Women's Aliyah and their Lives

Women comprised more than half of the adult Jewish population of 19th century Palestine, due to the exceptionally large number of widows. Many women immigrated as widows and others long outlived their husbands. This lecture will examine the opportunities for women to use the cultural capital of their traditional society and realize their spiritual aspirations to live in the Holy Land. Once settled, women, both married and widowed, developed unique strategies for coping with poverty and overcrowding, as well as increasing their access to the perceived holiness of the Land.