Description
Book SynopsisFrom its founding in 1901 through the second half of the twentieth century, the Fort Worth section of the National Council of Jewish Women fostered the integration of its members into the social and cultural fabric of the greater community. Along the way, it championed important social causes, including an Americanization school for immigrants and literacy initiatives. But by 1999, facing declining membership and - according to some - decreased relevance to the lives of Jewish women, the Council's national and local leaders found themselves confronting the end of the group's existence.Hollace Ava Weiner has mined the records of this organization at both the local and national levels, interviewed surviving members, and examined Fort Worth newspapers and other local historical documents. Her lively and careful study reveals that the Fort Worth Council of Jewish Women was, in fact, so successful that it prepared the way for its own obsolescence. By century's end, the members and the times had changed more rapidly than the Council.While ""Jewish ""Junior League"""" focuses on a particular organization in a particular city, it simultaneously serves as a case study for the exploration of important themes of women's and Jewish history throughout the twentieth century.
Trade ReviewIn Hollace Weiner's capable hands, the history of the 'rise and demise' of the Fort Worth Council of Jewish Women becomes a cautionary tale that anyone interested in women's organizations should read and ponder. A refershing and untraditional institutional history, Jewish 'Junior League' makes a major league contribution to Jewish women's studies. - Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University
