Last week was Jewesses Who Rock (literally) Week on Jewess Blog. Check it out! And speaking of, this week marks the 113th anniversary — (“centennial + bat mitzvah!”) — of the launch issue of The American Jewess, the first English-language publication directed to American Jewish women. Writes Rebecca Honig Friedman with backup from the Jewish Women’s Archive Staff:

Published between April 1895 and August 1899, the magazine covered an evocative range of topics, from demands for synagogue membership for women, to Zionism, to health and fashion tips, to the propriety of women riding bicycles.

The phrase “American Jewess,” in the 1890s, described a new type of Jewish woman — one who could fully embrace the possibilities of both the religious and national aspects of her identity. The American Jewess set out to explore the challenges and possibilities inherent in this new identity, proclaiming that “never before, in the history of Judaism have its women more energetically devoted themselves to reviving the noblest elements of their ancestral faith.” Thanks to the Jewish Women’s Archive—in partnership with Hebrew Union College, Brandeis University Libraries, and the Library of Congress—the archives of The American Jewess are available online — in search-able, browse-able form.

Tres cool.