Jewish women are not usually discussed apart from other women when considering the contributions of particular groups of women to the feminist movement and the impact of feminism upon these groups. Lesbians, black women and Latina women, among other groups, became vocal through experiences with feminism and brought their own diverse perspectives, critiques, and contributions to the movement, while Jewish identity was not as openly declared and recognized. However, in reading and researching the feminist movement and American Jewish women’s history, it becomes clear that the contributions of Jewish women were both significant to the movement and particularly influenced by their experiences of Jewish identity.

Research on the roles that Jewish women played on the forefront of Michigan’s feminist movement can be expanded to benefit our understanding of local feminist activism and Jewish women’s history. Michigan was the setting for many landmark legal victories that became precedents – notably, sexual harassment and wage discrimination lawsuits, as well as the elections of women to many levels of office, and such innovations as the nation’s first Feminist Federal Credit Union, among many other examples of local feminist activity. In a time when domestic violence was barely on the radar as a legal term, Michigan feminists rallied to have the Detroit YWCA converted into a safe house for abused women. Jewish women were involved in the leadership and grassroots work of many diverse feminist initiatives in Michigan, including pro-choice advocacy, legal proceedings for domestic violence, equal educational opportunities and state-supported childcare.

We think that the approach of an oral history project is uniquely beneficial for establishing a record of individual women’s thoughts and reflections on their personal experiences, feminist activism and Jewish identity. Such a project also offers perspectives on the present and future of feminism from those who were at the forefront of women’s liberation in Michigan. We have gathered several first-hand accounts of individual Jewish women’s participation in the feminist movement in Michigan in order to fulfill some of these purposes.

Through our collection of oral histories and investigation into other primary sources, we hope to create both a more inclusive and more precise portrait of the women involved in feminist activism in Michigan. In addition, we hope to highlight some of the gains of the movement that were fostered by the activism and leadership of Jewish women. On a broader level, we would like to explore the convergence and divergence of feminism and Jewish identity, and we desire to connect younger people to the history of the feminist movement, which is so often lacking or marginalized in our textbooks and curricula but has irrevocably changed the ways in which we live.

The interviews were all conducted between January and April of 2007, and our questions covered topics such as the interviewees’ background and Jewish identity and their impact on the interviewees’ lives and work, the details of specific activities that they were involved in, their personal opinions about feminism then and now, and their views on the successes and failures of the movement, among other issues.

We thank Kirsten Fermaglich, professor of History at Michigan State University, for advising our inquiry through historical readings and this project, as well as the women who were so willing and generous to share their experiences with us.

~Jasmine Angelini-Knoll and Lindsey Sloan