E. M. Broner | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Esther Frances Masserman July 8, 1927 |
| Died | June 21, 2011 (aged 83) |
| Spouse | Robert Broner |
| Academic background | |
| Education |
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| Academic work | |
| Institutions | |
| Notable works | The Women's Haggadah |
Esther M. Broner, best known as E.M. Broner, (née, Masserman; July 8, 1927 – June 21, 2011) was a Jewish American feminist author.
Broner attended Wayne State University and received a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in creative writing.[1] She received her PhD in religion at what is now the Union Institute & University.[2] Broner returned to Wayne State to teach English and also taught at Sarah Lawrence College.
She was married to Robert Broner, a printmaker and painter, and they had four children together.[3]
In 1976, Broner's first women-only Passover seder was held in her New York City apartment. It was led by her, with 13 women attending, including Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, and Phyllis Chesler.[4] Broner and Naomi Nimrod created a women's haggadah for use at this seder.[5] In the spring of 1976 Broner published this “Women’s Haggadah” in Ms. magazine, later publishing it as a book in 1994; this haggadah is meant to include women where only men had been mentioned in traditional haggadahs, and it features the Wise Women, the Four Daughters, the Women's Questions, the Women's Plagues, and a women-centric “Dayenu”.[3][6] A Women's Seder has been held with the Women's Haggadah every year since 1976, and women-only seders are now held by some congregations as well.[7][8] Broner led her Women's Seder for 30 years.[9]
Her papers are held at Brandeis University.[10]
Broner had also written radio scripts for National Public Radio and plays. Her musical, “Higginson: An American Life,” premiered June 17, 2005, by the Michigan Opera Theatre (Broner, book & lyrics; Mort Zieve, music).
