

In America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today, Pamela S. Nadell weaves together the complex story of Jewish women in America―from colonial-era matriarch Grace Nathan and her great-granddaughter, poet Emma Lazarus, to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Recounting how Jewish women have been at the forefront of social, economic, and political causes for centuries, Nadell shows them fighting for suffrage, labor unions, civil rights, feminism, and religious rights―shaping a distinctly Jewish American identity.
In America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today was released on March 5, 2019 and published by W. W. Norton & Company.
Editorial Reviews
“The definitive history of Jewish women in America.”
― Jonathan D. Sarna, author of American Judaism: A History
“With an expansive knowledge of both American Jewish history and women’s history, [Nadell] brings to this book unparalleled insights.”
― Deborah E. Lipstadt, author of Antisemitism: Here and Now
“[A] swift-paced and concise history.… Nadell fluidly intersperses thumbnail accounts of the famous and less so with a discussion of trends in American Jewish life.”
― Julia M. Klein, Forward
“We learn a great deal about some spectacularly brave and innovative women who transgressed traditional boundaries to break new ground.”
― Elaine Margolin, Jerusalem Post
“A masterful and remarkably timely history which should be on every shelf. In becoming America’s Jewish women, generations of immigrants and their native-born daughters transformed themselves, their faith, and the nation they called home.”
― Abigail Pogrebin, author of My Jewish Year
“A compelling and well-researched chronicle.… The contributions of these remarkable women shine in Nadell’s impressive book.”
― Julie Hale, BookPage
“An accessible, yet scholarly account of our history.”
― Bettina Berch, Jewish Book Council
“Excellent.”
― Joseph Preville, World Religion News
“[Nadell] has turned the diverse life stories of dozens of women across centuries of time into a mesmerizing whole. This is a book to read and reread, then sit back and contemplate, with a smile, the wondrous achievements of Jewish women in America.”
― Francine Klagsbrun, author of Lioness
“Nadell has taken on a big job in covering such a multidimensional, important subject. Nadell does it in informative and succinct style, and the result is a readable, valuable text.”
― Publishers Weekly
Product details
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated edition (March 5, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0393651231
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393651232
- Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
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About Me
Pamela Nadell, professor and Patrick Clendenen Chair in women’s and Gender History at American University, is a historian specializing in American Jewish history antisemitism. She authored America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today, winner of the 2019 National Jewish Book Award’s “Jewish Book of the Year.” Her new book Antisemitism, An American Tradition will be published on October 14, 2025 (W.W. Norton) and was supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholars Award.
Nadell also wrote Women Who Would be Rabbis, which was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award in Women’s Studies, and has consulted for museums, including Philadelphia’s Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Pittsburgh’s rebuild of the Tree of Life Congregation, and Tel Aviv’s ANU: The Museum of the Jewish People. A past president of the Association for Jewish Studies, she lectures widely and teaches courses on antisemitism, the Holocaust, and American Jewish History. She has testified before Congress three times and was the fourth witness in the congressional hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania.
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Pages
- Antisemitism Book
- Books
- Antisemitism, an American Tradition
- America’s Jewish Women
- American Jewish Women’s History
- Conservative Judaism in America
- Making Women’s Histories
- New Essays in American Jewish History
- Women and American Judaism
- Women Who Would be Rabbis
- Three Hundred Fifty Years: An Album of American Jewish Memory
- Events
- News
- Videos
- About Me
- Contact Me
Topics
Events
- March 30, 2025 “Antisemitism, an American Tradition” Keynote, Contemporary Antisemitism Conference in London, England
- April 8, 2025 “Through Women’s Eyes: Antisemitism in America” Hosted by Women’s League for Conservative Judaism – Zoom Conference
- May 4, 2025 “Celebrating Professor Jonathan Sarna’s Scholarship” at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
- May 18, 2025 “Understanding Contemporary Antisemitism” Hosted by Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, IL – Zoom Conference
- August 3-7, 2025 “America’s Jewish Women” and “Antisemitism, an American Tradition” Guest Speaker at the Everett Jewish Life Center, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY
- October 14, 2025 Date of Publication of Antisemitism, an American Tradition – Book Tour to be Announced Soon!
News
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- Pamela Nadell’s History: Professor, Author, Researcher
- Q&A: Antisemitism in America
- How Republicans Echo Antisemitic Tropes Despite Declaring Support for Israel
- Hollywood is Failing Jewish-Americans Despite a History Together – Opinion
- The 4th to Testify: Congressional witness Pamela Nadell on the US Antisemitism Crisis
- New Study Highlights Campus Antisemitism ‘Hot Spots’
- What Jewish College Students Have to Say About the Campus Climate
- A Brief History of Antisemitism in U.S. Higher Education
- The Gaza Crisis is Stoking Antisemitism in the U.S.
- Antisemitism on Elon Musk’s X is Surging and Dredging Up Many Ancient, Defamatory Themes of Blaming Jews