Schenirer’s brother, a prominent member of the Belz community, tried to discourage her. He insisted that her chances of success were slim. But she persisted. Finally, he agreed to take her to meet with the Belzer Rebbe. Upon hearing her idea of a school, the rebbe offered her two words: “Mazel u’bracha” (success and blessing). Armed with the rebbe’s support (and, eventually, that of the Chofetz Chaim,) Schenirer set out to found her school. In 1918 she gathered seven young pupils in a rented room in Krakow. Her endeavor was wildly successful. Within five years, Schenirer’s seven students had mushroomed to seven schools, numbering over 1,000 students.
By 1933, just ten years later, there were 265 schools for Jewish girls in Poland alone, with nearly 38,000 students enrolled. Schenirer’s idea that had taken Jewish Europe by storm would become known as the Bais Yaakov movement. Throughout Eastern Europe, youth groups, summer seminars and camps also cropped up, with Schenirer’s influence and presence remaining at the center of the movement long after her death in 1935.
Schenirer serves as an unlikely symbol of women’s empowerment. She rose from an anonymous background and worked within the existing structure of Torah and social conventions to influence and preserve Jewish identity and continuity. Her methods were unique for a time that was filled with unrest and agitation for social change. Rather than wielding a picket sign or gathering the masses, Schenirer held a schoolbook and educated them.
Great leaders like Miriam and like Sarah Schenirer possess the capacity to challenge the status quo that confronts them. They are willing to think outside of the boxes in which they find themselves and take risks as they forge ahead. They question, speculate, experiment, and advocate, all for the purpose of improving the lives of those around them.
Great leaders also inspire hope in others and create a shared vision of a better tomorrow. They recognize that the problems of today are ephemeral and can be overcome with the proper blend of vision, effort, desire, and faith, just as they were for those great women.
