The Conference will feature over FIFTY sessions and will seek to address the following four “pillars”:

• Women in Leadership
• Expanding Ritual Opportunity for Women
• Spirituality
• Social Justice

SCHEDULE OF THE DAY, click here for overview

9:00AM- 10:15 AM (PLENARY)

Opening the Conversation: Four Voices

Sara Hurwitz, Lisa Schlaff, Laura Shaw-Frank, and Erin Leib Smokler

Throughout the day, our sessions will focus on four "pillars" of JOFA: women's leadership, spirituality, expanding ritual opportunities for women, and social justice. Interspersed with these crucial themes are opportunities for creative learning and text study. At this plenary, we will come together to hear four women – Sara Hurwitz, Lisa Schlaff, Laura Shaw-Frank and Erin Leib Smokler— share their visions and reflections on each of the core ideals represented in our “pillars."

10:30AM- 11:30 AM (SESSIONS 1)

Women of the Wall, 2010: Prayer, Pluralism, Prejudice, Police and Politics

Jackie Koch Ellenson, Blu Greenberg, and Rivka Haut

Moderator: Gary Rosenblatt

The panel will deal with the the halakhic and spiritual issues of women in prayer at the Kotel, the agreement between WOW and the courts, the reaction of the haredi community  to the presence of women's tefila at the kotel,  and possible resolutions to the current political situation.

Why the Rambam was Wrong: Women in Leadership

Daniel Sperber

Many Orthodox poskim reject, out of hand, the possibility of women in positions of communal authority, be it synagogue president or Rabbi.  Basing their argument on the Rambam's concept of srarah (governance) and modesty , little consideration is given to important and relevant historical figures such as Devora or Bruriah or to social context.  Is the Ramabam's view  appropriate in today's world of  learned and serious women?

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss: Will Women's Leadership Change the System?

Ronit Irshai

Why remain Orthodox if Orthodoxy as an ideology continues to discriminate against women in almost every field of Jewish religious life? The only way to reconcile between Orthodoxy and Feminism is by working to change the system from within by creating a new kind of Orthodoxy. Would women who become posqot be able to do so?  This session will answer to this question by no, yes and especially - depends!

Bat Mitzvah and Beyond

Judy Heicklen, Daniel Rothner, and Aliza Sperling

How do we ensure that the Bat Mitzvah is not the pinnacle of a girl's participation in religious life?  At this session, we will explore the Bat Mitzvah as an opportunity for deepening involvement in ritual, learning and chesed with the goal of lifelong engagement in Jewish life.

“Lama Zeh Anochi”: A Con-textual Life (Part 1)

Reb Mimi Feigelson

Could it be that Rav Kook, Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, the Talmudic Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi and the Chernobler and Ishbitzer Rebbes were talking to you when claiming a space for your authenticity, your existential questions, and your desire to manifest in your true complexity, in God’s world?

They have been my textual-spiritual mentors, on my journey as an Orthodox Rabba and Rebbe for the last fifteen years.  What are your covenantal texts? What teachings define you and demand of you to stand in your greatness?

This session is a double session but please feel comfortable to join for either half or at any time!

Separate but Equal?  Exploring the Issues of All-Girls Learning

Panel

Modern Orthodox schools in America deal with the issue of co-education in a variety ways.  Some schools are completely co-ed, others completely separate the sexes, while others separate boys and girls for Judaic Studies classes only.  There is a fear that if girls are taught separately, they will not be taught the same material at the same level as their male counterparts, but does this have to be the reality?  Is there a value in reclaiming girls only space and teaching all-girls classes?  What does this all mean for girls learning?  What is the value of girls learning together without boys?  What is gained and what is lost in this endeavor?  These questions and others will be discussed by a panel of students from different schools.

Should our Sister be Made a Harlot?: A Jewish Response to Sex Slavery and Human Trafficking

Gilah Kletenik

In what way do Scriptural and Rabbinic texts shed light on the plight of modern-day sex slavery? What is the state of the commercial sex industry and the global trafficking network? How many millions of women and children are currently enslaved? How might our canonical texts and philosophical writings help us to move towards an understanding of the responsibility placed on our shoulders to respond to this horrific reality? Are there practical steps each of us can take to bring freedom to women enslaved throughout the world today?

The “Be an Orthodox Man” Box

Elana Sztokman

The Orthodox community sends messages to boys and men about what it means to “be a man.” Understanding these messages is vital for developing a healthy identity and for creating a vibrant community that is reflective, sensitive, and aware of the social and emotional needs of its members.  The talk is based on independent qualitative research among Orthodox men.

A Foot in Both Shuls: Partnership Minyan and the Orthodox Synagogue

Martin Lockshin and Sally Mendelsohn

Happily, successful partnership minyanim are found now in more than a dozen cities in the US and Canada. Each member in one of these minyanim has to negotiate her or his relationship with neighbors and institutions in the “standard” Orthodox community. In this session, members of different partnership minyanim will have an opportunity to share their experiences, and consider the relationship between the partnership movement and the rest of Orthodoxy.

Women on the Edge -- The Call for Divine Intervention

Rachel Adelman

We will compare three midrashic narratives on women who cry out, in moments of crisis, to bring about divine intervention:  Plotit bat Lot, before the destruction of Sedom, Rahel bat Shutelah, before the Exodus from Egypt, and Rahel, as the Israelites are sent into exile.  Why does the woman's voice, uniquely, have the power to transform God's will?

Akara Hilkhatit: Halakhic and Medical Perspectives on Early Ovulation

Dina Najman

When halakhic guidelines make it impossible for a woman to become pregnant due to early ovulation, how does halakha balance the value of having children with the importance of maintaining the shiva y’mai n’kiim – seven clean days of the niddah cycle.  We will explore the halakhic texts and various responsa literature which present possibilities for women committed to taharat hamishpaha to achieve pregnancy despite early ovulation.

Quilting as Prayer

Heather G. Stoltz

Using a specific prayer or transformative experience as inspiration, design and create your own piece of fiber art. Discover the power art has to express that which words cannot fully articulate and create a piece which conveys what is deep within our souls. No sewing or quilting experience is necessary! (Limited to first 30 participants)

11:45AM- 12:45 PM (SESSIONS 2)

Reaching Higher: Jewish Education for the Next Generation

Richard Joel

When educating our children, we must always strike a balance between our timeless Jewish heritage and the constant flux of the modern world.  Today, the Jewish community needs our best and brightest to take active leadership roles motivated by their sacred covenant with the Divine and infused with the most up-to-date skills and ideas.  Only through the combination of these pursuits can we reach higher to ensure a strong culture of values for the Jewish future.

Assembly Required: Building and Fostering a Partnership Minyan

Alanna Cooper, Jonathan Stein, and Chaim Trachtman

Creating a partnership minyan, and working to sustain it, can be daunting and time consuming, but, ultimately, tremendously gratifying. What does it take start a minyan, and to insure its continuity?  What particular challenges are involved in fostering a minyan that is dedicated to traditional halakhah and to creating a prayer space that belongs to both women and men? These questions will be addressed by our panel members, who have each been instrumental in founding a Partnership Minyan.

Morning Praise: How to Greet Each Day with Gratitude to the Creator--Even When You Can't Stop Worrying

Nessa Rapoport

Explore in conversation with writer Nessa Rapoport the experience and possibility of daily morning prayer.

Turning all the Boys' Heads: A Model of Educating Towards Greater Inclusivity in Israel Yeshiva Programs

Todd Berman

In this session we will examine the impact of post-high school yeshivot in Israel on their male students. We will strive to understand the hurdles and view curriculum examples of where yeshivot can inculcate greater halakhik observance while opening the minds of male students to greater involvement of women in Judaism.

Jewish Self-Reflection: Stretching the Spirit

Nancy Siegel

A yoga-inspired experiential workshop using breathing and relaxation techniques as a spiritual opportunity for self-reflection. These exercises (not yoga poses) will serve as an invitation inward.  The use of the breath will serve as a bridge between our body and soul, offerering an opportunity to feel the body/mind/soul connection. (Maximum of 20 people)

“Lama Zeh Anochi”: A Con-textual Life (Part 2)

Reb Mimi Feigelson

Could it be that Rav Kook, Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, the Talmudic Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi and the Chernobler and Ishbitzer Rebbes were talking to you when claiming a space for your authenticity, your existential questions, and your desire to manifest in your true complexity, in God’s world?

 They have been my textual-spiritual mentors, on my journey as an Orthodox Rabba and Rebbe for the last fifteen years.  What are your covenantal texts? What teachings define you and demand of you to stand in your greatness?

This session is a double session but please feel comfortable to join for either half or at any time!

Work-Life Navigation and Negotiation: Stories and Solutions

Joanna Samuels and Deborah Grayson Riegel

In the first part of this one-hour workshop, we will hear from three panelists as they reflect on navigating work and home life. In the second part, each of the participants in the workshop will identify a goal related to work-life and sketch out an action plan to address it with the help of Deborah Grayson Reigel, a personal coach.

“Women Unchained” – How Can We Protect Our Daughters?

The Making of a New Agunah Documentary Narrated by Mayim Bialik

Darryle Gillman and Beverly Siegel

 After laboring to move heaven and earth to get her daughter a get, Darryle Gillman resolved to go public to help other woman avoid a similar fate.   She enlisted writer/director Beverly Siegel who teamed up with editor Leta Lenik and they produced “Women Unchained,” a soon-to-be-released documentary chronicling six women’s experiences and featuring internationally known experts.  Exposing the impact on children -- and on parents who pay for their chained daughter’s freedom  -- “Women Unchained” takes an irreverent look at the process by which some women  must "negotiate" their way out of a Jewish marriage.  The session will feature preview clips and a discussion with the producers.

Ta Shma: Women's Obligation in Kiddush of Shabbat

Rahel Berkovits

Halakhic literature, from the Talmud to modern legal texts, discusses women's participation in the sanctification of Shabbat by addressing the following questions: Are women obligated in kiddush of Shabbat? What is the level fo women's obligation- biblical or rabbinic? May woman fulfill the obligation on behalf of others- men and women? May a woman who has already fulfilled her obligation repeat kiddush for someone who has not yet recited kiddush?

Quill in Hand: Soferet Workshop

Jen Taylor Friedman

If one writes a sefer Torah, say the Sages, it is as if he had himself received it on Mount Sinai. How can the simple act of writing take someone to such heights? By transcribing small amounts of text, we will explore how writing Torah can be experientially very different from reading or learning or leyning; how the pace of transcription can give one fascinatingly different perspectives on the text, and how the act of transcription can cause one to process it differently.Session capacity is limited. (This session will not include halakhic discussion.)

 Our Own Stories: A Writing Workshop

Alieza Salzberg

Can a male narrator do justice to a woman’s story? We will examine the portrayal of women leaders in the Tanach and rabbinic literature, and question whether the male story-tellers have endowed them with adequate power and independence. Our writing exercise will encourage participants to translate these characters into fully-liberated women or tell modern stories based on the heroines of the Tanach.

12:45PM – 2:00PM: LUNCH DISCUSSION GROUPS & TEXT STUDIES

For Lunch Discussion Groups, See Lunch Groups

"When the Women Refused to Strip Off Their Finery"   (Why Rosh Hodesh is a Woman's Festival)

Rachel Adelman

The story of the women's refusal to participate in the worship of the Golden Calf  is well known, but why their piety is linked to the reward of Rosh Hodesh demands further inquiry.  In this session we will look at midrashic sources, that link their piety with Matan Torah, and ultimately, to Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eve.  Rosh Hodesh is seen as a tikkun for the role of the First Woman in "the Fall".

Women in Midrash: Inclusion and Exclusion of Women

Avital Campbell Hochstein

We will look at the halakhic midrash (midrashei halakhah), analyze the language and thus the ways in which women are included in halakha and whether that means inclusion or exclusion from social, religious and other realms of life.

2:00- 3:00 PM (SESSIONS 3)

What do we Mean When we Talk about God?

Tamar Ross

The pre-Socratic philosopher Xenophon suggested that if horses and lions had hands, horses would draw pictures of gods like horses and lions like lions.  Is our God a person, only more so?  If not, who or what is He (or She)?  A brief look at the history of Jewish mysticism and particularly a few passages written by Rabbi A.I. Kook will reveal some radical and unexpected insights, significantly diminishing the gap between religious belief and heresy.

The Feminist Mystique: A High School Educator’s Perspective

Shira Hecht-Koller, Amanda Newman, and Lisa Schlaff

Join three high  school educators to discuss how feminism is dealt with in each of their schools, both in the actual and hidden curriculum.  This panel will address both the positive strides made by schools in incorporating feminism, as well as the challenges and areas that still need improvement.  We will also discuss the general level of interest in feminism (or lack thereof) in their schools.

Orthodox Women on Campus

Panel

How are Orthodox college women defining their roles within their campus communities?  What is the impact of the "year in Israel" on gender roles in college communities?  How are campus rabbis responding to college women's initiatives and concerns?  Through a panel discussion with students from different campuses in America, this session will explore these and other opportunities and challenges facing Orthodox college women today.     

A Rabbi by Any Other Name…

Rachel Kohl Finegold, Sara Hurwitz, and Dina Najman

Has the glass ceiling truly been shattered? What does the future hold for women in Orthodox communal leadership positions? Hear what today's female leaders have to say about the expanding halakhic, spiritual leadership roles available to women today.

Raising Sexually Healthy Children in an Orthodox World

Bat Sheva Marcus

We will address some of the major issues facing parents trying to raise children in the Orthodox community with a positive, healthy attitude towards sexuality, their own and others. How do you respond to issues of tzniut, masturbation, introduction of taharat hamishpacha and sexual identity? How do you function within the confines of a community, school or synagogue that may be introducing messages other than what you intend?

The Tent, the Field, and the Battlefield: The Dynamic Face of Biblical Motherhood

Judy Klitsner

What do the infertile, tent-dwelling mothers of Genesis have in commom with the military and spiritual leaders of the book of Judges? We will examine the stories of a range of biblical women, noting common themes as well as striking literary inversions of matriarchal and patriarchal language and roles

Jewish Camping: Women, Leadership and Empowerment

Sharon Weiss-Greenberg

Summer camp can be an empowering and eye-opening experience for staff members and campers. This session explores how Jewish camping can shape religious values and perspectives that can endure for a lifetime. We will discuss the process of instituting policies and practices that help female campers gain a deeper understanding of what it means to take leadership roles in rituals and beyond.

Creating and Recreating Jewish Rituals

Dasee Berkowitz and Elana Zion Golumbic

Come and hear about the process by which women are creating and recreating rituals to mark significant life passages for themselves and their families.  Through a ceremony to mark a simchat bat, a young girl's third birthday, and a ceremony created for a new grandparent, we will explore the ways in which new Jewish rituals are developed in dialogue with Jewish tradition.

Speaking in a Language Rabbis Understand: Preventing Agunah

Rachel Levmore

Persuading an insular and resistant community such as the rabbinate, to make use of innovative ideas in general is a challenge, all the more so when it comes to solving the aguna problem. A method which has been effective in disseminating the concept of prenuptial agreements for the prevention of get-refusal amongst the highly resistant group of Israeli rabbis, has been "speaking to them in their own language".

Our Own Stories: A Writing Workshop

Alieza Salzberg

Can a male narrator do justice to a woman’s story? We will examine the portrayal of women leaders in the Tanach and rabbinic literature, and question whether the male story-tellers have endowed them with adequate power and independence. Our writing exercise will encourage participants to translate these characters into fully-liberated women or tell modern stories based on the heroines of the Tanach.

 3:15- 4:15 PM (SESSIONS 4)

Halakhic Justice for the Agunah: A 40 Year Retrospective

Blu Greenberg

Despite 40 years of efforts and a flurry of interest in recent years, the burning problem of suffering agunot in our community remains to haunt our collective conscience.  Scholars, ancient and modern,  clash over possible solutions, and we will try to assess these conflicting positions.  A variety of  communal and organizational efforts have been built up in our times, and these too will be critically evaluated in our session.  Is it time for an agenda that will not keep us waiting another 40 years? 

What Should We Talk About When We Talk About Women's Leadership?

Dyonna Ginsburg, Rori Picker Neiss, and Alana Newhouse

In recent years, women's leadership has become one of the hottest  topics in the Orthodox movement.  However, there is extensive debate about how we should view the challenges presented by trying to better empower our women.  Is women's leadership a social justice imperative, where the failure to make progress is a violation of the rights of half of the (Orthodox)  Jewish community?  Should we see it as a socio-cultural issue, which requires further examination of the larger communal constructs before  we can seek to make major changes?  Or is it an education issue,  where certain grassroots realities have to change before we can make change from the top?  Join a conversation which explores these issues  and helps us envision a community that is more open to everyone.

Honoring the Community: Women's Participation in Public Torah Reading

Wendy Amsellem

We will study together some of the halakhic issues that arise in partnership minyanim, specifically looking at questions surrounding women's participation in public Torah readings. We will utilize both classical rabbinic texts as well as modern-day responsa.

Rediscovering Mikveh: Creating a New Construct in Thinking about Mikveh

Carrie Bornstein and Bat Sheva Marcus  

Once upon a time mikveh was presented to young brides as the panacea to all the problems in a marriage. More recently the pendulum has swung the other way and mikveh-bashing is the rage. This session will attempt to find a moderated, sophisticated view of mikveh through a feminist lens.

Ta Shma: Can Women Touch a Torah Scroll?

Devorah Zlochower

Despite the incontrovertible textual evidence that tum'ah, often translated as ritual impurity, has relevance only to the Temple and sacred foods, there is a popular notion that women, while in the state of niddah, should not touch a Torah scroll. We will examine the texts countering and supporting these practices. Are there prohibitions barring women in niddah from touching Torah scrolls? What are the sources for the popular practices that caused women in niddah to remove themselves or be removed from synagogues, studying Torah, and praying? What is the halakhic weight of these practices?

Reading In: A Conversation About Women, Orthodoxy and the Writing Life

Sylvia Barack Fishman and Tova Mirvis

Novelist Tova Mirvis and Professor Sylvia Barack Fishman will talk about contemporary Jewish fiction by and about women. Mirvis offers a unique window into the novels  that have inspired her and other writers and  will talk about why Jewish themes resonate in current fiction. Together, Mirvis and Fishman will analyze new directions in fiction, and discuss the role multiculturalism has played in Jewish literature.

The Orthodox Baby Boom: How Did it Happen and Can it Go On?

Viva Hammer

Observant Jewish women are having some of the largest families in America.  But it hasn't always been so.  Why are religious women having more children than their mothers?  Can families and the communities afford these blessings?  Is the trend a nine-day wonder, or a permanent fixture in the religious world?

I'm Not a Feminist, But I Play One on TV: Media & Gender in Srugim

Shayna Weiss

Srugim is an Israeli television show that focuses on the lives of religious Zionist singles living in Jerusalem, but the main focus of Srugim is the most universal of subjects: love and dating.  What can we learn about religious Zionist attitudes towards sex and dating by watching a fictional television show? How are observant Jews challenging the status quo via new media production? Is there a "religious" way to create television? Clips of Srugim will be screened and discussion will follow.

Isaac's Mother, Itsik's Muse

Miriam Udel

This session will examine the figure of Biblical Sarah through midrashic eyes, both classical and modern. Taking in both rabbinic midrash and lyrical poetry by the twentieth-century Yiddish poet Itsik Manger, we will consider some of the central tropes in the depiction of the first Jewish woman, especially as she related to others in her family.

Reclaiming Women's Names

Lynn Kaye

Jewish names not only identify us, but express our family history by including the names of one or both of our parents. We will examine forms of names used in Jewish legal documents like ketubot and gittin, the custom of brides signing ketubot, and styles of names on grave stones. Our focus will be halakhic opportunities to include women's names in these enduring texts.

Quilting as Prayer

Heather G. Stoltz

Using a specific prayer or transformative experience as inspiration, design and create your own piece of fiber art. Discover the power art has to express that which words cannot fully articulate and create a piece which conveys what is deep within our souls. No sewing or quilting experience is necessary! (Limited to first 30 participants)

4:30- 5:30 PM  (SESSIONS 5)

Mechitza: Meaning, Marginalization, and Membership

Dov Linzer

Some are high, some are low, some are make-shift and some leave women sitting closer to the ceiling than the Torah. The mechitza does more than physically divide the sexes, it also determines our perceptions about women's presence in the synagogue. In this session we will look at three different explanations for the role and function of the mechitza, and explore how these different models impact not only the physical realities of the mechitza, but also the degree to which poskim, rabbis, and we ourselves see women as members of the prayer community or as marginal to it.

The Rabbinic Team: A New Model of Leadership

Rabba Sara Hurwitz and Rabbi Steven Exler

As women join the ranks of synagogue rabbinic leadership new questions are asked: do women and men serve different populations, or serve differently? What are the strengths and weaknesses of a collaborative model?  Join Rabba Sara Hurwitz and Rabbi Steven Exler of Hebrew Institute of Riverdale as they discuss division of labor and their varying roles. Help envision alternative models for women and men clergy to effect community.

Jewish Women Doing Justice

Debbie Appel, Ruth Balinsky, Dyonna Ginsburg, and Adina Mermelstein Konikoff

What are social justice organizations doing in America and Israel?   How does the Jewish imperative to make change influence and shape our views of domestic and global responsibility?  Come join women from Bema'aglei Tzedek, American Jewish World Service, Jewish Funds for Justice, and Uri L'tzedek to learn about the work that they do, and how you can support and join their efforts to repair the world.

The RCA Prenup: $10,000 and Counting?

Susan Aranoff

In this session,  the legal/halakhic and procedural issues underlying several real, precedent-setting cases with the RCA Beit Din will be discussed.  In one case, a former agunah whose spouse had signed a pre-nup agreement was awarded  $10,000 in a din torah.  In another, an annulment was obtained.  Why did these cases have successful outcomes?

You Are Hereby Renewed Unto Me: Orthodox Women Challenge the Wedding Ritual

Irit Koren

This session will consider the ways in which women who identify as Orthodox feminists challenge, resist and adapt the traditional wedding ritual.  We will discuss the problematic structure of the traditional wedding ritual and how it affects the Jewish divorce laws and specifically the issue of the aguna; examine the ways women create different strategies of interpretation for the wedding ritual acts and how they accordingly change and undermine the wedding ritual; and finally refer to the different legal and halakhic solutions that can be used to "redeem" the wedding ritual.

The Revelation of Esther: Listening For God in Our Times

Erin Leib Smokler

We stand between Purim and Pesach, two holidays with very different portrayals of God in the world. In this session, we will explore the models of revelation that each holiday represents and think about what it could mean to experience revelation today.

Ta Shma: Can Women Say Kaddish?

Rahel Berkovits

The emotionally charged recitation of the mourner’s kaddish for a deceased loved one stands at the heart of the Jewish bereavement experience. Traditionaly, this public testimony to their bereavement and personal crisis has been seen as the role of the son; however, the possibility of a daughter also reciting kaddish for a lost parent is not a modern one. We will study the halakhic texts dealing with the situation in which no sons exist to recite the kaddish, and address the questions surrounding a daughter's recitation of kaddish in the synagogue.

"As if you Yourself Left Egypt": Learning Shmot with New Eyes

Judith Talesnick and Tammy Jacobowitz

The authors of JOFA's [elementary school] Shmot curriculum will introduce the  curriculum to participants by learning the midwive narrative in Shmot together.  Building upon participant's learning and questions, we will present the approach of the curriculum to participants and discuss the process used to develop each unit.  We will also discuss how our schools can be encouraged to use the curriculum in the classroom.

“Torah Im Shivyon:” A Vision of Orthodox Feminist Education

Elana Sztokman

The changes in Orthodoxy over the past three decades have failed to find parallel expression in the Orthodox school system. From preschool on, schools continue to send the message that women are predominately charged with the home, and men are in charge of prayer and ritual. Dr. Sztokman will discuss her vision of Orthodox Day School education that incorporates the values of equality, feminism and social justice intertwined with Jewish life and tradition – with perspectives on feminism for girls and feminism for boys. 

How Is this Commentary Different than All Others? – An Introduction to The Torah: A Women’s Commentary  

Andrea Weiss and Wendy Zierler

Dr. Andrea Weiss, Associate Editor of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, and Dr. Wendy Zierler, a contributor, will teach from this award winning volume, highlighting Pesach related biblical passages.   The Torah: A Women’s Commentary brings together the research and insights of over a hundred Jewish women: scholars, rabbis, and poets from around the world and from all segments of the Jewish community.  We will discuss how this commentary was created, what makes it unique, and why it is relevant for an Orthodox audience.

Fixed Prayer, Spirituality and Inclusiveness: Can Creative Liturgy Fit in the World of Halakhic Boundries?

Adena Berkowitz and Rivka Haut

Does the traditional siddur integrate women among those who pray? How do the newest siddurim deal with this issue? In this session we will explore the daily and Shabbat  liturgy,and discuss halakhically acceptable ways to  incorporate the spiritual needs of women, singles, and those with and without children. We will examine the delicate balance between inclusivenness and adherence to halakha and how to create a welcoming prayer environment for all. Special attention will be paid to women's participation in lifecycle events and in birkat hamazon, with analysis of sources dealing with women's zimmun of  three,  and zimmun of ten, along with general ways to increase kavannah in tandem with the keva of prayer.

5:30- 6:00PM : MiINCHA, SNACKS & SCHMOOZE