Children have little conception that the world outside of their own could be different from the one they already know. However, as a young Jewish girl growing up in the 50's and 60's in Montreal, Canada I always felt different; set apart.
These feelings stemmed from being an 'Anglo' in a French community, a Jew in a powerfully Catholic province, and lastly female, without an equal voice. This 'outsider' experience challenged, exhausted and eventually prepared me to tell stories of other Jewish women from another place and time, who also found themselves set apart.
Who were these Jewish women pioneering the dusty trails of the West? Brave and willing to stray from their familiar lives in order to endure adventure, hardship and illness? How did these women impact the isolated and primitive territory they found themselves in? How did they shape the lives of their families and their larger communities?
The voices and faces of these early pioneer Jewish women have captured my heart and imagination. I am compelled to tell their stories.
Andrea Kalinowski
Santa Fe, New Mexico 1999