The striking change in our generation—that Limmud Torah (the learning of Torah) has become part of the lives of many women, began as a quest on a personal level, but has since become a broad social phenomenon. The ramifications of this change vastly exceed the achievements of one woman Torah scholar or another, and have […]
Women in Religious Leadership Today Read More »
Congregational Intern—an odd title if you think about it. Are these women preparing to become congregations? Rabbis? Are they preparing for any future at all? When I served as the intern at Congregation Ramath Orah in Manhattan, I was given many titles by my congregants—congregational intern, shul intern, Drisha intern, rabbinic intern, rabbi intern who
Congretional Interns: What Does the Future Hold? Read More »
I am a to’enet (female rabbinic advocate) in Israel. To’anot study for three intensive years to pass the six arduous exams required by the Beit Din in order to be licensed as a to’enet. After licensing, they may represent either a man or a woman in a divorce case in the rabbinical courts. During the
Kol Isha: A New Voice in the Courtroom Read More »
sofer: scribe (m) sofer STa”M: scribe of texts of Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot soferet: scribe (f) safrut: scribal arts “Would you like me to fix it?” a female congregant offered. I replied, “It is in such bad shape that I don’t think there is time to fix it before Purim.” Our synagogue’s Megillat Esther
Women and Safrut: Can a Woman Be a Scribe? Read More »
From afar, we have witnessed public outrage over the long history of clergy misconduct in the Catholic Church. The church’s egregious denial and calculated covering up of priests’ sexual abuse of congregants and children was staggering in its scope, the blanket of silence over its victims unfathomable. How much harder is it for us to
WHEN SACRED TRUST IS BREACHED: Responses to Rabbinic Sexual Misconduct Read More »
In April 2013, I spoke out publicly as a victim of childhood sexual abuse while at an Orthodox sleepaway camp in 1979. My article was published in the New York Jewish Week, and since then, I have been actively working to address the issue of sexual abuse in the Jewish community. There is a lot
Confronting the Demon Within Read More »
Buildings can speak. Not with words, but with values—the values of their builders and the communities that use them. Thanks to the extreme generosity of our membership, we at the Young Israel of Toco Hills in Atlanta were privileged to design, build, and move into our brand new state-of-the-art spiritual home on Rosh Hashanah 5775.
Form Follows Values Read More »
In the fall of 2015, a young girl, viewing the synagogue models in the Yeshiva University Museum in New York City, asked, “But where would I have been?” Her question prompted the museum to cosponsor (in conjunction with JOFA) a panel discussion on the women’s section (ezrat nashim) in the synagogue. This article, based on
Where Were the Women? The First Ezrat Nashim Read More »
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. In Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall,” the poet complains about the need for a wall between himself and his neighbor. Walls, he notes, come in two
WALLS AND MEHITZOT: A BIG DIFFERENCE Read More »
In Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law, Rabbis Ethan Tucker and Micha’el Rosenberg have produced a book that is noteworthy for its integrity, accuracy, and clarity. The authors worked for many years to refine the book’s content and responded to critiques with thanks and openness to revising their arguments, if not their conclusions. (Full
Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law Read More »
