Patricia A. Barr, 1950 – 2003
Chair of Americans for Peace Now and Life-Long Justice Seeker
“Pat firmly believed that each action she took -- in the public realm and the private realm -- affected the universe ... Pat was full of love. Not a gushy love, but a solid, matter-of-fact, and deeply felt love. ”

Ruby Blue, 1918 – 2008
Singer and Yoga Guru
“Given the Indian name of Neeladevi by her guru in the late l960s, she became Swami Neeladevananda at her investiture in Orleans, France in 2005. Neeladevi or Neeladevananda, Ruby Blue always remained a Jew and lit sabbath candles every Friday night.”

Sara Blum, 1910 – 1986
Camping Innovator and Committed Zionist
“Before anyone ever dreamed of feminism or women's liberation, Sara embodied for her campers the absolute model of female strength, purpose and achievement ... [she] had the uncanny ability to really know people and to uncover that uniqueness within each one that made her or him feel special. The only demand Sara Blum ever made in return was that you pushed yourself to be the best you could be.”

Fay Rosenthal Brachman, 1921 – 2007
Archivist, Community Leader, and Music Philanthropist
“When Fay had an idea that something needed doing, she didn't complain. She jumped in and did it. She energized people. She didn't plan to do things big, she just planned to do things better, and they grew.”

Shirley Bridge, 1922 – 2008
Pharmacist, Philanthropist, and Community Activist
“Whether it was women's rights, political candidates, health care reform, cutting edge or seemingly impossible causes, she championed them and pretty soon, so did everyone else.”

Shirley Kramer Broner, 1922 – 2006
Navy WAVE, Mother, University Administrator
“A clipping in her memoirs sums up her philosophy: 'Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body … but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!"'”

Andrea Bronfman, 1945 – 2006
Philanthropist
“Whatever the particular project – this woman pushed on. Whether it was the Guide Dogs for the Blind, the children of Jerusalem who would benefit from this park or that zoo, and most recently, the passion for exposing Israeli excellence in the decorative arts to international audiences. Her zeal for young people – Birthright groups, Reboot young adults, children in enrichment programs in Israeli schools whether in Beit Shemesh or Sakhnin, was overwhelming.”

Muriel Cohen, 1920 – 2006
Journalist
“She gave her editors indigestion, but she won them a Pulitzer, too, guiding the Globe's coverage of the pain and the chaos that greeted court-ordered busing to achieve desegregation of Boston's public schools.”

Helen Herz Cohen, 1912 – 2006
Creator of The Main Idea, a camp for inner city children and Lifelong Mentor to Girls
“When I pick up this pen to use it, I will remember so much of what you taught me, not the least of which is to dare to try. To go for it. And I will remember the lessons you taught me of believing in myself, of responsibility and honor and consideration for others and how we must give back, and, of the endless possibilities of creativity. And, oh yes, to have fun….”

Selma Jeanne Cohen, 1920 – 2005
Dance History Pioneer
“Despite the difficulty of translating the evanescent nature of dance into words, Selma Jeanne Cohen believed that dance, as much as painting, music and literature, deserved a history of its own. She spent a lifetime creating the structures necessary to making the recording of that history possible….”

Betty Comden, 1915 – 2006
Broadway and Hollywood Lyricist
“Her life not only chronicles a history of the Broadway musicals I grew up with, but also an era that allowed many of us to believe in the beauty and power of New York, as well as that melancholy feeling many of us hold as we look back on a period when life was indeed simpler… Though not a particularly observant Jew, Comden seemed informed by a Jewish frame of mind – a wise-cracking, down-to-earth, cultural "at homeness" with which I very much identified.”

Polly Spiegel Cowan, 1913 – 1976
Civil Rights Activist
“... My mother was not a ‘society woman.’ She was a working mother, a radio and television producer whose programs included a television quiz show called ‘Down You Go,’ and an award-winning radio talk program, ‘Conversation.’”

Alla Denisenko, 1952 – 2008
Educator and Teen Outreach Worker
“Her major talent was opening hearts. Her compassion, understanding and generosity made her the most popular person at school, a magnet for teenagers who called her their second mother and were ready to share things they would never have told their parents.”

Clara Fox, 1917 – 2007
Advocate for Subsidized Housing
“As one of the first professionals to initiate a joint venture between a nonprofit and the private sector, Clara was way ahead of her time.”

Sally Cherniavsky Fox, 1929 – 2006
Preserver of the Visual History of Women
“Sally Fox's passion was to gather and share the history of women through visual images. Sometimes this meant finding images of women doing conventional work, but often it meant seeking images of women doing the unexpected…. Her goal was to challenge conventional notions of how women lived their lives in the past.”

Judy Frankel, 1942 – 2008
Acclaimed Singer of Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) Music
“Judy was one of the first (and still, regrettably, one of the few) singers of Sephardic songs who, from the beginning, learned songs directly from the people whose tradition it was.”

Eleanor Hatkin Freedman, 1924 – 1974
“My mother, I came to realize, wanted to obliterate the barrier between love and sexuality. I was not shocked or shamed to encounter that carnal side of her. The mother I knew during my lifetime was a beautiful and vain woman, one who resisted having a mastectomy for breast cancer because she could not bear to be, as she put it, 'mutilated' and 'disfigured.' Her allure was part of her life-force, something inextricably tied to her passions for intellectual growth and artistic expression. ”

Betty Friedan, 1921 – 2006
Writer, Activist, and Pioneer in the Feminist Movement
“If there was any one woman who could be called the mother of feminism, it was Betty Friedan. Though "second-wave" feminism was a collective endeavor that had many founders, Friedan was the spark plug whose furious indictment of "the problem that had no name" – the false consciousness of "happy housewifery" – set off a revolution more potent than many of the other social and cultural upheavals of the 1960s. The impact of this social movement is still being felt around the world.”

Tikva Frymer-Kensky, 1943 – 2006
Jewish Women's Studies Pioneer
“As a scholar, Dr. Frymer-Kensky challenged her students to study deeply and obtain mastery of their subjects; any less was insufficient. In her writing, she modeled both rigor and relevance…. She wrote in order to bring us the ancient and to create a more just present.”

Lisa Goldberg, 1952 – 2007
Jewish Communal Activist, Revson Foundation Director
“Lisa Goldberg simply set the standard for creative and efficacious use of philanthropic dollars…. She never thought small – absolutely never.”

Carolyn Goodman, 1915 – 2007
Psychologist and Civil Rights Activist
“On various occasions Carolyn met with young people, urged them to take on world challenges, ran essay contests for them and celebrated the winners enthusiastically, spoke in different settings about the importance of supporting the next generation and encouraging them to be involved in healing the world.”

Sheilah Graham, 1904 – 1988
Stage Performer and Writer
“By the time she left England in 1933 to try her fortune in America, [Sheilah] had earned a modest reputation as a freelance journalist. She had also written two unsuccessful novels, a credential that allowed her to bluff her way into jobs as a New York staff reporter, getting scoops and writing eye-catching features such as 'Who Cheats Most in Marriage?' a breezy inventory of the men of Western nations.”

Betty Lee Hahn, 1932 – 2006
Jewish Communal Leader
“Buz Hahn lived life the way she wanted, standing up for what was right, kneeling down to lend a hand and always, always getting the most out of every experience. When Buz died earlier this year at age 74, there were tears, of course. But there were no regrets for opportunities squandered. Nobody could say she lived anything less than a full and fantastic life.”

Kitty Carlisle Hart, 1911 – 2007
Popular Performer and Spokeswoman for the Arts
“Once she became a famous performer, Hart was always aware of which musical theater greats shared her lineage. "Everybody in the theater was Jewish," she declared matter-of-factly. "Except Cole Porter." She only gradually became aware of antisemitism around her. "I went to a dinner party – and in those days, everybody dressed up for dinner parties," she recalled. "And they were talking about the Jews in a way that was just awful. It was unbearable. And I got up in the middle of dinner, and I said, 'I am Jewish, and I won't sit here and listen to this kind of talk for another five minutes.' And I left. The bravest thing I ever did."”

Dorothy Ray Healey, 1914 – 2006
Leader of the Communist Party of America
“…Her ability to see the potential in every person and to help translate that potential towards reality – through teaching and shared organizing; through coaxing and prodding towards action; but mostly, through the most respectful and honest listening one could ever encounter – had enormous political ramifications.”

Bert Milstone Cohen Hirshberg, 1919 – 2008
Arts Enthusiast and Community Volunteer
“She cared passionately about the arts, Boston, literature, politics, and her family and friends… She was one of those Jewish women who helped pry the door open continually so that others less assertive than she could follow.”

Sally Lilienthal, 1919 – 2006
Activist, Founder of Ploughshares Fund
“Even though she wanted to turn swords into ploughshares, she wielded her own kind of sharp weapon: an inveterate (and sometimes intimidating) intelligence. She had an eye for detail as well as a sweeping perspective that always saw the bigger, more critical picture….”

Adele Margolis, 1909 – 1998
Fashion Enthusiast, Seamstress, and Poet
“Her love of fashion combined aesthetic sense with social awareness. She tells me of the 1920s' 'heady breath of fresh air,' when constraints were tossed aside and women threw off the things that had, literally, bound them. No corsets, no girdles, no hoops, nothing tight or binding.”

Sophie Maslow, 1911 – 2006
Modern Dancer and Choreographer
“Like many New York dancers of her era, Maslow became involved in leftist politics. She taught dance classes for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and participated, alongside lifelong friend Anna Sokolow, in Workers Dance League concerts.”

Emily Shain Mehlman, 1941 – 2006
Community Activist
“For those around her Emily served as a compass, both figuratively and literally. She knew how to help her community steer a clear course, guiding us with her own impeccable honesty and tenacious personality. You could also ask her for more practical directions and arrive with more clarity than mapquest can provide….”

Florence Melton, 1911 – 2007
Inventor and Jewish Education Entrepreneur
“It was her conviction that others shared her desire to be a knowledgeable Jew, and her dream was to create the way to provide that knowledge.”

Lenore Pancoe Meyerhoff, 1927 – 1988
“Alternately reckless, mischievous or courageous, Mom's defiance had a triple edge. At 10, she secretly smoked a corncob pipe stuffed with stolen tobacco. She was arrested at age 14 for driving her Aunt Minnie's car at 90 miles an hour without a license. (Her adored maternal aunt, something of a bon vivant herself, was in the car at the time.) She challenged a revered male leader at a federation board meeting for using green Israel bonds to pay his campaign pledge – a practice that no one else had the guts to expose.”

Ruth Schachter Morgenthau, 1929 – 2006
Africanist Scholar and Activist
“Ruth deeply believed that economic empowerment was the basis for increasing human rights and gender equity for women. If women have economic power, they gain confidence and courage, and become greater participants with increased voice in their communities. Everyone benefits when women benefit.”

Jane Morningstar, 1919 – 2008
Community Leader and Philanthropist
“Her passion for learning and for education at all levels propelled her to make them a central part of her life, both as a student, a mother, and a supporter of women's education over her lifetime.”

Tillie Olsen, 1913 – 2007
Feminist Author
“A daughter of immigrants and a working mother starved for time to write, Tillie Olsen drew from her personal experiences to create a small but influential body of work.”

Mollie Orshansky, 1915 – 2006
Inventor of the Poverty Line
“Mollie was very smart, independent, and a hardworking government employee. She was called 'Miss Poverty' because she developed the poverty index widely used by the Federal government as a basis for benefit programs involving low income individuals and families.”

Grace Paley, 1922 – 2007
Writer and Activist
“But even more, even more than I admired the stories, which was a lot, I admired Grace Paley's activism and her moral courage.”

Nell Ziff Pekarsky, 1910 – 1998
“Nell made a strong impression. Her build was slight, but she was no pushover: her energetic gait and purposeful expression projected a commanding, yet accessible, presence. She laughed easily and sometimes uproariously – especially if the joke was on her. Nell loved to hear and to tell what she called 'juicy' stories. She was not interested in idle gossip. But she was ever curious about people, relationships and the world around her.”

Arlene Raven, 1944 – 2006
Feminist Art Activist
“... She was a rarity, a seemingly unstoppable spirit. Even as she was failing, she was working, unwilling to let go of the mission that had given meaning to her life, a mission shared by many but especially by me; to help bring about a change for the better in this often dismal world.”

Gertrud C. Reyersbach, 1907 – 1999
“I liked all the toys in your office but actually my favorite thing was you.”

Lois Levin Roisman, 1938 – 2008
Activist, Philanthropist and Writer
“Lois' life was centered on the inherent goodness of humans and inherent humor of life. Everything she did was based on the principle that if you could make people laugh about the human condition, then you could make them do something to improve it.”

Mattie Levi Rotenberg, 1897 – 1989
“One Erev Pesach my grandmother demonstrated physics at the University of Toronto for three hours, went to the radio studio to tape a live broadcast, taped two more broadcasts for the upcoming days of Yom Tov, and came home to make seder.”

Jean W. Rothenberg, 1909 – 2007
Advocate for the Hearing Impaired
“…her hearing loss prevented her from hearing all of what she wanted to, but she turned that sorrow into her greatest gift—that of restoring human communication for others with hearing loss.”

Beatrice Holtzman Schneiderman, 1904 – 1996
Civil Rights Activist and Committed Volunteer
“Her courage was more than physical: she had the courage of her convictions. Passionate about social justice, she did not stand on the sidelines. If a cause mattered to her, she dove in wholeheartedly, attending rallies, volunteering for Board service, arranging meetings, and organizing fundraisers.”

Barbara Seaman, 1935 – 2008
Pioneer in the Women's Health Movement
“Thinking about Barbara, I realize that she was a one-woman social networking site. She remembered everyone she had ever met and tried to connect them with everybody else she had ever met. She recalled where you were from, whom you dated, your health problems, and your writings or accomplishments and then she introduced to people who you should know.”

Ruth Segel, 1913 – 2007
Government Worker, Special Education Instructor
“…'She, in some ways, was way ahead of her time,' said her daughter Margaret Shapiro, of Philadelphia. 'Although she had a nice life, once it became nice, she really wasn't satisfied until she had a career of her own. And she wasn't from a family or a community that encouraged women to have careers of their own. But she stuck to wanting to have her own skills and her own career.'”

Sylvia Siegel, 1918 – 2007
Pioneering Consumer Activist
“…A colorful character in the dull world of utility regulation, Siegel's talent and passion pushed her to the forefront of any battle she engaged in Siegel's quick thinking and dry humor made her a favorite with policymakers, the media and even her opponents. She charmed, disarmed and then went for the jugular. Even her adversaries, whom she routinely called all sorts of unprintable names, spoke fondly of her.”

Hilda Silverman, 1938 – 2008
Peace and Social Justice Activist
“Whether Hilda was sharing her moral outrage, her prodigious memory of historical events, handing out leaflets, or vigiling with Women in Black, she was for me a courageous and passionate teacher and activist.”

Herta Spencer-Laszlo, 1911 – 2007
Medical Pioneer in Human Metabolism and Nutrition
“A pioneering woman in the medical world, Herta published more than 250 scientific papers, including numerous articles on the effects on humans of strontium-90, a major radioactive component of fallout from the atomic bomb tests of the '40s and '50s. She was instrumental in describing mechanisms to rid the body of this deadly isotope, information that was to prove invaluable years later when she helped save lives following the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island.… Mostly, Herta taught us that if you have focus, work hard and dream big you can make major achievements that make the world a better place.”

Madeleine Stern, 1912 – 2007
Renowned Antiquarian Book Dealer
“…an innovative and revered entrepreneur in the leather-armchair world of gentlemen antiquarian book dealers; unmarried in a world where women were wives, Stern lived in a universe in which it was not possible to live the way she wanted to. She simply ignored that impossibility, created her own universe and, in a small but exquisite way, changed the world.”

Priscilla Strauss, 1914 – 2007
Jewish Communal Leader
“She knew who to talk to and how to motivate people… She bridged the gap between being a 'rich lay leader' and a member of the professional staff with complete ease. It was not only her style, but the fact that everybody recognized her complete commitment to the Jewish community as well as to the community at large.”

Savina J. Teubal, 1926 – 2005
Biblical Scholar and Ritual Innovator
“Savina reclaimed the stories of Sarah and Hagar through her writing, and through her life. Like Sarah, Savina went forth into new lands, without maps or mentors to guide her. Like Sarah and Hagar, Savina lived in a patriarchal world, challenging that world with her choices and her clarity about the work she was called to complete….”

Pamela Waechter, 1947 – 2006
“Pam's approach to work mirrored her approach to life. She was direct and comforting. If something did not work out, try another door—another avenue. Be calm, yet be persistent. Look people in the eye and let them know they are valued.”

Selma Waldman, 1931 – 2008
Artist and Peace Activist
“Waldman's activism manifested itself in her Jewish identity... She believed that the experience Jews had had in the world gave a very powerful link to work for tikkun olam, for social justice and peace, and fighting oppression. Though she considered herself a secular humanist and never belonged to a synagogue, she had a very strong network in the grassroots of the Jewish community and really believed in the power and beauty of Jewish culture and experience.”

Joyce Warshow, 1937 – 2007
GLBT Activist Filmmaker
“…She chose action over passivity. She chose to reform rather than to conform. Her diverse background and interests led her down many paths. As a renowned feminist, filmmaker, psychologist, educator, author, and activist who fully invested herself in every fiber of her work-literally, physically, metaphorically-Joyce touched the lives of many.”

Wendy Wasserstein, 1950 – 2006
Playwright
“Wasserstein observed that she was often told by producers and others that her plays were 'too New York,' which she understood as being a euphemism for 'too Jewish.' As Wasserstein recounted, when people asked her whether The Sisters Rosensweig with its three Jewish sisters, 'a hit in New York [could] play around the country,' she replied 'Well, you know this is something I've heard … People have sisters. Now maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they don't have them in Ohio. I could be wrong, but I've heard … they have sisters there.'”

Ellen Willis, 1941 – 2006
Activist, Writer, and Radical Thinker
“Willis brought lucidity and style to the most controversial and baffling cultural issues — her thought was a beacon of clarity. For those of us fortunate enough to have been her comrades, anticipating her insights was part of what kept us returning to meetings month after month, year after year.”

Shulamis Yelin, 1913 – 2002
Teacher and Writer
“Shulamis's commanding voice filled up the cluttered apartment and I could see how much she loved an audience. It hardly mattered if I was one woman in her kitchen, or a group of children on a frozen plain, or a gathering of old Yiddishists downtown. She was holding court, spinning tales, imparting wisdom.”

Roslyn Zinn, 1922 – 2008
Artist, Activist, Friend
“Roz was a more rounded person than I was. She didn't just love music, she played music. She didn't just appreciate art, she became a painter. She loved flowers, and planted them. She loved theater and took to the stage.”