Nationalism, Gender and Religious Education: The Founding and Failure of the First Ulpana as a Case Study

Abstract

In 1942, in British Mandate Palestine, six religious young Jewish women initiated an innovative religious school for girls, the ulpana. Although the effort ultimately Med, the desire that led to its establishment demonstrates a deep longing among these young women for religious education. In Israel today, a growing number of religious girls and women also seek in-depth knowledge of Judaism within educational frameworks. This article suggests that the roots of the current phenomenon can be traced to this early effort, and that understanding the reasons for the establishment of the ulpana, and for its Mure, sheds light on the identity of religious Jewish women.