The Lives of Jessie Sampter

“Sarah Imhoff presents the remarkable story of Jessie Sampter, whose life breaks with all the conventional associations of a Zionist pioneer. Disabled due to polio, living with a woman in mandate-era Palestine, and a pacifist and internationalist with right-wing Zionist politics, Sampter violated expectations and flouted conventions. Using feminist theory and crip theory, Imhoff reconstructs Sampter’s life and the vital challenges she presented in her day and in our own.” - Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College

“In this outstanding book, Sarah Imhoff uses a luminous prose style, strong authorial voice, and the story of a woman well-known in her time but largely forgotten to weave together a collection of new and fruitful theoretical insights into subjects ranging from religious identity, the disabled body, and the nature of time to nationalism, queer desire, and historical memory. The Lives of Jessie Sampter makes distinct contributions to both religious studies and Jewish studies as well as to debates about what counts as (and why we do) historical work.” - Samira K. Mehta, author of Beyond Chrismukkah: The Christian-Jewish Interfaith Family in the United States

"Sarah Imhoff’s The Lives of Jessie Sampter is a thought-provoking exploration ... [Imhoff's] attention to method and multifaceted storytelling succeed in getting us closer to understanding all of Sampter’s complex queer, disabled, and Zionist lives."

"The Lives of Jessie Sampter is a master class in superb and scintillating writing. Imhoff engages deeply with queer theory and disability studies yet manages to distill them to their core and render them readily intelligible, such that the book serves as an excellent introduction to disability studies for Jewish studies scholars.' - Hannah Zaves Greene, American Jewish History

"The Lives of Jessie Sampter is a groundbreaking work that challenges how we think about identity, history, and the body. . . . For scholars in Jewish studies, disability studies, queer theory, and religious studies, this book is not just recommended; it is essential." - Alapa Odugbo, Journal of Disability & Religion