honest Jewish story.