Hannah Chun
Research Mentor: Rebecca Wollenberg
Mentor Department: Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, LSA
Author(s): Rebecca Wollenberg, Hannah Chun
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 133
Abstract
Religious interpretations in the past and present strongly emphasize the role of male characters and their stories; thus, little room has been left for the stories and roles of forgotten and marginalized female scriptural characters. By seeking out these Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legends—such as Hagar, Bilha, Zilpa, Miriam, and Yitro—and looking at the Talmud and Midrash, we can gain more insight about these women and their role historically as well as how their role has been perceived throughout history. In addition, through the use of primary sources in translation and primary source databases in both the original language and translation we can learn more about these marginalized characters to rebuild a more inclusive and accurate representation of these women in history. For example, we looked at the story of Miriam who has little information recorded about her in the Biblical text. However, by looking at the Talmudic and Midrashic interpretations we learn that Miriam was a powerful prophetess, protecting Moses and resisting Pharaoh in the Old Testament. Learning about these stories allows us to create a more complete picture of marginalized women like Miriam, helping us to understand the important roles and stories these women have held throughout their history.
