This book explores the experiences of Jewish women from North African and Middle Eastern backgrounds. The variety of well-written essays introduces readers to the worlds of a range of women, mainly non-Orthodox, who grapple with issues of multiple identities as well as of survival. One woman writes of her flight from persecution in Libya in […]
Sylvia Barack Fishman, an active JOFA Board member, heads the program in Contemporary Jewish Life in the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Department at Brandeis University and is co-director of the Hadassah–Brandeis Institute. Her book, “A Breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish Community,” is an invaluable guide to American Jewish feminism. Her most
Double or Nothing? Jewish Families and Mixed Marriage Read More »
JOFA members need no introduction to Tamar Ross, who has graced our conferences as a spellbinding presenter for many years, beginning with the first conference in 1997. Associate Professor of Jewish Thought in the Department of Philosophy at Bar-Ilan University and teacher of Jewish thought at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Ross can justly be called one of
Expanding the Palace of Torah Read More »
While we have many memoirs that describe the marriage ceremony, it is rare to find one that describes the ritualized and formal steps that constitute the giving and receiving of a get. This book is a very personal story of a woman’s experiences as her husband leaves her, and she undergoes the period of separation
The Get: A Spiritual Memoir of a Divorce Read More »
Many of us know of Dona Gracia Nasi from the elegantly written volumes by the eminent English historian Cecil Roth. This is a new biography by a former New York Times journalist who based her research on hitherto unpublished sixteenth century documents including diplomatic dispatches, interrogation records, wills and letters in royal archives. She both
The Woman Who Defied Kings Read More »
This book aims to provide the pregnant woman with medical information and spiritual nourishment from the Jewish tradition. While the material is not exclusively Orthodox, there are many prayers and techinot that will be familiar to the reader, as well as a discussion of traditional Jewish folk customs. Also included are prayers and meditations to
This remarkable book explores the story of Hannah Rochel Verbermacher, who functioned as a rebbe or charismatic leader in the nineteenth century. Her story has long been entangled in legends, and Deutsch carefully analyzes the available written sources and oral evidence, including the memories of former residents of Ludmir to introduce us to this fascinating
The Maiden of Ludmir: A Jewish Holy Woman and Her World Read More »
Many of us have defended Esther against her negative characterization as a passive personality who was totally manipulated by others. We have pointed out her astuteness, her growth in a leadership role, and her ability to initiate decisive and effective action when the time was right. This short and entertaining book takes this approach further.
What Queen Esther Knew: Business Strategies from a Biblical Sage Read More »
Jewish women are used to the traditional statement made by people who should know better that circumcision is the mark of Jewish identity. The Covenant of Circumcision: New Perspectives on An Ancient Jewish Rite is composed of sixteen essays by a variety of authors studying the history, cultural interpretations, and contemporary significance of Brit Milah.
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Deena Zimmerman is a pediatrician who is also one of the first graduates of Nishmat’s Keren Ariel Program as a yoetzet halakha (halakhic advisor on women’s issues). She is the creator and coordinator of the Nishmat Women’s Online Information Center. This book is a halakhic guide to the laws of taharat mishpacha. There are separate
A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life Read More »
