Michael Schatz Memorial Lecture

We are excited to welcome Authors Letty Cottin Pogrebin and daughter Abigail Pogrebin. They will talk about what gets passed on generation to generation,  feminist spiritual expression, and how women have transformed faith communities to achieve equality within their religious institutions and communal organizations.

LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN is an author, activist, and national public speaker. A founding editor of Ms. Magazine, she has also published twelve books — two novels, and ten works of nonfiction — most recently, Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy (2022).  Among her other titles are the novels Three Daughters and Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate;and the feminist classic, Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America. Currently, Pogrebin serves on the boards of Americans for Peace Now, the Ms. Foundation for Education and Communication, the Brandeis University Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and The Authors Guild. Her many honors include a Yale University Poynter Fellowship in Journalism an Emmy Award for Free to Be You and Me, and dozens of awards and commendations from a variety of NGOs, civic, religious and educational institutions. 

ABIGAIL POGREBIN is the author of My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew, which was a finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award. She is also the author of Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish, for which Abigail interviewed 62 famous American Jews — from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Steven Spielberg — about their religious identity. Her book, One and the Same delved into every aspect of growing up as a twin — of which Abby is one. (The identical kind.) Her bestselling Kindle Single, Showstopper, chronicled her teenage adventures on Broadway in a rare Sondheim flop. Abby received the “Impact Award” from the JCC in Manhattan, and the “Community Leader Award” from The Jewish Week in 2017. She served as President of Central Synagogue from 2015-18, and was Director of Jewish Outreach for Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign.