If you’re not into reading four-hundred page tomes, try Chutzpah Girls, a gorgeously illustrated book of one-page biographies about one hundred ordinary women transformed into extraordinary heroines. The book begs to be shared with mothers, daughters, Bubbies alike, the co-authors, Julie Esther Silberstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer, enjoin readers of every gender to discover “the real life tales of proud Jewish women who shaped history, rewrote the future and helped make the world a better place”.
The anthology begins in antiquity where we meet prophetess Abigail Deborah and Yael followed by Talmudic scholars such as Bruria. Most of the selected “girls” however were born in 20th century and continue to inspire the present generation. Among these is Rachel Edri. Known as the ‘Cookies Safta.’ Edri saved her family in Ofakim offering Hamas terrorists, what else…cookies. Inbal Lieberman a warrior and superhero kept Kibbutz Nir Am safe during the Hamas savage invasion on October 7th.
The diverse compilation of biographies honors women from around the world including British codebreaker Anne Ross a courageous woman who defined the word chutzpah as did USA Batya Sperling–Milner born blind but learned (via technology) to read from the Torah on her Bat Mitzvah. Learn about Israeli born Moran Samuel once a great athlete, Moran, a victim of a spinal stroke that left her paralyzed from the waist down, did not permit her disability from becoming a Paralympics champion. Or Bracha Kapchi a Yemenite humanitarian who opened a “gemach,” a lending facility for brides who could not afford to buy their wedding gowns.
The medley of risk-taking, gutsy and philanthropic women features Professor Deborah Lipstadt “special envoy on antisemitsm.” Lipstadt won a significant court case against Holocaust denier David Irving. “Chutzpadik” psychologist/ballerina Edith Eger was cut from the Hungarian gymnastics Olympics team and sent to Auschwitz. Astonishingly, she mustered the courage to dance for Josef Mengele. A survivor, Eger taught many others to successfully mitigate their own fears.
Several of the Chutzpah Girls forged paths that led to greater social justice and human rights. South African Helen Suzman, an anti-apartheid parliamentarian fought injustice “in the Jewish tradition” following the concept of “tikkun olam,” repairing the world. Rachel “Ruchie” Freier became the first Hasidic Jewish woman to be appointed to the New York Supreme Court. Chutzpah Girls honors Henrietta Szold founder of Hadassah. She built Israel’s “first modern medical system” and lived by her credo ”when you dream, dream big”. Acting with enormous courage, Torontonian Judy Feld Carr, human rights activist, smuggled Syrian Jews to escape and helped save three thousand Jews from Syrian tyranny. Chutzpah indeed!
A treasury of meaningful stories Chutzpah Girls encourages women of all ages to “make your life a story worth telling.”
