From the Shtetl to the Lecture Hall

Jewish Women and Cultural Exchange

Luise Hirsch

• Publisher: University Press of America
• Year: 2013
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780761859932
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: Social Sciences

Until the 19th century, women were regularly excluded from graduate education. When this convention changed, it was largely thanks to Jewish women from Russia. Raised to be strong and independent, the daughters of Jewish businesswomen were able to utilize this cultural capital to fight their way into the universities of Switzerland and Germany. They became trailblazers, ensuring regular admission for women who followed their example. This book tells the story of Russian and German Jews who became the first female professionals in modern history. It describes their childhoods—whether in Berlin or in a Russian shtetl—their schooling, and their experiences at German universities. A final chapter traces their careers as the first female professionals and details how they were tragically destroyed by the Nazis.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• “To Quench Their Thirst for Knowledge Abroad”
• “She Was Like the Merchant’s Ships”
• “We Lived and Felt for Germany”
• Bread Students, Bluestockings, Bomb Throwers
• “Citizens of Academia”
• “Forced Right Out of Creative, Fruitful Work”
• Biographical Notes on Selected Women
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author
• Studies in Judaism