On February 27, an audience of faculty, students, and the public community members assembled in Grand Rapids for the 5th annual Padnos Public Engagement on Jewish Learning Event. Sol Drachler Professor of Social Work and Professor of Judaic Studies, Dr. Karla Goldman, presented a lecture called “How Women Changed American Religion: A Jewish Perspective” in the Regency Room on Grand Valley State University’s Pew Campus.This event was also livestreamed for the benefit of the Frankel Center’s audience in Ann Arbor.
WATCH THE LECTURE RECORDING HERE
“Women’s history is American religious history,” as historian Ann Braude has famously claimed.The 2025 Padnos Lecture explores how American Judaism has been shaped by general societalexpectations for women’s religious behavior andby new active roles Jewish women took on withintheir religious institutions. Major changes that took place included the restructuring of synagogue architecture with the removal of the women’s gallery, the redefinition of community through women’s volunteerism, and the introduction of women’s religious leadership, which also challenged conventional theology. Historically and today, American Judaism—in dialogue with American society and other models of religious practice—has constantly evolved and transformed in an effort to match the ever-moving targetof gendered expectations for religious behavior and practice.
Goldman directs the University of Michigan Jewish Communal Leadership Program, a collaborative effort between the School of Social Work and the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies. Her research focuses on the history of the American Jewish experience, with special attention to the history of American Jewish communities and the evolving roles and contributions of American Jewish women. Goldman’s lecture was an exciting addition to the Annual Padnos Engagement on Jewish Learning Lecture Series. It was made possible by a gift from the Stuart and Barbara Padnos Foundationto the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, This gift facilitates annual public educational activities in Jewish studies throughout the state, with a focus on West Michigan.
