Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry XVIII: Jewish Women in Eastern Europe (review)

Abstract

Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry XVIII: Jewish Women in Eastern Europe, edited by Chaeran Freeze, Paula Hyman, and Antony Polonsky. Oxford: Liftman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2005. 470 pp. $29.95. In recent years there has been a fair amount of research and publication on East European Jewish women. Two of the editors of this volume have taken a leading role in the field and have written path-breaking books on the topic. However, many of the studies are scattered, and not all are easily accessible. Therefore, the decision to devote a volume of Polin to the topic of Jewish Women in Eastern Europe was very justified. Not surprisingly, the editors were able to collect some exceUent studies that make this book essential reading for both gender issues and East European Jewish history. authors employ a variety of methodologies and use diverse sources. However, most of the studies can be characterized by a palpable excitement and enthusiasm for the topic, their readers, and most of all-for the subjects of the papers. In these days of full text and downloads, one can ask: What is the special virtue of a volume like this? In this case, the answer is in the reading. Like certain novels, it is useful to look at the first chapter and the last. In this case, the introduction is a very comprehensive and readable historiographical survey written by the editors of the volume. They made a real effort to integrate the topic of Jewish women in Eastern Europe into both the general literature about women in the past and the literature on the history of Jews in Eastern Europe, and they were quite successful. Hyman and Freeze were able to apply theory without being esoteric, and they made it clear how important it is to consider theory. At the same time, they covered most of the important work done on the field. This article is an ideal starting point for students who want to write or read systematically on the topic. In other words, opening this volume with a survey yielded a major contribution. From this point, it is possible to go to the bibliography of Jewish women in Eastern Europe that closes the section. Prepared by Karen Auerbach, it has sections on memoirs (pp. 273-288), secondary sources (pp. 288-302), and theses (pp. 302-303). memoirs are all annotated and include topics, places described, and information on the author. list is very complete and reflects both a great deal of work and a mastery of the literature. Auerbach and the editors who took the trouble to have it prepared deserve credit. first article, that of Moshe Rosman, has a rather misleading title. title is The History of Jewish Women in Early Modern Poland: An Assessment, but what it really gives the reader is two fine articles for the price of one. first part is devoted to a very close and critical analysis of three previously published studies dealing with East European Jewish Women after the early modern period-one of them my own. …