Esther M. Broner, best known as E.M. Broner, (née, Masserman; July 8, 1927 – June 21, 2011) was a Jewish American feminist author.
E. M. Broner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Esther Frances Masserman July 8, 1927 |
| Died | June 21, 2011 (aged 83) |
| Spouse | Robert Broner |
| Academic background | |
| Education |
|
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | |
| Notable works | The Women's Haggadah |
Personal life
editBroner attended Wayne State University and received a bachelor's degree in english and a master's degree in creative writing.[1] She received her PhD in religion at what is now the Union Institute & University.[2] Broner returned to Wayne State to teach English and also taught at Sarah Lawrence College.
She was married to Robert Broner, a printmaker and painter, and they had four children together.[3]
Career
editIn 1976, Broner's first women-only Passover seder was held in her New York City apartment. It was led by her, with 13 women attending, including Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, and Phyllis Chesler.[4] Broner and Naomi Nimrod created a women's haggadah for use at this seder.[5] In the spring of 1976 Broner published this “Women’s Haggadah” in Ms. magazine, later publishing it as a book in 1994; this haggadah is meant to include women where only men had been mentioned in traditional haggadahs, and it features the Wise Women, the Four Daughters, the Women's Questions, the Women's Plagues, and a women-centric “Dayenu”.[3][6] A Women's Seder has been held with the Women's Haggadah every year since 1976, and women-only seders are now held by some congregations as well.[7][8] Broner led her Women's Seder for 30 years.[9]
Her papers are held at Brandeis University.[10]
Works
edit- Broner, E. M. (1985). Weave of Women. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253203540.
- "Body memories" and "Sitting Shiva for a lost love" in Umansky, Ellen M.; Ashton, Dianne, eds. (1992). Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality: A Sourcebook. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807036136.
- —; Nimrod, Naomi (1993). The Telling: The Story of a Group of Jewish Women Who Journey to Spirituality through Community and Ceremony. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 9780060608170.
- —; Nimrod, Naomi (1994). The Women's Haggadah. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 9780060611439.
- — (1994). Mornings and Mourning: A Kaddish Journal. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 9780060610715.
Broner had also written radio scripts for National Public Radio and plays. Her musical, “Higginson: An American Life,” premiered June 17, 2005, by the Michigan Opera Theatre (Broner, book & lyrics; Mort Zieve, music).
References
edit- ^ Margalit Fox (June 22, 2011). "E. M. Broner, Jewish Feminist, Dies at 83". The New York Times.
- ^ education, Elaine Woo Elaine Woo is a Los Angeles native who has written for her hometown paper since 1983 She covered public; Local, Filled a Variety of Editing Assignments Before Joining “the Dead Beat”-News Obituaries – Where She Has Produced Artful Pieces on Celebrated; national; Figures, International; Mailer, including Norman; Child, Julia; in 2015, Rosa Parks She left The Times (2011-06-29). "Esther M. Broner dies at 83; Jewish feminist, novelist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Sklar, Kathryn Kish (March 1, 2009). "Esther M. Broner". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive.
- ^ This Week in History – E.M. Broner publishes "The Telling" | Jewish Women's Archive. Jwa.org (1 March 1993). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
- ^ Non-Fiction: The Many Seders of Passover. JBooks.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
- ^ The Women's Haggadah (9780060611439): E. M. Broner, Naomi Nimrod: Books. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
- ^ Jewish Women's Archive. "E.M. Broner". Jewish Women's Archive.
- ^ "Women-Only Seder Held in Westmoreland County - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review". Archived from the original on 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ Cohen, Debra Nussbaum (16 April 2005). "Feminist Seders Reach the Promised Land". New York Times.
- ^ Smith, Craig Bruce (2010). "E.M. Broner collection". Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department. Brandeis University.