A year ago on Purim, when we visited our youngest children and grandchildren in Nashville, Tennessee, we participated in that community’s first women’s reading of Megillat Esther. My daughterin-law, Cara, learned her chapter by using Jofa tapes. In a strong, beautiful voice—and perfect trop—Cara passionately sang out the words accusing Haman of planned genocide against […]
Journeying to the Center of Public Jewish Life Read More »
Twenty-five years—the blink of an eye as Jews count time. Who would have imagined so many gains in twenty-five years, building on the first twenty-five yet advancing far beyond expectations? Who would have envisioned 3,300 women in Jerusalem’s Binyanei Ha’umah joyously celebrating the Hadran, the completion of the daf yomi cycle, and representing many more
Distinctive and Equal: A Paradigm for Orthodox Feminism Read More »
In 1997 I attended the First International Conference on Feminism and Orthodoxy in New York City. It was the precursor to what was to become the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. I arrived with a friend and, despite all the hype, my expectations were fuzzy. But I left that groundbreaking two-day, 1,000+ attendee gathering with a
Jofa: The Next Twenty Five Years Read More »
A more extensive discussion of this topic by the author appears in Yeshivat Maharat’s Keren Journal, Volume 4 (2023), which can be found at https://www.yeshivatmaharat.org/keren-journal-volume-4. Ask any yeshiva-educated child, or most adults, whether women are valid witnesses under Jewish law, and they will likely answer that women are “pasul l’eidut”—invalid to testify. However, the reality
Can Women Be Witnesses in a Beit Din? Read More »
Update: As we were going to press, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Chief Rabbinate must allow women to take the Rabbanut’s halakhah exams. On October 7th and throughout the year and a half since then, we have heard one story after another about brilliant women in the cockpit, outstanding women fighters in tanks,
Rabbaniyot and the Chief Rabbinate in Israel Read More »
Jofa’s mission is to expand women’s rights and opportunities within the framework of halakhah, to build a vibrant and equitable Orthodox community. A key element in furthering our mission is the Devorah Scholars Program, which was incubated at JOFA in 2020 and was designed to support Orthodox shuls in North America as they hire Orthodox
Spotlight on Devorah Scholars. Read More »
One of the greatest obstacles to getting relief for agunot in civil courts is the principle of separation of state and religion ensconced in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Under this principle, which prohibits government-sponsored establishment of religion, U.S. courts will not get involved in resolving disputes that are
Coercive Control: Defining Get Abuse in Secular Legal Terms Read More »
This article originally appeared on the Jewish Telegraphic Agency website, November 27, 2023, https://www.jta.org/2023/11/27/ideas/i-believeddiverse-coalitions-would-benefit-jewish-women-now-ifear-we-were-all-alone. I am the executive director of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance and a lifelong feminist. I advocate for Orthodox Jewish women’s representation and inclusion in all areas of life. Before joining Jofa in 2019, I spent 20 years working with faith
I Believed Diverse Coalitions Would Benefit Jewish Women. Now I Fear We Were All Alone. Read More »
When people hear that I am a trauma surgeon, they often pause. When they learn I am Chair of the Department of Surgery, the pause grows longer. And when they realize I am also an Orthodox Jewish wife and mother, the questions begin. They ask how I “balance it all.” They ask about wellness, physical
Two Worlds, One Identity: Reflections of a Trauma Surgeon and Orthodox Mother Read More »
Israel’s High Court of Justice recently issued what would have been a bombshell had the news cycle not been rightfully consumed by the war in Gaza: A unanimous court ruled that women are entitled to sit for state rabbinic exams. The ruling does not mean that state-recognized women rabbis are on the horizon, but it
