“Well-behaved women seldom make history,” said historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Throughout history, women have used their voices to advocate for social change. The following women have infused their passions with their Jewish heritage, changing the world for the better.

Rahel Edri

65-year-old Rahel Edri became famous after sharing how she held off Hamas attackers on Oct. 7, 2023—with cookies and tea (source). Edri and her husband were held hostage in their Ofakim home for 15 hours, but Edri managed the situation by showing her captors the way of the Jewish grandmother. Edri is a symbol of kindness, resistance and Jewish values, and her lovingness and cleverness make her an iconic woman of history.

Bella Abzug

“Battling Bella” Abzug was a leader in the eco-feminism movement. A daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Abzug grew up working at her father’s deli. She became a lawyer and later a U.S. House Representative. Abzug advocated for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Zionism and the environment. She attributed her feminist values to growing up in an Orthodox synagogue and taking issue with limitations enforced on women, such as being restricted to the back of the synagogue and not being permitted to say the mourner’s Kaddish (source).

Betty Friedan

Betty Friedan’s 1963 book “The Feminine Mystique” is widely regarded as the stimulator for the second-wave feminist movement (source). Friedan was born to Jewish immigrants and spent her young adulthood writing for various leftist publications. As a labor union journalist, she became inspired to write about women’s injustices in the workplace, and her writings coalesced into the inspirational book that would spark national change. 

Gertrude Elion

Gertrude Elion was a biochemist and pharmacologist. She was born to European Jewish immigrants, and saved up money working multiple jobs to fund her New York University education. Her most notable accomplishment is the development of the AZT drug, which was used to fight AIDS, and her extensive research and medical work is still being used.

Molly Picon

Molly Picon was a Jewish-American actress best known for her work in Yiddish theater. From age five Picon was a part of Jewish/Yiddish works in local theaters. In 1931, she opened the Molly Picon Theater and had her own comedy radio show. Later on, Picon would play roles depicting the “typical Jewish mother,” including Yente in “Fiddler on the Roof” (1971). 

Ernestine Rose

Often regarded as the “first Jewish feminist,” Polish immigrant Ernestine Rose was the president of the National Women’s Rights Convention. She spoke nationwide on topics such as abolition, women’s suffrage and public education. From a young age, Rose struggled with her relationship with God, especially with the nature of women’s roles in Judaism. Rose, the daughter of a rabbi, often butted heads with her father on religious matters, calling herself “a rebel at age five” (source).

Lillian Wald

Lillian Wald was a proponent of social change and public advocacy, born to German-Jewish parents. She worked as a nurse in poor communities and coined the term “public health nurse.” She later founded the Henry Street Settlement, a social service agency for underprivileged New Yorkers. Wald was also a leading advocate for nurses in public schools and helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Rose Schneiderman

Rose Schneiderman was a Polish-American observant Jew known for her labor advocacy work. Following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Schneiderman spoke out against unsafe working conditions and was later made president of the Women’s Trade Union League. She often advocated for women’s suffrage, helped found the American Civil Liberties Union and served on the National Recovery Administration’s Labor Advisory Board.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik is an American actress born to European Jewish immigrants. While she was raised as a Reform Jew, Bialik identifies as Modern Orthodox. Bialik has extensive acting experience, a degree in neuroscience and founded the Shamayim V’Aretz Institute, which advocates for the ethical treatment of animals. Bialik also spoke out against Harvey Weinstein during the #MeToo movement, and has described herself as a “staunch Zionist,” supporting Israel during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

No list of influential Jewish women is complete without the Notorious RBG. The daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant, Ginsburg was the associate justice of the Supreme Court for nearly 30 years. Ginsburg advocated for many causes including gender equality, abortion rights and affirmative action, and is regarded as one of the most influential justices of all time. In her office hung an art piece that read “Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof,” a biblical saying meaning “Justice, justice shall you pursue.”