Judith Eisenstein ( Kaplan; September 10, 1909 – February 14, 1996) was an author, musicologist, composer, theologian and the first person to celebrate a bat mitzvah publicly in America (see below).

Life

The bat mitzvah was created to address

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

's gender imbalance and is the female equivalent of a boy's bar mitzvah, signifying entrance into religious majority. Judith, the eldest of four daughters born to Lena ( Rubin) and Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (who was the founder of the Reconstructionist branch of Judaism), was the first person to celebrate a bat mitzvah publicly in America, which she did on March 18, 1922, aged 12, at her father’s

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

the Society for the Advancement of Judaism in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Kaplan recited the preliminary blessing, read a portion of that week's Torah portion in Hebrew and English, and then intoned the closing blessing. Her bat mitzvah was the first time that a woman led the congregation; as such it represents a significant shift for Judaism in America. Until this time women did not engage in public reading of the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

and a Jewish girl's transition from child to adult was not reflected in synagogue ceremonies. Reflecting on the ceremony many years later she said: "No thunder sounded. No lightning struck." "It all passed very peacefully." Bat mitzvah ceremonies are now commonplace within the Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism. At the age of 82, Kaplan had a second bat mitzvah. Various feminist and Jewish leaders, including

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book ''The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...

Letty Cottin Pogrebin Letty Cottin Pogrebin (born June 9, 1939) is an American author, journalist, lecturer, and social activist. She is a founding editor of ''Ms.'' magazine, the author of twelve books, and was an editorial consultant for the TV special '' Free to B ...

, Ruth W. Messinger, and

Elizabeth Holtzman Elizabeth Holtzman (born August 11, 1941) is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from New York's 16th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party from 1973 to 1981. She then ...

were present. During her life she was an author, theologian, musicologist and composer. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and studied at the Institute of Musical Art, now the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. She published a book of children's music, ''Gateway to Jewish Song'', and a number of cantatas on Jewish themes, including the popular "What Is Torah," with her husband, Rabbi

Ira Eisenstein Rabbi Ira Eisenstein (November 26, 1906 – June 28, 2001) was an American rabbi who founded Reconstructionist Judaism, along with Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, his teacher and, later, father-in-law through his marriage to Judith Kaplan Eisenstein, Judith ...

whom she married in 1934. Her translations of Hebrew songs are now enjoyed by Jewish children throughout the US. She taught music education and the history of Jewish music at the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies from 1929 to 1954. She taught at School of Sacred Music of Hebrew Union College-

Jewish Institute of Religion The Jewish Institute of Religion was an educational establishment created by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise in 1922 in New York City. While generally incorporating Reform Judaism, it was separate from the previously established Hebrew Union College. It ...

in New York from 1966 to 1979.

Death

Judith Kaplan Eisenstein died on February 14, 1996, aged 86, in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

. Her papers are included in the Ira and Judith Kaplan Eisenstein Reconstructionist Archives of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

Selected works

* * * * * * * * Shir ha-shahar ong of the Dawn(1974)

External Link

Drama telling the story of her ''bas mitzvah'' as if she had an Instagram account
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eisenstein, Judith Kaplan Jewish-American history 1909 births 1996 deaths People from Columbia, Maryland Jewish American musicians American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American non-fiction writers Reconstructionist Jewish feminists American Reconstructionist Jews