The Quotable Jewish Woman: Wisdom, Inspiration, and Humor from the Mind and Heart [Hardcover]

Elaine T. Partnow (Author), Elaine Bernstein Partnow (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2004

The words of Jewish women to inspire, enlighten, and enrich your life.

The Quotable Jewish Woman is the definitive collection of ideas, reflections, humor, and wit by Jewish women. Compiler Elaine Bernstein Partnow (The Quotable Woman) brings together the voices of over 300 women—including women of the Bible, actors, poets, humorists, scientists, and literary and political figures—whose ideas, activism, service, talent, and labor have touched the world.

Quoted women include:

Bella Abzug
Hannah Arendt
Lauren Bacall
Aviel Barclay
Judy Blume
Susan Brownmiller
Judy Chicago
Jennifer Connelly
Gerty Theresa Cori
Deborah
Anita Diamant
Phyllis Diller
Delia Ephron
Marcia Falk
Dianne Feinstein
Anne Frank
Rosalind Franklin
Anna Freud
Betty Friedan
Carol Gilligan
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Rebecca Gratz
Blu Greenberg
Erica Jong
Frida Kahlo
Donna Karan
Faye Kellerman
Carole King
Ann Landers
Estée Lauder
Emma Lazarus
Rosa Luxemburg
Golda Meir
Bette Midler
Miriam
Bess Myerson
Cynthia Ozick
Dorothy Parker
Belva Plain
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Ayn Rand
Gilda Radner
Adrienne Rich
Joan Rivers
Ethel Rosenberg
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Hannah Senesh
Fanchon Shur
Raven Snook
Gertrude Stein
Barbra Streisand
Kerri Strug
Henrietta Szold
Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Walters
Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Naomi Wolf
Rosalyn Yalow
and many more …

From winners of Nobel Prizes and Oscars to lesser known women from many countries and backgrounds, this book is an inspirational gateway to the thoughts and lives of Jewish women, both contemporary and ancient.

Until we are all free, we are none of us free.
—Emma Lazarus in American Hebrew, 3 November 1882–23 February 1883

Toughness doesn’t have to come in a pinstripe suit.
—Dianne Feinstein in Time, 4 June 1984

God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
—Sarah, Book of Genesis, c. ninth century B.C.E Bible

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What do 317 Jewish women have to say on 72 topics from feminism to friendship, fashion and shopping, violence and rape, Israel and Judaism, truth, lies and superstitions, sex and success? Answer: A lot. Partnow (The Quotable Woman) gathers their wisdom and humor in 2,400 quotations that reflect diverse scholarly, social, literary, theatrical, political and spiritual worlds. All the women "have helped heal the world with their ideas, their activism, their service, their talent and their labor," she writes. Like the editor herself, readers may be surprised to find among this Who's Who of Jewish Women financial adviser Sylvia Porter, philosopher-writer Ayn Rand, actor Winona Ryder and artist Frida Kahlo, alongside more predictable choices like Anne Frank and Golda Meir. "That's part of the fun of this book—these discoveries," notes Partnow. An index allows readers to locate quotes by author rather than subject. The one-paragraph biographies of each woman are perhaps the most fascinating part of the book, adding a personal dimension to the women's fascinating achievements. The collection's strength lies in diversity; as author and activist Grace Paley writes: "You have an opinion. I have an opinion. Life don't have no opinion." Many opinions fill these pages, something to inspire every reader.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

Connect with your Jewish sisters—from both yesterday and today.

"My mother, my aunts, my own grandmothers float back to me, young and vibrant once more, making days holy in the sanctuaries of their kitchens, feeding me, cradling me, connecting me to the intricately plaited braid of their past, and even at this moment, looking down the corridor of what’s to come, I see myself join them as they open their arms wide to enfold my children and grandchildren in their embrace."
—Faye Moskowitz, And the Bridge Is Love, 1991

The Quotable Jewish Woman offers a distinctive look at the world through the eyes of Jewish women throughout history and today. More than 300 Jewish women from many countries and backgrounds share their insights on a variety of timeless and timely topics, including:

Age & Aging
Beauty & Appearance
Celebrations & Holidays
Children
Death & Grief
Faith, Religion, the Bible & Spirituality
Feminism & Women’s Liberation
Friendship
Humor & Comedy
Jews & Judaism
Love & Desire
Mothers & Motherhood
Politics, Politicians & Leadership
Success, Dreams & Achievement
Work & Working
And much more …

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580231934
• ISBN-13: 978-1580231930
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elaine Bernstein Partnow is an author, an actor, a quotologist, an editor, and a public speaker especially noted for her living history portrayals of notable women and for the nationally acclaimed book "The Quotable Woman, The First 5,000 Years" (Facts On File. 6th ed., 2010). A collection of almost 20,000 quotations from 167 nations by over 5,000 women, it has been in print since 1977. Other quotations collections include "The Quotable Jewish Woman" (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2004), "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Great Quotes for All Occasions" (2008), and most recently, "The Little Book of the Spirit for Women" (Fall River, 2010). Among her other works are "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Your True Age" (2009), "The Female Dramatist" (1998), "Everyday Speaking for all Occasions for Women" (1998), and "The MacMillan Book of Photographic Artists and Innovators"(1983).

Elaine has brought some of her dozens of portrayals of fabulous women to tens of thousands of women, men and children internationally at more than 500 venues. She has taught acting at all levels, including challenged children, and directed teenagers in stage plays. She has written, produced and acted in her own one-woman show, "Hear Us Roar, A Woman's Connection"; and was commissioned to write and perform "Hispanic Women Speak." She has a screenplay and two novels under her belt and continues to write both fiction and nonfiction as well as work as an editor and writing coach.

She teaches a variety of courses in adult extension--from how to get published to public speaking techniques. Included in several editions of Contemporary Authors, Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in Entertainment, Partnow has been the on-line columnist of "Women of Wisdom" for the award-winning web site, www.feminist.com.

Elaine currently lives in Los Angeles with her photographer husband and two dogs. She has done volunteer work as an educational interpreter for two park systems, mentored at the schools, and, with her rat terrier, Deva, has made pet therapy visitations. You can find out more about Elaine and contact her at her websites: www.TheQuotableWoman.com and www.EditingByElaine.info.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A grand compendium of memorible insights, April 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quotable Jewish Woman: Wisdom, Inspiration, and Humor from the Mind and Heart (Hardcover)

The Quotable Jewish Woman: Wisdom, Inspiration & Humor From The Mind & Heart is a grand compendium of memorible insights, zingers, platitudes, deep thoughts and much more from Jewish women throughout history up to the modern day. Contributions from more than 300 Jewish women from a wide variety of nations and backgrounds cover topics ranging from beauty to spirituality to friendship, motherhood, politics, work, holiday celebrations and much more. Categorized by subject, with a biographical index offering a paragraph of background about each notable woman quoted, The Quotable Jewish Woman is a superb resource for looking up the perfect filler to round out one's article, spice to heat up one's discussion, or just plain leisure reading with the tang of wisdom. "The wars say it to us - all of Europe, all of Vietnam - and / Nuremburg: never wait to speak against these horrors. / To act against these horrors / Do not let them be abstract and distant. / They look at you with human eyes..." - Muriel Rukeyser.`

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never leaves my desk, April 10, 2009

By 

A. Kelly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Quotable Jewish Woman: Wisdom, Inspiration & Humor from the Mind and Heart (Paperback)

This book is always on my desk. I use the quotes in it for just about everything. A mental pick my up when I'm feeling down. A spiritual guide when I struggle. As part of my signature on emails and letters. I have given several now as Bat Mitzvah gifts. You will find yourself coming back to this book time and time again.