Shapira-Luria, also known as Rabbanit Miriam, taught in
Padua, Italy. She conducted a
yeshiva (a higher institution for the study of central Jewish texts) and gave public lectures on Jewish codes of law. Female community teachers were rare in Jewish tradition but "not unheard of", according to
Norma Baumel Joseph, who lists as other examples
Huldah,
Bruriah,
Asenath Barzani, and
Nechama Leibowitz (the latter's biographer Yael Unterman is a descendant of Shapira-Luria's herself). Shapira-Luria was also known for her beauty, and she taught Talmud to elite young men from behind a curtain so that they would not get distracted by her appearance. ==Descendants==