Subject Guide: Notable Jewish Women

Alice David Menken papers (P-23)

An important figure in the social welfare movement, Menken devoted much of her life to working with women in the penal system. Includes documents relating to her activities with the activities with the Society of New York State Women, Jewish Welfare Board, New York City Women's Night Court, Hudson State Training School, New York State Reformatory for Women, Society for Political Study, Daughters of American Revolution, and Congregation Shearith Israel, among others. She also helped establish the Sisterhood of Congregation Shearith Israel and the Jewish Big Sister movement.

Bernard C. Ehrenreich papers (P-26) [Digitized]

Bernard Calonius Ehrenreich was a Rabbi and civic leader in Montgomery, Alabama. His wife Irma was heavily involved in the women's suffragist movement, in particular with the National American WomanSuffrage Association.

Emma Lazarus Papers (P-2)  [Digitized]

Lazarus is best remembered as author of "The New Colossus," and as a strong supporter of Jewish immigrants' rights. Her collection includes correspondence, articles, a notebook of her poetry, published copies of her poems, and copies of her obituaries.

Justine Wise Polier and Eleanor Roosevelt Correspondence (P-527)

This collection contains correspondence between Judge Justine Wise Polier and Eleanor Roosevelt sent between 1938-1962, with additional correspondence sent between Judge Polier and other individuals through 1972. The bulk of the correspondence between the two women is of a personal nature. There is also correspondence relating to US political and social concerns including WWII immigration quotas, Jewish refugees from various countries, settlement houses, education for racial minorities, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Lucy S. Dawidowicz (P-675)

The Papers of Lucy S. Dawidowicz contain documents pertaining to American Jewish history, anti-Semitism in America, Holocaust denial, European Jewish heritage, and the Holocaust (including the American Jewish response). The bulk of the collection consists of extensive research notes and publications by both Dawidowicz and others, as well as correspondence to family, business contacts, and friends. Additional items include photographs, memoir materials, and index cards.

Molly Picon papers (P-38)

An entertainer for over 70 years, Molly Picon is one of the most celebrated and beloved actresses of Yiddish theater and film. At once an all-American girl and a Yidishe meydel, her engaging performances earned her world-wide appeal. The papers of Molly Picon consist of extensive Yiddish and non-Yiddish plays, numerous radio and television scripts, programs and announcements for Picon's performances, and personal material such as correspondence and photographs. Also included is a large amount of musical material such as songbooks, handwritten lyrics, and sheet music, much of it in Yiddish.

Ray Frank Litman (1861-1948) Papers (P-46) [Digitized]

Ray (Rachel) Frank was the first Jewish woman to preach formally from a pulpit in the United States. In addition to this achievement, she was involved in many Jewish organizations and events including the Jewish Women’s Congress in 1893 and co-founding the Champaign County League of Women Voters in 1922.

Representative Nita M. Lowey Papers (P-1048)

Nita Sue Melnikoff Lowey (1937- ) worked in New York State government prior to winning the first election of her thirty-two year career as a Congressional representative from Westchester County's 17th, 18th, and 20th Districts from 1989-2021. The collection documents world and local events and contains paper and electronic records, correspondence, memoranda, reports, press releases, and campaign materials.

Sarah Kussy Papers 1898, 1945 (P-4) [Digitized]

The Sarah Kussy papers contain material written by and pertaining to the life of Sarah Kussy, a Newark, NJ woman who was a prolific writer and editor, as well as a prominent member of several Jewish women's organizations including the Women's League for Conservative Judaism and Hadassah.

Shirley T. Joseph Papers, 1972-1998 (P-932)

Shirley T. Joseph was a feminist Jewish activist involved in a number of advocacy groups and community organizations including the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC) and the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).

Fire and grace : the life of Rose Pastor Stokes / Arthur Zipser and Pearl Zipser. Athens : University of Georgia Press, 1989.

Lillian Wald, progressive activist / edited by Clare Coss. New York : Feminist Press at the City University of New York ; 1989. 

Love, anarchy, and Emma Goldman / Candace Serena. New Brunswick [N.J.] : Rutgers University Press, 1990.

Making our wilderness bloom : 350 years of extraordinary Jewish women in America / written by Mel Berwin and Jennifer Sartori ; edited by Judith Rosenblum ; designed by Jill Kerner Schon. Brookline, MA : Jewish Women's Archive, 2004.

Ray Frank Litman : a memoir / by Simon Litman. New York, N.Y. : American Jewish Historical Society, 1957.

The Rabbi's atheist daughter : Ernestine Rose, international feminist pioneer / Bonnie S. Anderson. New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2017.