Using Women's Studies/ Feminist Periodicals as a Resource for Researching Jewish Women

Abstract

Articles on Jewish women are frequently published in women's studies/ feminist periodicals, where they may not readily come to the attention of Judaica researchers owing in large measure to the difficulties inherent in the indexing of this new interdisciplinary field. From her vantage point as publisher of Feminist Periodicals: A Current Listing of Contents and with a background in Judaica librarianship, the author has taken note of a wealth of material on Jewish women, covering both religious and secular aspects of Jewish women's identity, upbringing, and psyche; the status of Israeli women and feminism in Israel; the Holocaust, antisemitism, and women (including antisemitism within the women's movement); and creative expression by Jewish women on Jewish themes in the form of short stories, poetry, and art work. Examples from this material are provided, in order to encourage consideration of these periodicals as a resource in studying Jewish women.