We turn towards history for examples of true leaders – those who have stood for a cause much larger than themselves, helped change the course of history and have put the community before themselves. Through the lessons and experiences told through the Jewish prophets, the Torah provides us with a moral code to live our lives by. The women of the Torah, our Matriarchs, have carried on the Jewish traditions through their selfless leadership and devotion to faith. 

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However, Judaism has very much changed since Biblical times. There are different sects of Judaism that have conflicting views on “how to Jew”. There are Jews that live every moment of their lives in a Jewish manner, those that attend services as often as they can, and those that identify as Jews but aren’t religious. Every Jew has their own customs and traditions, but in the end, we are all Jews. My goal is to create a pattern that strives to unite all Jewish women. This pattern could be used on an Orthodox woman’s headscarf, the tallit of a reform Jewish girl preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, or just worn as a neck scarf to display Jewish pride. 

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Looking back at the Jew’s Exodus from Egypt, I find inspiration in the first female prophet, Miriam, who lead the women of Israel towards liberation. After Moses parts the Red Sea, leaving the Egyptians to be engulfed by the waves, Miriam rejoices with the women in song and dance as their lives are spared. The iconic scene of Miriam and the women dancing with tambourines not only represents the strength and resilience of the Jewish women but also a moment when all Jewish women can rejoice together in their faith.