Winner of numerous championship victories, including the triple crown, Helen Hull Jacobs was a force to be reckoned with on the tennis court in the 1920s and 1930s. Her love for the court was only rivaled by her passion for writing, to which she dedicated the second half of her life, writing over 21 books, many about tennis.

On May 24, 1993, Roberta Achtenberg became the first openly gay person confirmed by the United States Senate for a major political post when she was voted in by a 58-31 margin.  Achtenberg’s appointment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development marked a historic turning point in American LGBTQ history.

In some ways this “identity revolution” introduces a new type of social order.

Connected by a visceral understanding of one another, queer Jews are able to widen each other’s understanding of Judaism.

Marcia Judith Prince Freedman was an American-Israeli feminist writer, Knesset member, and advocate for women's rights who played a pivotal role in establishing Israel's feminist movement. Her activism included founding consciousness-raising groups, advocating for equal pay and reproductive rights, and challenging sexist religious laws. She also became politically involved in the United States, pushing for a new perspective on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. 

Denise Eger, the first openly gay president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and known for her trailblazing activism, was born on March 14, 1960. Eger’s rabbinical career spanned several decades and she notably served California’s queer Jewish community at the height of the AIDS crisis. 

As 2024 draws to a close, the JWA team takes a moment to celebrate some of the incredible moments and achievements of Jewish women and gender-expansive people from the past year. Here are our picks for the standouts that inspired us, made us laugh, and reminded us of the power of resilience, community, and creativity.

I feel most sure of my gender identity and presentation when it melds with my Jewish cultural identity.

Surrealist photographer Claude Cahun lived their life in a spirit of rebellion and defiance. From their precocious teenage years, defying conventional ideals of beauty and femininity with their shaven head and male attire, to their direct resistance of German occupying forces, they active worked against the suppression of liberty and freedom—a life of resistance. 

JWA chats with poet and activist Joy Ladin about her two new books, gender transformations, and resisting tyranny.

Jill Hammer's fantasy debut is an enchanting blend of female friendship, Jewish mysticism, and epic adventure. 

Charlotte Charlaque was a transgender trailblazer, actress, and translator in Weimer Berlin and post-Shoah New York City. 

Elana Dykewomon was a poet, novelist, editor, theorist, lesbian, and cultural worker. Her lesbian and Jewish identities and commitments informed and shaped her award-winning novels and other writings, and she made significant theoretical contributions to lesbian separatism and fat liberation.

JWA talks to author and educator Liz Kleinrock about her new book, What Jewish Looks Like, and about making Jewish communities more inclusive. 

The film shines brightest as a catalog of one woman’s robust self-mythology, written and rewritten to protect herself from the reality of how she was perceived by the world.

JWA chats with internationally recognized human rights lawyer Julie F. Kay.

JWA talks to Mildred Faintly about her recently published translation of Else Lasker-Schüler's book of poetry,Styx.

The history of sex and sexuality in America is replete with episodes of repression and censure. But from Dr. Ruth, we learn an alternative narrative of joyful candor.

JWA talks to Brazilian artist Giselle Beiguelman about her "Botannica Tirannica" exhibition, which explores how common botanical names both mirror and perpetuate societal prejudices. 

JWA talks to Dena Eber about her passion for photography and her new bookYou Refuse to Believe That You Ever Liked Pink.

My great-aunt Charlotte has taught me so much. But until recently, I didn't even know she existed.