Onto Center Stage

“Reguer fills her narrative with minute details of what life was like in the women’s respective historical periods, which helps well-trod biblical stories come to life… Onto Center Stage is written by an academic and published by an academic press, but these facts should not scare potential readers off. The prose is easy to read and engaging, making it accessible to a wide array of readers… Onto Center Stage is an enjoyable peek inside the lives and times of biblical-era women.”

— Leah Grisham, Jewish Book Council

“Relying on extensive research on the ancient Middle East as well as on ‘her practical approach to reality,’ Reguer describes her method of ‘reading between the lines’ with the aim of ‘throw [ing] down the walls built up to protect the Jewish woman.’ Whether she is referring to traditional rabbinic commentaries or evolving legal and social mores that occlude real comprehension of the world in which Biblical characters lives, Reguer desires to enliven our connection to these characters through providing a sharp focus, including created dialogue, to amplify what we might call the ‘everydayness’ of their lives and milieux. A true highlight of the book is Reguer’s grounding her book in sound scholarly sources on topics such as ancient middle eastern family structure, polygyny and endogamy—history, anthropology and law are almost invisibly woven into her narrative, adding both depth and authenticity. … Not quite history, not quite literature, Reguer’s work succeeds as record of her teaching and also fulfills its intent of bringing Biblical women to center stage.”

— Janet Madden, Women in Judaism

“Prof. Sara Reguer, a master teacher who makes history come alive to her students and all her other audiences, has written a wonderfully insightful book on the characters and personalities of the Jewish women in the Bible and in Jewish history. A marvelous narrator with the ability to light the imagination, and with a deep love for students of history, she provides background and context while vividly describing events and personalities to her devoted listeners.

Part of a vanguard of modern-day Jewish women leaders, Prof. Reguer has helped usher in a new cohort of Modern Orthodox young Jewish women, serving as role model for intellect, courage, scholarship, all the while cultivating love and respect for Jewish tradition and learning. During the many times I have been privileged to learn from her, whether from her many lectures or at the Shabbat table, she has always been able to inspire many young women with her depth of knowledge and enthusiasm, while teaching with an infectious wit and perspective.

Onto Center Stage: The Biblical Woman imparts to the reader an exciting perspective on the stories and anecdotes in the Bible that transmit our history. The book brings unprecedented attention to our heroines, who fascinate not only with their courage and virtues, but as well with their flaws and humanity. The stories are taught with skill, imagination, with an optimistic view towards finally bringing our foremothers the degree of admiration and reverence they truly deserve, the result of the intense work Prof. Reguer has invested during much of her career in her in-depth study. This book is a rare look into the lives of our women forbearers and evokes in us the joy of new discoveries in the history of Jewish women, bringing them alive to us. It will inspire new generations of girls and women to come.”

— Betty Ehrenberg, Executive Director for World Jewish Congress-United States and North America

“Professor Sara Reguer weaves responses to midrashic interpretations of biblical women in her modern midrash. Her narrative is teased from the text and based on her extensive knowledge of the history, customs, daily life, and material culture of the biblical period. This methodology infuses the biblical woman’s complex saga with a depth of understanding of its background and milieu; it animates and humanizes her and her actions and interactions with others, thus bringing the story and its characters to life for the contemporary reader.”

— Shulamith Z. Berger, Yeshiva University, Curator of Special Collections and Hebraica-Judaica