In her article in this Journal issue, Norma Baumel Joseph refers to Orthodox Bat Mitzvah ceremonies in Brooklyn in 1944. I followed up on the lead and found fascinating detailed descriptions by Rabbi Jerome Tov Feinstein of Congregation Anshe Emes in the October 1944 copy of “Orthodox Union,” one of the forerunners to “Jewish Action”,
From the Archives: The Bas Mitzvah Comes To Our Synagogue Read More »
A mitzvah or hesed project can provide young people celebrating their Bar or Bat Mitzvah with the perfect opportunity to reflect on who they are, who they want to be, and how they can best have an impact on the world. The self-reflective process of choosing, designing, and implementing a mitzvah project can serve to
HaTov Ve HaMeitiv: Good for Oneself and For Others Read More »
There is a strong sense of “Jewishness” in the air at Barnard College/Columbia University. Whether one is strolling down College Walk or eating lunch in the cafeteria, the sight of familiar faces is a constant reminder of the Jewish campus community. At the Kraft Center, which houses the Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the beit midrash is a
Learning and Teaching on Campus—Where Are the Women? Read More »
Introductory thoughts The overall focus of this Education issue of the JOFA Journal is on topics relating to gender and education. As we worked on the journal, it became apparent that a critical subject that affects so many Jewish families—and, therefore, so many JOFA Journal readers—is the high cost of day school education for all
The Affordability Crisis Read More »
Six years ago, my husband, Saul Strosberg, and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Saul had just graduated from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School and had accepted the position of rabbi at Sherith Israel, the Orthodox synagogue in Nashville. For weeks after we made the move, I wondered what had made me agree to it. I
Living and Learning in the Bible Belt Read More »
As a passionate supporter of learning and ritual in Orthodox Judaism, as a mother of a first-born girl and two boys, and as a professional advocate, I recognize the important impact that lay leaders can have on gender sensitivity in the educational environment of Jewish day schools. It is in the day school setting that
The Impact of Lay Leadership in Gender Issues in Jewish Day Schools Read More »
Five years ago, my husband and I embarked on a journey westward, far from our beloved East Coast Jewish community and batei midrash. After searching for the right pulpit for my husband, we landed in the San Francisco Bay Area, home of the Gold Rush and arguably one of the largest, yet most highly unaffiliated,
“Striking Gold” Out West Read More »
In recent years, one of the main hubs of religious coercion and violence toward women has been located in the city of Beit Shemesh. These incidents involve harsh acts of violence perpetrated by local radical Hareidim (ultra-Orthodox) who have made the lives of many of the city’s residents so unbearable as to cause them to
Beit Shemesh: A Case Study in Hareidi Zealotry Read More »
Any serious discussion of the present situation of women in Israel is bound to start with, and pay tribute to, the 2012 emergence of the “new” phenomenon of “women’s exclusion.” Israeli media were shocked to report on women’s exclusion from public buses, sidewalks, checkout lines in supermarkets, and faces on billboards; on the banning of
Women in Israel: From Illusion of Equality to Exclusion Read More »
In January 1996, a group of seven women gathered to discuss the bleak situation facing religious women in Israel. They were brought together by a common sense of distress about what they considered the degrading treatment of women and women’s complete exclusion from all leadership positions within the religious community. The group was made up
Kolech—Your Voice: The Voice of Religious Feminism in Israel Read More »
