If Betty Friedan Attended the Talmud Class

This quilt shows a typical gathering of medieval Jewish men wearing the distinctive hats required by Christian society to set them apart.  The men are studying the Talmud.  But wait!  There is a female interloper who is pointing out a different interpretation.   It’s as if Betty Friedan joined the Talmud class!

I made this quilt in honor of my father, a civil rights attorney, who ran an extraordinary egalitarian Talmud class for 25 years out of his law office.  

The images of the Jews were based on illustrations in medieval manuscript and texts, especially the Codex Manesse, circa 1304, and Seelenwurzgarten, 1483.