In Sydney, these included the Jewish Girls' Guild, founded to engage in non-sectarian work (Marks, 125-7), and the Help-in-Need Society, established in 1898. During the depression of the 1890s, other such charitable organisations run by women were established. In Victoria, a similar organisation, the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society, was founded in 1857. The second women's organisation to be registered formally in Australia, it continued to function until 1981. One of the earliest Jewish charitable organisations created in Sydney was the Sydney Ladies' Hebrew Benevolent and Maternity Society, founded in 1844 to provide relief for distressed Jewish women (Porush, 1944, 77). In Jewish tradition, 'tzeddakah' (charity) is seen as central, and here Jewish women quickly made their mark. Until the 1920s, the main contribution of Jewish women was either as helpmates to their husbands or in philanthropic endeavours. Women and Communal Life: Jewish Women and Welfare As well, Jewish women have played an active role in the feminist movement. ![]() More recently, however, key individuals have emerged as leaders in their own right, and both within progressive Judaism and Modern Orthodoxy, the role of women in synagogues has been changing. ![]() It is also not dissimilar to that of women in the general Australian community, a subject of much critical commentary by feminist writers. However, the status of Jewish women in religious life is similar to the situation of women in all the 'Abrahamic faiths', including Christianity, and particularly orthodox Christianity. Being Jewish is seen as a way of life, so that Jewish women have been active in many different spheres within their community, including philanthropic endeavours, education and cultural life, assisting Jewish refugees before and after World War II, and supporting Zionism.
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