Osnat and Her Dove

December 21, 2020
Despite the fact that girls in 15th-century Mosul were expected to do chores—“Reading is for boys”—Osnat convinces her rabbi father, who builds yeshivas, to teach her to read. “You don’t have any boys. If your daughter wants to learn,” she says, “why not teach her?” She befriends a dove, who becomes her faithful companion. As she grows older, she asks her father to seek a groom who will allow her to study Torah, and she helps run her father’s religious school while raising her own children. After her father’s death and, later, her husband’s, she becomes the school’s leader, making her the first female rabbi. As with other religious figures, legends grew up around Osnat, including some in which she has supernatural abilities, and Samuel (The Mystics of Mile End, for adults) recounts some of these, beginning with a hunter’s attack on her dove, which miraculously heals. The story is warmed with lush spreads by Mintzi (The Girl with a Brave Heart), whose intense, saturated hues set the blues of night against the reds and oranges of candle-lit windows, robes, and carpets. A rich portrait of an early female Jewish hero. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from January 1, 2021

Gr 2-4-This loose biography relates the little known story of the first female rabbi, Osnat Barzani, a Kurdish Jew whose knowledge of the Torah and leadership of a yeshiva in ancient Iraq broke gender barriers. In language reminiscent of a fairy tale, a child named Osnat is born in 1590-"almost five hundred years ago, when almost everyone believed in miracles." Born into a family with no sons, and surrounded by books, she convinces her father, a rabbi in the yeshiva, to teach her to read. As Osnat (and her knowledge and reputation) grows, her father intervenes to arrange a marriage conducive to her continued study of Hebrew scriptures. After her father and husband die, Osnat receives a vision in a dream from her father to assume leadership of the yeshiva. Legends of Osnat, such as her healing of her pet dove and of the sick, as well as a supernatural intervention during a fire at a synagogue, are included. There is an author's note, and while there is no glossary, words such as davul and kubbah are clearly understood in context. Gouache illustrations with mostly full-page backgrounds of blue, red and gold depict Osnat's tale, and include religious symbols such as a dove (denoting peace) and the number seven (considered a perfect number in Judaism). VERDICT A vibrant life story, with imagined conversations and brilliant illustrations, that will find a home in every collection.-Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano P.L., TX

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2021
One woman takes her love of Jewish religious learning to exalted heights. Born the daughter of a learned rabbi, Osnat Barzani convinced him to teach her Hebrew and the holy texts of Judaism. This was indeed a rare occurrence, as Osnat was born in Mosul, in today's Iraq, in 1590. She embraced her studies and, after her father's death, began teaching in his yeshiva. Her freedom to choose a husband who supported her passion for study was just as unusual for the time. Her wisdom was so great and so respected that everyone accepted and honored her. The students called her "Tanna'it, a title given only to the most respected teachers." Samuel tells about Osnat's extraordinary life and seamlessly weaves in some of the many legends and miracles that were part of her life story. Healing her injured pet dove and saving a synagogue and its Torah scrolls from a fire were but two of them. Mintzi's layered gouache paintings beautifully convey this long-ago time with street scenes, yeshiva interiors, and starlit roads. In one evocative double-page spread, Hebrew letters dance across the pages, many taking the shape of stylized animals in Osnat's imagination. Fact and legend become one in an inspiring story of an exceptional woman. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 9-12)

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February 1, 2021
Grades K-3 Born in Mosul over 400 years ago, Osnat Barzani's supportive rabbi father taught her to read Hebrew and she spent her childhood studying Torah, Talmud, Midrash, and Kabbalah. She agreed to marry her husband, Jacob, only after he promised to allow her to continue her sacred studies. Following the deaths of her father and husband, Osnat became the head of the Mosul yeshiva, a rarity for women of that time. Samuel's account of Osnat is spare on personal details, instead focusing on the lore that surrounds her: heeding advice from her deceased father, who appeared to her in dreams; healing her injured pet dove; and saving a temple from fire with the aid of doves. Mintzi's vibrant illustrations feature colorful sixteenth-century costumes and setting details and depict many textile patterns. Red and blue hues predominate, accented in purple and gold shades. Particularly creative is the spread depicting Hebrew letters morphed into animals and plants. Perfect for religious collections and libraries with high demand for Judaica.

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