Female, Jewish, and Educated: The Lives of Central European University Women

Female, Jewish, and Educated presents a collective biography of Jewish
women who attended universities in Germany or Austria before the Nazi era. To what
extent could middle-class Jewish women in the early decades of the 20th century
combine family and careers? What impact did anti-Semitism and gender discrimination
have in shaping their personal and professional choices? Harriet Freidenreich
analyzes the lives of 460 Central European Jewish university women, focusing on
their family backgrounds, university experiences, professional careers, and
decisions about marriage and children. She evaluates the role of discrimination and
anti-Semitism in shaping the careers of academics, physicians, and lawyers in the
four decades preceding World War II and assesses the effects of Nazism, the
Holocaust, and emigration on the lives of a younger cohort of women. The life
stories of the women profiled reveal the courage, character, and resourcefulness
with which they confronted challenges still faced by women today.