Beryl Lieff Benderly

Residence : Washington, DC

Biographical information
Prize-winning freelance journalist Beryl Lieff Benderly, has written two well-received Jewish books, Her Works Praise Her: A History of Jewish Women in America from Colonial Times to the Present (with Hasia R. Diner, Ph.D.) and Jason's Miracle: A Hanukkah Story, a novel for young readers. Her other books include In Her Own Right: The Institute of Medicine's Guide to Women's Health Issues, The Growth of the Mind (With Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D.), Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy (With Renee Royak-Schaler, Ph.D.), The Myth of Two Minds: What Gender Means and Doesn't Mean, Thinking About Abortion and Dancing Without Music: Deafness in America. Her articles have appeared in Jerusalem Report, Moment, national magazines from Glamour to Oncology News International, prominent web sites, and the Washington Post, New York Times, and L.A. Times.

She has taught at the Universities of Maryland and Puerto Rico and at Fisk University. Her honors include the June Roth Memorial Award in Medical Journalism of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the EMMA (Exceptional Merit Media Award) of the National Women's Political Caucus and Radcliffe College, two National Media Awards, an honorable mention from the American Psychological Association, three fellowships to study at the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, and a CASE Exceptional Achievement Award. She is listed in Contemporary Authors, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the East.

She has served for many years on the board and various committees of her congregation and also currently serves on the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which recently awarded her its Diane McGurgan Award; she is also vice president of Washington Independent Writers.

Discussion topics
Beryl Lieff Benderly's talks concern the amazing history of American Jewish women and their countless important contributions to American and Jewish life. Topics include:

• The amazing and dramatic story of 15 generations of Jewish women in America, a tale that starts in 1654 and continues to the present day
• How women built the American Jewish community and why their contributions get so little recognition
• How American women (starting in the early 19th century) transformed every branch of Judaism, building the unique religious life of American Jews today
• The inspiring history of the National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah and sisterhoods, and the central role they played in building the institutions of American Jewish life
• The surprising history of American Judaism
• What makes the American Jewish community unique in Jewish and American history
• Jewish mothers of invention: How female Jewish entrepreneurs transformed American life. From colonial times to the present, Jewish businesswomen such as Mary Ann Magnin (department store magnate), Lane Bryant (inventor of maternity clothes), Shirley Polyakoff (advertising genius who popularized hair dye), Ruth Handler (developer of the Barbie doll), Ida Rosenthal (co-inventor of the modern bra), and Regina Horowitz Margareten (the kosher food tycoon), have played a crucial but unappreciated role in American business.

She can also do talks on topics of special interest to particular communities: Ex: the role of Jewish women in building Denver's world-class respiratory hospital.

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For more information please contact Carol Fass Publicity & Public Relations at 212.691.9707