Review: Chutzpah Girls
Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women
by Julie Esther Silverstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer
The Toby Press (imprint of Koren Publishers), 2024
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Doreen Robinson
Buy at Koren
Mazel Tov to the authors of Chutzpah Girls, Julie Esther Silverstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer, for writing a must-have collective biography featuring 100 Jewish females with guts! Each spread shares an inspiring story of a Jewish female from around the world and highlights Jewish heroines throughout history, from Ancient Israel through the 21st Century.
Some of these fascinating Jewish women fought for feminism and Zionism, and fought against racism and antisemitism; some broke codes or broke glass ceilings. These stories feature Jewish women with incredible intelligence, some of whom have roles in intelligence, cybersecurity and defense. They are sports champions and champions of causes they believe in. Some fought as battlefield warriors and others fought everyday battles in pursuit of justice.
These women are trail blazers - educators and scholars, activists and politicians, inventors and designers, engineers and pioneers, athletes, astronomers, anthropologists and archaeologists. They are artists, actresses, musicians, poets, and writers. Some are versed in Torah, Talmud and Tanakh. Some are schooled in science. Some are secular, some religious. And all are experts in chutzpah: defined by the authors as “a Jewish superpower….to believe when it all feels hopeless, to shine your light in the face of darkness.”
Some of the women featured are well-known: Anne Frank, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Emma Lazarus, and Barbra Streisand. Yet many in this collective are unsung heroines with the chutzpah to change the world. They deserve the recognition and should be celebrated.
In addition to familiar biblical heroines, we meet many modern-day heroines. The ones that stuck with me most came out of the tragic October 7th terrorist attack. Inbal Lieberman defended Kibbutz Nir Am, and Rachel Edri engaged with the terrorists in her home in Ofakim by offering them cookies and became known across Israel as Cookie Savta.
This book is a must-have for libraries, and for every Jewish home. It is a perfect gift for a bat (and bar) mitzvah and serves as a reminder that Jewish women ROCK! Reading Chutzpah Girls made me k’vell with pride and want to learn more about these fabulous Jewish females. All children would benefit from reading about these women.
The illustrations are by 12 different female Jewish artists from around the world and are vibrant and cohesive in style. Each spread includes a memorable and inspiring quote. The back matter has a section where the reader can write their own Chutzpah story and draw a self-portrait. It also includes a glossary, a timeline, and world map, as well as an interactive QR code where the reader can connect with the authors and their project. Visit Chutzpahgirls.com for more information.
Reviewer Doreen Klein Robinson is a journalist and editor for community newspapers. As a first-generation American, she's proud of her Israeli heritage. Her feet are in Florida but her heart is in Israel. She writes stories for children that spread Jewish joy. Am Yisrael Chai!
Mazel Tov to the authors of Chutzpah Girls, Julie Esther Silverstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer, for writing a must-have collective biography featuring 100 Jewish females with guts! Each spread shares an inspiring story of a Jewish female from around the world and highlights Jewish heroines throughout history, from Ancient Israel through the 21st Century.
Some of these fascinating Jewish women fought for feminism and Zionism, and fought against racism and antisemitism; some broke codes or broke glass ceilings. These stories feature Jewish women with incredible intelligence, some of whom have roles in intelligence, cybersecurity and defense. They are sports champions and champions of causes they believe in. Some fought as battlefield warriors and others fought everyday battles in pursuit of justice.
These women are trail blazers - educators and scholars, activists and politicians, inventors and designers, engineers and pioneers, athletes, astronomers, anthropologists and archaeologists. They are artists, actresses, musicians, poets, and writers. Some are versed in Torah, Talmud and Tanakh. Some are schooled in science. Some are secular, some religious. And all are experts in chutzpah: defined by the authors as “a Jewish superpower….to believe when it all feels hopeless, to shine your light in the face of darkness.”
Some of the women featured are well-known: Anne Frank, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Emma Lazarus, and Barbra Streisand. Yet many in this collective are unsung heroines with the chutzpah to change the world. They deserve the recognition and should be celebrated.
In addition to familiar biblical heroines, we meet many modern-day heroines. The ones that stuck with me most came out of the tragic October 7th terrorist attack. Inbal Lieberman defended Kibbutz Nir Am, and Rachel Edri engaged with the terrorists in her home in Ofakim by offering them cookies and became known across Israel as Cookie Savta.
This book is a must-have for libraries, and for every Jewish home. It is a perfect gift for a bat (and bar) mitzvah and serves as a reminder that Jewish women ROCK! Reading Chutzpah Girls made me k’vell with pride and want to learn more about these fabulous Jewish females. All children would benefit from reading about these women.
The illustrations are by 12 different female Jewish artists from around the world and are vibrant and cohesive in style. Each spread includes a memorable and inspiring quote. The back matter has a section where the reader can write their own Chutzpah story and draw a self-portrait. It also includes a glossary, a timeline, and world map, as well as an interactive QR code where the reader can connect with the authors and their project. Visit Chutzpahgirls.com for more information.
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