I have been a shul-goer for as long as I can remember. Family lore has me attending Shabbat services as an infant, sitting on my father’s lap, well behaved and attentive. Growing up, I knew of only two valid excuses for missing services on Shabbat morning: illness and blizzards. Arriving late was also frowned on; […]
Celebrating Shabbat: Redefining Roles Read More »
Immersed in poetry ever since I was a child, I realize now that I have always gained spiritual sustenance from poems. As I grew into an adult, the world of poetry – writing, reading, coordinating poetry events, teaching poetry, being mentored by poets – sustained me. But over time it was no longer enough. My
What is Hidden is Blessed Read More »
Being female, I think I can confidently state that women have always had a complicated and stormy relationship with their clothing. There is the ongoing, eternal love affair with fashion, its trends and follies, and then there is the more complex, individual language of specific clothing: its implicit message, symbolism, and power. As an artist,
Coat of the Agunot and Garment of the Sotah Read More »
Just before our wedding almost 55 years ago, I asked my fiancé if he wanted me to cover my hair once we were married. His response seemed cryptic and somewhat indirect. He had grown up in the Boro Park of the 1930s and 1940s, at a time in which few women covered their hair at
Reflections on Head Covering: Then and Now Read More »
A number of years ago, my husband required major surgery to replace his knees. The only date the surgeon had available was on the 7th day of Pesah. We made arrangements for food in the hospital, and Bikkur Cholim found me an apartment a few blocks away. A day or so before the surgery we
An Orthodox Woman Learns About Prayer Read More »
I recently celebrated my one-year wedding anniversary. I also celebrated a year of covering my hair. This complicated halakha plays such a central role in my daily routine. Berets, wigs, hats, falls . . . they are the last item I put on before I leave the house and the first thing I take off
When I lived in Cairo in 1993–1994, I became friends with Manal, a young Egyptian woman who worked in a nearby post office. Manal, the first woman of her lower income family to work outside the home, wore a plain white headscarf (hijab) pinned at her neck. She described her hijab as spiritual armor, which
Comparative Reflections on Modest Dress in Contemporary Judaism and Islam Read More »
Felissa, Angelica, Maya—I am the father of three daughters, a circumstance that has led me to question Jewish tradition and ritual in ways that I never considered during the early years of my life. I was raised in a Modern Orthodox home in Brooklyn by refugee parents and attended yeshiva day school and then Yeshiva
Toward a Meaningful Bat Mitzvah: A Father Reflects Read More »
Soon after my eleventh birthday, I began learning to chant the extremely long Parashat Naso. I marked my Bat Mitzvah by leyning the parashah at the egalitarian shul my family joined after we became frustrated by the limited opportunities for women’s participation at the traditional minyan where I had grown up. Ten years later, I
Celebrating the Opportunities, Lamenting the Limits Read More »
In my memory, I am nine years old, maybe ten. I am sitting close to my Zeyde at the shiny wood dining room table in my grandparents’ home, poised at the edge of my chair. He sings a pasuk to the trop and I repeat it: אלא תולדת נח ,נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו
