The Jewish Women’s Archive Power Couples series matches members of the older generation with their successors in the new. Comedy writer-directors Nora Ephron (z”l) and Lena Dunham. Scientist/screen stars Hedy Lamarr and Mayim Bialik. Combining biography, history, and analysis, these side-by-side comparisons produce real insight and feel apropos in what the Forward 50 posited was “the year of the Jewish woman.”
Certain pairings seem straightforward. Bobbie Rosenfeld and Aly Raisman are both gold-medal-winning Olympians. It makes sense to contrast their careers to see what the differences in their experiences have to teach us about women in sports and sports history in general.
They also present a fun opportunity to gawk at factoids as they whirl by: “Rosenfeld played professional basketball, ice hockey, tennis, and lacrosse, competed in speed skating and javelin and discus throwing, and won Olympic gold and silver for track. When she played professional softball, she doubled as a player and manager for the Maple Leafs, a women’s softball team.” How’s that for light reading?
Some of the pairings in the series are less intuitive but I’ll take any opportunity to celebrate Iris Apfel. The series’ chief accomplishment is to remind us these women are one-of-a-kind.
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