The Revolutionary War divided Jews politically, but scholars have tended only to focus on what Jewish men thought or did. In this talk, Leibman uses schoolgirl samplers to reveal how Jewish girls crafted religious and political messages about the war. Many Jews sheltered in Pennsylvania, and consequently the region's sampler traditions influenced Jews’ wartime image making. After the war, as Jews returned to their old cities, they carried the Pennsylvania traditions with them.

Laura Arnold Leibman is the Leonard J. Milberg ’53 Professor in American Jewish Studies at Princeton University. Her work focuses on religion and the daily lives of women and children in early America and uses everyday objects to help bring their stories back to life. She is the recipient of numerous National Jewish Book Awards for her multiple books on the history of Jewish Life in America.

Presented by the Berman Center for Jewish Studies and the Gipson Institute for 18th Century Studies.

This program is made possible by an endowment from Franklin E. Robbins, whose legacy continues through this contribution in his honor.