Blog
When a Book Is Not Really Done
There’s something a little ambivalent and paradoxical about the process of seeing a book you’ve worked on for years finally appear in print. It’s certainly gratifying to finish a book and watch it take its
When Bais Yaakov Girls Were Movie Stars
On February 22, 1933, the Yiddish daily Hayntige nayes published a news report with the eye-catching title: “The Agudah Is Making Its Own Films: It aims to turn Bnos-Yaakov girls into movie stars.” As the
In the Birnbaum Archives
The great scholar and historian Yosef Hayyim Yerushalmi once wrote: History is the faith of fallen Jews. But what of Jews who are not fallen? Have they no need for history? Might history be a
From Sister to Sister: #1
SHIDDUCHIM LETTERS This is the first installment of a column from The Bais Yaakov Journal called “From Sister to Sister,” translated from the Yiddish by Sandra Chiritescu. “Shidduch Letters” appeared in issues 78 and 79
Was Bais Yaakov a Feminist Movement?
In 1934, the Agudah secured the right to distribute a share of certificates for immigration to Palestine, from Zionist organizations that had previously controlled them. But the certificates were precious and competition for them was
Report Card Revelations
What can a few simple report cards tell us about Bais Yaakov schools? A lot, actually. One of the purposes of the Bais Yaakov Project website is to foster scholarship of the Bais Yaakov movement
Book Release
The book that helped inspire this website: Sarah Schenirer and the Bais Yaakov Movement: A Revolution in the Name of Tradition, by Naomi Seidman, is available for purchase here. Use the discount code in the
The World of Sarah Schenirer: 1
Sarah Schenirer’s 1935 death was accompanied not only by an outpouring of grief, but also by a burst of literary activity, commemorating her life and work. Much of this material appeared in the Bais Yaakov
The 93 Martyrs: Bais Yaakov in the Fight Against Traffic in Women
Combing through archives can be a tedious enterprise. Take the Joint Distribution Committee Archive. It’s a beautiful and useful resource, not to mention freely available online. But some huge proportion of its holdings consist of
Acting Like Bais Yaakov Girls
Bais Yaakov girls in Kolbuszowa performing in a Purim play. Bais Yaakov students perform in a play called ‘Joseph and His Brothers.’ Among the hundreds of oral histories collected by the Spielberg Shoah Foundation are
Book Talk, Concert, Website Demo
We’re going live on March 24, 2019! Join us for a lecture by Naomi Seidman, a choir led by Basya Schechter, and a demo of the Bais Yaakov Project website. More information and tickets here.