Sharon Ann Musher

March 8 | JCA

12:30PM Luncheon | 2PM Author Talk

Brunch is generously provided by Rimon, the Portland Jewish Women's group. This program is also made possible by the Jewish Book Council.

In honor of Women's History Month, you're invited to join us for a special talk with author Sharon Ann Musher about her latest book, Promised Lands. In 1922, Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, first initiated the bat mitzvah as a rite-of-passage for Jewish girls. Characterized as a lifelong supporter of women’s rights, Kaplan’s family, including his wife and four daughters, played a role in shaping his ideas about women, culture, and Zionism. Promised Lands draws on a rich personal archive of diary entries, photographs, and letters written by Mordechai’s second daughter, Hadassah Kaplan, who was also the author’s grandmother. In 1932, Hadassah joined a small but influential cohort of American Jewish women who studied, worked, and volunteered in British Mandate Palestine. By tracing Hadassah’s journey, the volume displays how unconventional women like Hadassah were able to challenge cultural norms and experiment with ideological commitments while still remaining “good” daughters, wives, and mothers. Their knowledge and experience in volunteering, philanthropy, and education helped build American Jewish institutions and communities that centered on Zionism. Promised Lands illustrates what drew this generation of adventurous women to Palestine and showcases the legacy of Hadassah Kaplan and her fellow travelers on American Jewish life.