Samuel, Sigal. Osnat and Her Dove: The True Story of the World’s First Female Rabbi. Montclair, New Jersey: Levine Querido, 2021.
Almost five hundred years ago in the city of Mosul, a little girl grew up learning how to read. How astonishing! Girls were supposed to do household chores, not study books. But Osnat’s father – a respected rabbi – was willing to teach his daughter how to decipher the Hebrew letters of the Torah. She poured herself into studying and when it was time to get married, she accepted a husband only on the condition that she could keep studying. Eventually, she became a teacher of the Torah and finally the head of a yeshiva. Today, legends are told in Iraq about the miraculous woman who became the first rabbi in history. This picture book – illustrated by Vali Mintzi – is recommended for readers 9 years old and up.Â