ESSAY CONTEST SPONSORED BY THE ROLE MODEL PROJECT AT MOMENT MAGAZINE
RBG’s Brave and Brilliant Women: 33 Jewish Women to Inspire Everyone
by Nadine Epstein, introduction and selection by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Select one woman from the book and tell us why this woman inspires you.
Available wherever books are sold, libraries and at momentmag.com.
WHO
9th-12th grade students.
All genders encouraged to submit an essay.
LENGTH
450-600 words
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Submit entries by May 31, 2022
Include your name, email address, school name, city/state.
rolemodelproject@momentmag.com
PRIZE
1st Place – $118
2nd Place – $54
Winning essays will be published on Moment Magazine’s website.
QUESTIONS
Suzanne Borden, Director of Special Projects
rolemodelproject@momentmag.com
Select one woman from the book and tell us why this woman inspires you.
RUTH BADER GINSBURG – Role Model to a Nation
Biblical Times
MIRIAM – Courageous Sister Who Saved Her Brother–and Her People
YOCHEVED – Defiant Mother Who Saved Her Son–and Her People
BATYA – Daughter of Pharaoh and Devoted Convert Who Rescued a Hebrew Baby
SHIFRA and PUAH – Midwives Who Outwitted the Egyptian Ruler
DEBORAH – Respected Judge, Leader, Warrior –and Prophet
Ancient Israel
SALOME ALEXANDRA – Queen of the Jews and Wise Leader
Sixteenth Century
GRACIA MENDES NASI – Visionary Shipping Magnet Who Helped Jews Find Safe Places to Live
Seventeenth Century
GLUCKEL OF HAMELN – Savvy Businesswoman Who Wrote Her Own Story
Eighteenth Century
REBECCA GRATZ – Founder and Organizer of America’s First Social Services Organizations
Nineteenth Century
ERNESTINE ROSE – Trailblazing Feminist and Fighter for the Abolition of Slavery
FANNY MENDELSSOHN – Talented Pianist and Composer Overshadowed by the Success of Her Famous Brother
EMMA LAZARUS – Poet Moved by the Plight of Immigrants Whose Words Continue to Inspire America
LILLIAN D. WALD – Champion of Community Healthcare for the Poor
EMMY NOETHER – Pioneering Mathematical Genius Who Developed the Field of Abstract Algebra
ROSE SCHNEIDERMAN – Relentless Advocate on Behalf of Poor Working Women
SARAH SCHENIRER – Self-Taught Teacher Who Created a Movement to Educate Orthodox Women
HENRIETTA SZOLD – Scholar and Activist Who Laid the Foundation for and Transformed Healthcare in Israel
FLORENCE PRAG KAHN – First Jewish Congresswoman in the United States
GOLDA MEIR – First and Only Female Prime Minister of Israel
GERTRUDE BERG – Radio and Television Star Who Built a Media Empire
Twentieth Century
REGINA JONAS – First Ordained Female Rabbi in Jewish History
RITA LEVI-MONTALCINI – Neurobiologist Who Won the Nobel Prize in Medicine
BESSIE MARGOLIN – Pioneering Lawyer for Equal Rights and Equal Pay for Women
BELLA ABZUG – Lawyer and Congresswoman with a Bold Voice for Women’s Rights
ROSALIND FRANKLIN – Ingenious Biophysicist Who Discovered the Structure of DNA
BETTY FRIEDAN – Author and Organizer Who Led the Fight for “Women’s Liberation”
NADINE GORDIMER – Nobel Prize-Winning Writer and Activist for Human Rights in South Africa
MURIEL FAYE (“MICKIE”) SIEBERT – Wall Street Maverick and First Woman on the New York Stock Exchange
ANNE FRANK – Young Writer Who Kept an Inspirational Diary While Hiding from the Nazis
ROBERTA PETERS – American Soprano Who Achieved Fame as a Singing Star and Popularized Opera in the United States
JUDITH RESNIK – Astronaut and First Jewish Woman to Travel to Space