Media

Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo credits her heritage as a “North London, working-class, black, Jewish girl” with giving her the range to act in roles ranging from Hotel Rwanda to Doctor Who.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal has garnered critical acclaim for her performance in difficult roles in 2002’s Secretary, 2009’s Crazy Heart, and 2014’s The Honourable Woman.

Patricia Arquette

Patricia Arquette has navigated a career path from Hollywood to television and back again, culminating in a landslide of awards for her supporting role in 2014’s Boyhood.

Death of writer Sarah Brandstein Smith, “Queen of the shundroman"

April 29, 1968

“Sarah B. Smith is the most beloved Jewish newspaperwoman, the first who ever served as a reporter on a Jewish paper, and the one who has triumphantly overcome the misgivings of editors who mistrusted the abilities of a mere woman writer.”

Debut of "The Sarah Silverman Program"

February 1, 2007

“People are always introducing me as ‘Sarah Silverman, Jewish comedienne.’"

Chelsea Handler is named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People.

April 18, 2012

"A handful of years ago no one in entertainment had heard of her.” Chelsea Handler

Fredrica Wechsler, 1929 - 2014

My mother was no shrinking violet. After a few weeks at home following the wedding, she got a job at the Gary Welfare Department, where she went on home visits and discovered Gary’s devastatingly impoverished African-American community. I am sure that this was a pivotal moment for her—and she never turned back.

Yael Arad

Yael Arad celebrated an unprecedented victory in 1992 when she won the Olympic silver medal for judo, making her the first Israeli Olympic medalist for any sport.

Annie Londonderry

A symbol of women’s growing independence at the turn of the twentieth century, Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky became the first woman cyclist to circle the globe in 1895.

Dana Jacobson

Dana Jacobson has showed resilience in her career as a sportscaster, transitioning from television to radio while remaining a trusted female anchor in a male-dominated field.

Bonnie Bernstein

One of the most accomplished female sportscasters in history, Bonnie Bernstein combines her role as on-air journalist with her work behind the scenes as vice president of Campus Insiders, a leading media platform for college sports.

Sasha Cohen

Figure skater Alexandra “Sasha” Cohen won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics and popularized the difficult I-spin, which many now call the “Sasha spin” in her honor.

Jane Eisner

In 2008 Jane Eisner became editor-in-chief of the Forward, making her the paper’s first female head in its 111-year history.

Emily Bazelon

From cyberbullying to abortion rights, reporter Emily Bazelon has tackled controversial legal issues for Slate and the New York Times Magazine.

Jill Abramson

As the first female executive editor of the New York Times from 2011–2014, Jill Abramson fought to change the newspaper’s culture, mentoring female reporters, choosing female bureau chiefs and focusing more attention on stories about race and gender issues.

Sarah Koenig

Journalist Sarah Koenig rocketed to fame as executive producer of Serial, an ongoing podcast that uncovered new details in the “cold case” of a murdered girl.

December 31, 2014

Top Ten Moments For Jewish Women In 2014

Judith Rosenbaum

I’ve already expressed my feelings on the whole “year of the Jewish woman” thing, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t celebrate the many great moments for Jewish women in 2014. Here, in no particular order, are a few of our favorites at JWA.

Topics: Feminism, Radio, Television, Holocaust, Law, Publishing

Joan Rivers, 1933 - 2014

"Comedy is power," she said. "The only weapon more formidable than humor is a gun."

Leslie Feinberg, 1949 - 2014

And in the reflection of the glass, finally, literally and metaphorically, I could see myself, and Leslie, at once. I think I started to understand what I could be in that moment, that I belonged to a proud tradition of Butch women. That there was a place for me in this world. That I could grow up. For the first time, I understood that I was looking at who and what I would become as an adult. It was breathtaking.

Margot Adler, 1946 - 2014

In 1972 she made a deal with WBAI management to get her own free-form live radio show. At the time, WBAI went off the air loosely between 3 or 5 AM and came back on at 7 AM. Margot talked them into giving her the 5–7 AM timeslot and called it Hour of the Wolf after the film by Ingmar Bergman, a phrase which refers to the morning twilight.