Jerusalem: A Feminist History

FAIN: FEL-282246-22

Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Fordham University (Bronx, NY 10458-9993)

Research and writing leading to a history of Jerusalem from biblical times to the present, focused on the experience of the city’s women.

The history of Jerusalem is usually told as a story about King David, Emperor Constantine, and Sultan Salah al-Din – that is, as the history of a city that was founded, built, and ruled by powerful men. Throughout its history, however, from antiquity through the medieval and modern periods, the city of Jerusalem has been built, ruled, mourned, visited, and populated by women. Moreover, Jerusalem is often personified as a woman and depicted in feminine terms, a common literary trope providing important angles through which to explore how constructions of gender so profoundly shaped historical and theological conceptualizations of the city. "Jerusalem: A Feminist History" offers an alternative historical narrative that builds upon descriptions of women’s experiences, spaces, practices, and contributions to tell a new story. As a work of feminist history, it simultaneously probes how constructions of gender have conditioned depictions of the city’s history from antiquity to modernity.

Associated Products

A Queen in Jerusalem: Helena of Adiabene through the Ages (Book)
Title: A Queen in Jerusalem: Helena of Adiabene through the Ages
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: This book, devoted to the life and legacy of Helena of Adiabene, introduces readers to this fascinating queen. The book’s ten chapters are organized loosely chronologically. Chapters 1-3 examine portrayals of Helena in late ancient sources: the first-century writings of Josephus as well as those of ancient Christians and Jewish rabbis. Chapters 4-5 trace the figure of Helena in Jewish-Christian discourse in medieval, early modern, and modern sources, in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Chapter 6-8 focus on Helena’s tomb and its role in the preservation of Helena’s legacy in Jerusalem. Chapters 9-10 highlight Helena’s place in modern and contemporary Jerusalem, including the city’s streets, archaeological sites, and landmarks, both real and imagined.
Year: 2027
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Type: Single author monograph
Copy sent to NEH?: No

"Queen Helena of Adiabene through the Centuries" (Book Section)
Title: "Queen Helena of Adiabene through the Centuries"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: In this article, I trace portrayals of and references to Helena of Adiabene in late ancient and medieval sources, including Christian texts from the fourth and fifth centuries that promote the memory of Helena as a model for contemporary women’s patronage of Jerusalem, and some of which portray Helena as one of Jesus’ earliest followers; rabbinic texts that emphasize Helena’s connection with the temple and temple-oriented rituals; and versions of Toledot Yeshu in which she is remembered as the ruler of Jerusalem and the figure who saved Judaism from Jesus. These sources are quite different from one another, and yet in each one Helena is remembered as a prominent figure in Jerusalem. What does this figure tell us about the history of women and gender in Jerusalem?
Year: 2024
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

"Gender/Jerusalem, 1800-1970" (Exhibition)
Title: "Gender/Jerusalem, 1800-1970"
Curator: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Exhibition highlighting rare books and artifacts related to Jerusalem and the role of gender in the city’s history, held at the O’Hare Special Collections, Walsh Library, Fordham University.
Year: 2023

"Jerusalem: Judaism, Christianity, Islam" (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: "Jerusalem: Judaism, Christianity, Islam"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: In this course, students learn the history of Jerusalem from its founding in pre-biblical times until the present. Over the course of the semester, we ask: What makes space sacred and how does a city become holy? What has been at stake – religiously, theologically, politically, culturally, nationally – in the many battles over Jerusalem? What is the relationship between Jerusalem as it was and Jerusalem as it is imagined, in the past and today? Through engagement with a wide range of sources—including biblical lamentations, archeological excavations, qur’anic passages, exegetical materials, medieval pilgrim itineraries, legal documents, maps, poetry, art, architecture, and international political resolutions—students develop the historiographical tools and theoretical frameworks to study the history of one of the world’s most enduringly important and bitterly contested cities. Together, we examine Jerusalem’s past and understand its importance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Students also encounter persistent themes central to the identity of Jerusalem: geography and topography; exile, diaspora, and return; destruction and trauma; religious violence and war; practices of pilgrimage; social diversity; missionizing; the rise of nationalism; peace efforts; the ethics of storytelling; and the stakes of studying the past. This grant allowed me to incorporate substantial material related to the history of women and gender into the course, which substantially improved it. Student responses to these changes have been excellent.
Year: 2024
Audience: Undergraduate

Eusebius, Jerome, and Paulus Orosius at Helena of Adiabene’s Tomb (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Eusebius, Jerome, and Paulus Orosius at Helena of Adiabene’s Tomb
Abstract: Lecture about women in the Christianization of Jerusalem in late antiquity.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 02/27/2026
Location: Fordham University

"Manuscript and Archival Research in the Undergraduate Classroom" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "Manuscript and Archival Research in the Undergraduate Classroom"
Abstract: A session for local librarians about helping teachers in K-12 and universities incorporate archival materials, rare books, and manuscripts into their teaching.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 05/29/2025
Location: Jewish Theological Seminary

"Hands-on: Teaching with Manuscripts, Rare Books, Archival Materials, and Circulating Collections" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "Hands-on: Teaching with Manuscripts, Rare Books, Archival Materials, and Circulating Collections"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Roundtable Discussion about incorporating manuscripts, rare books, archival materials, and circulating collections into undergraduate and graduate courses at colleges and universities.
Date: 12/14/2025
Conference Name: Association for Jewish Studies Annual Meeting

"Josephus’ Helena between Adiabene, Jerusalem, and Rome" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "Josephus’ Helena between Adiabene, Jerusalem, and Rome"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Lecture about Josephus' portrayal of Helena of Adiabene in the context of his portrayal of other women in ancient Jerusalem.
Date: 09/25/2025
Conference Name: Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization, Yale Law School

"An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Talk about the portrayal of Helena of Adiabene, queen in Jerusalem, in the writings of two modern Jewish writers, Grace Aguilar and Heinrich Graetz.
Date: 09/07/2025
Conference Name: North Carolina Jewish Studies Seminar, Duke University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

"An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era: Helena of Adiabene in the Writings of Grace Aguilar and Heinrich Graetz" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era: Helena of Adiabene in the Writings of Grace Aguilar and Heinrich Graetz"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Talk about the portrayal of Helena of Adiabene, queen in Jerusalem, in the writings of two modern Jewish writers, Grace Aguilar and Heinrich Graetz.
Date: 09/25/2025
Conference Name: Jewish Studies Workshop, Yale University

"Helena of Adiabene: An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "Helena of Adiabene: An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Talk about the portrayal of Helena of Adiabene, queen in Jerusalem, in the writings of two modern Jewish writers, Grace Aguilar and Heinrich Graetz.
Date: 05/04/2023
Conference Name: Faculty Colloquium, Center for Jewish Studies, University of Minnesota

"Helena of Adiabene in the Medieval Middle East" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "Helena of Adiabene in the Medieval Middle East"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: A talk about the reception of Queen Helena of Adiabene in the medieval period.
Date: 05/20/2024
Conference Name: Medieval Middle Eastern Diversity Workshop, Oklahoma State University / University of Pennsylvania

"A Queen in the Tomb of the Kings: An Ancient Monument and its Modern Legacy" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in the Tomb of the Kings: An Ancient Monument and its Modern Legacy"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Talk about a tomb in Jerusalem and the queen who built it.
Date: 04/12/2024
Conference Name: Jewish Studies Workshop, Indiana University Bloomington

"A Queen in the Tomb of the Kings: An Ancient Monument and its Modern Legacy" (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in the Tomb of the Kings: An Ancient Monument and its Modern Legacy"
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Abstract: Talk about a tomb in Jerusalem and the queen who built it.
Date: 02/22/2024
Conference Name: Religious Studies Colloquium, University of Pennsylvania

"A Walk Down Helena Street: An Ancient Queen and Her Modern Legacy" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "A Walk Down Helena Street: An Ancient Queen and Her Modern Legacy"
Abstract: A talk about the legacy of Queen Helena in Jerusalem.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 02/05/2023
Location: Princeton University

"A Queen in Jerusalem: Who was Heleni ha-Malka?" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in Jerusalem: Who was Heleni ha-Malka?"
Abstract: Lecture about Queen Helena in the context of the history of Jerusalem.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 02/21/2025
Location: Netivot Shalom Synagogue in Teaneck, NJ

"A Queen in Jerusalem: The Life and Afterlife of Heleni HaMalka" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in Jerusalem: The Life and Afterlife of Heleni HaMalka"
Abstract: Lecture about Queen Helena in the context of the history of Jerusalem. [I cannot remember the exact date of this lecture.]
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 04/28/2023
Location: Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale

"A Queen in Jerusalem" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in Jerusalem"
Abstract: Lecture about Queen Helena in the context of the history of Jerusalem.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 03/31/2025
Location: Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale

"A Queen in Jerusalem: The Many Lives of Helena of Adiabene" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in Jerusalem: The Many Lives of Helena of Adiabene"
Abstract: A lecture about Queen Helena in the context of the history of Jerusalem.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 09/14/2024
Location: Princeton University Chabad House

"The Story of Queen Helena" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "The Story of Queen Helena"
Abstract: A lecture about Queen Helena in the context of the history of Jerusalem.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 04/07/2024
Location: Stoney Brook University Hillel

"A Queen in the Tomb of the Kings: An Ancient Monument and its Modern Legacy" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "A Queen in the Tomb of the Kings: An Ancient Monument and its Modern Legacy"
Abstract: Lecture about an ancient tomb in Jerusalem and its contestation as a site built by a queen.
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 03/04/2024
Location: Jewish Theological Seminary

"Queen Helena: An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "Queen Helena: An Ancient Queen in the Modern Era"
Abstract: A lecture about the modern reception of an ancient queen. [The date of this talk is approximate.]
Author: Sarit Kattan Gribetz
Date: 01/01/2023
Location: Limmud eFestival

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