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Having been a male dominated pursuit, Bible interpretation has long reflected a male bias and encouraged sexual stereotyping in the study of biblical characters. The history of Jewish Bible interpretation and the traditional Jewish emphasis on works of specific exegetes have, in turn, colored the educational materials used in Jewish school curricula and stereotypes have been perpetuated as elementary school children study the Bible. This thesis focuses on eight women in Scripture. After examining the Bible, selected rabbinic exegetical works are studied to see how this literature reflects or changes the Bible's image. A review of textbooks and teaching tools used for Bible study follows to see how these educational materials present the biblical women, whether or not they mirror classical Jewish perspectives on biblical women, and if they offer a varied portrait of the figures.

A comparison is made between the manner in which motherhood is perceived from a liberal feminist point of view within the patriarchal framework of modern western society, and the way in which it is viewed in ultra-orthodox Judaism among middle-class women. In considering some aspects of motherhood and marriage, a comparison is made between the ethics of liberal feminism, rooted as they are in liberal ideology, and the ethics of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. The problem of the exploitation of women during child-rearing and child-bearing years, as a result of financial dependence on an individual man, and the lack of legislation and protection for women in the private sphere regarding physical and mental abuse in marriage, is considered and compared with that of ultra-Orthodox Judaism where the private sphere is religiously legislated. / Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

The primary dramas examined in this study are Vicente Garcia de la Huerta's Raquel and Felix Lope de Vega's La hermosa Ester. This thesis is a textual analysis that seeks both to challenge and complement the existing literary criticism that has focused on construction of the female protagonists and the theme of heroism and culpability. Raquel and La hermosa Ester demonstrate the centrality of their female protagonists in the socio-political macrostructures of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through their ability to influence the functioning of a monarchy and its reigns of power. / The predominant theme that is explored is the ascension and descension to and from power as seen through the movement of the female protagonists within or beyond their social spheres. Other recurrent themes that are examined are the sin of pride, the virtue of humility, the vital interdependence between the monarch and nobility, the displacement of culpability and the fundamental role of the male characters. / Raquel and Ester, united in their tri-fold social marginalization as Jewish, lower class females, are juxtaposed with the dominance of a deeply rooted patriarchal, aristocratic and pagan society. While La hermosa Ester offers the possibility of ethnic, religious and political coexistence on the throne, Raquel does not achieve this ideal. However, Raquel's commanding presence is able to unveil the chaos that lies beneath the monarchical order. / The final objective of this thesis is to embrace the portraiture presented of two women who are catapulted into political realms, polarized in love, servitude, sacrifice and salvation, but who are uniquely bound by heroism, marked in a bleeding lover or blessed in the hymn of a nation.

Life for nineteenth century American women was full of restrictions and limitations. Frowned upon or simply not permitted to enter "male" spheres of activity such as professions, business and politics, many middle class women turned to philanthropy and reform work as the sole acceptable outlet for their energy, talents, and time. American Jews of German descent adopted the "Victorian ideal of womanhood" popular in the United States at this time, propelling many German-Jewish women to engage in charitable Zionist activity despite the general lack of support for Zionism in America earlier in this century. Among this group of bourgeois German-Jewish women involved in American Zionism was a poet, Jessie Ethel Sampter, whose contributions to the movement far exceeded those of the norm. Despite her limited Jewish education and upbringing, and extreme physical limitations, Sampter emerged as a pioneer feminist and Zionist, both in America and in her adopted country, Palestine.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: Steven Chicurel. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-91).

Thesis advisor: Sam V. Cochran, Elizabeth M. Altmaier. Includes bibliographic references (p. 117-130).

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When an actor approaches a character, s/he examines many facets of the play-the setting, the time period, the politics surrounding both of the former. S/he also looks into elements of the character-any noted physical attributes in the text, his/her financial and social status, what s/he wants and what obstacles are standing in his/her way. Often the last thing that the actor studies is the character's spiritual and/or religious life. When I was cast as Trina in UCF's production of Falsettos in the winter of 2005, I knew I wanted to approach the character from an oft-neglected area: her faith. Judaism is a vital element of William Finn's Falsettos, and in an attempt to be true to what I believed was Finn's intentional, prominent inclusion of this religion, its practice, and the stigmas that come along with being a Jew, and especially a Jewish woman, I planned to focus on Trina's Judaism. An historical analysis of the changing role of Jewish women through time, complete with a focus on Jewish rituals, practices, and routines, will provide details of the generations of history that precede Trina and shape her opinions about the world, herself, and what she "should" be. An analysis of the plot and characters of Falsettos will describe the world in which Trina lives; my rehearsal journal from the production will chart my progress of developing my portrayal of Trina, and a comparison between Trina and Sarah in the Torah will indicate Sarah as a possible "role model" for Trina.