Columbia University
02/09 – Prof. Elisheva Carlebach Explores Women’s Power in Early Modern Jewish Communities – Columbia News.
Columbia historian Elisheva Carlebach explores the vital roles Jewish women played in early modern European communal life in her new book A Woman Is Responsible for Everything, co-authored with Debra Kaplan. Drawing on previously overlooked archival sources, the work highlights how women managed households and professions, led institutions, created texts and objects, and contributed economically and spiritually to their communities—from wealthy patrons to poor laborers. The book offers fresh insights into the kehillah, a thriving form of Jewish communal life from the early modern period. Read the full interview here.