She's a Mensch!: Ten Amazing Jewish Women
by Anne Dublin (Author)
From the poorest neighborhoods in Kenya to the halls of the Canadian Supreme Court, the Jewish women found in these pages have accomplished remarkable feats. Some survived the horrors of the Holocaust while others had more peaceful childhoods, but all of them saw unfairness in their world and decided to do something about it.
Despite living in hiding throughout the Second World War, Hungarian gymnast Ágnes Keleti went on to win four Olympic gold medals at age thirty-five. South African Ruth First used her privilege as a white woman to battle her country's racist system of Apartheid--a fight she eventually paid for with her life. Canadian Judy Feld Carr, a quiet high school music teacher, secretly organized the rescue of persecuted Jews from Syria. And Yavilah McCoy, an African American Jew from New York, uses her voice today to advocate for diversity in Judaism. You may not have heard of the ten women in this book before, but you will remember them. Their greatest legacy could be the action that their stories inspire in you.
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School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up--Readers are introduced to 10 noteworthy Jewish women whose life stories are not widely known. These diverse trailblazers of Ashkenazi and Sephardic descent include France's first female rabbi and Canada's first Jewish female Supreme Court justice. The oldest "mensch," 102-year-old Agnes Keleti, narrowly escaped Hungary during the Holocaust and went on to become an Olympic medal--winning gymnast. The youngest, American-born Jessica Posner Odede, born in 1986, worked in a shantytown in Kenya as a college student and now directs an international NGO supporting girl empowerment in Africa and Asia. One of the most interesting chapters profiles Yavilah McCoy, a Jewish woman of color. A fourth generation Orthodox Jew with a family history of social activism, McCoy has broken down stereotypes about what it means to be a Jewish woman. Each section draws readers in with a brief but dramatic vignette focused on a significant life event. The account that follows has a broader, more encyclopedic range covering family history, challenges, and achievements that include awards and publications. Given the level of detail, readers are likely to skim rather than read the book cover to cover. Back matter includes a helpful glossary of terms and source notes. VERDICT A well-organized, informative collective biography recommended for general interest and research projects.--Jenny Andrus
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"The biographies collected in She's a Mensch! have at least one thing in common: all 10 of them sought to do something about the unfairness they saw in the world.... Compelling stories are told."
— "The Canadian Jewish News"JNF025090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Holocaust
JNF071000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Activism & Volunteering
