Today I Am a Woman, livre ebook

Celebrating bat mitzvah in diverse Jewish cultures

Visit the Today I Am a Woman website Learn more about the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, where author Shulamit Reinharz serves as director

Recollections of the first bat mitzvah at the only synagogue in Indonesia, a poignant bat mitzvah memory of World War II Italy, and an American bat mitzvah shared with girls in a Ukrainian orphanage—these are a few of the resonant testimonies about the transition from Jewish girl to Jewish woman collected in Today I Am a Woman. Introduced by brief biographical notes and descriptions of Jewish communities around the world, these stories reveal how Judaism defines this important rite of passage in a girl's life in widely disparate settings. The contributions are from bat mitzvah girls of the past and present, their parents, communities, and religious leaders. Including evocative family photos—some recent, some from decades past—this rich compilation is an ideal gift for bat mitzvah celebrants, their families, and friends.

But 1938, a year that began with such promise and happiness, turned into a year of despair. I cannot think of my bat mitzvah [in Turin] without recalling every event of that fateful year. It was probably the most important year of my life for the development of my character, my personality, and my dreams. That is why I am telling this story.

Acknowledgements
Preface – Shulamit Reinharz
Introduction – Barbara Vinick
1: Africa
2: Asia
3: Australia and New Zealand
4: Caribbean
5: Europe
6: Former Soviet Union, Former Yugoslavia, and Eastern Europe
7: Latin America
8: Middle East and North Africa
9: North America
Glossary
For Further Reading