By Wendy I. Zierler The Jewish Publication Society, 2025 ($32.95) One of the envisioned outcomes of having female rabbis and scholars was to have women who were educated in the tradition view its texts differently, with a lens that has not been used in the past, to yield new insights. Wendy Zierler’s memoir, Going Out […]
Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry Read More »
By Angela Buchdahl Pamela Dorman Books / Viking, 2025 ($32) When Angela Buchdahl was eight years old, long before she knew she wanted to be a rabbi, she began leading nightly prayer services with her sister, Gina. They would huddle under their covers, and Angela led them in the Shema, followed by personal prayers and
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging Read More »
By Rachel Goldberg-Polin Random House, 2025 ($30) I approached the writing of this review with enormous trepidation because it is a book unlike any I have read, by a person who is a spiritual giant. Like the Hineni prayer said on Yom Kippur by the one leading the congregation, I fear I am unworthy to
When We See You Again Read More »
Panel: Meredith Weisel is the Vice President, State and Local Advocacy for the ADL (Anti-Defamation League). In that position, she leads the development and execution of municipal and state legislative strategy. She is an attorney by trade and has had a long career in politics and government relations. She holds a B.A. from American University
Navigating Antisemitism on Campus and in the Workplace Read More »
Panel: Aimee Baron, MD, FAAP, is the founder and executive director of I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, an organization that provides support and educational resources for people struggling with fertility and infant loss. Elana Frank is the CEO & Founder of the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF), an organization that provides financial assistance, emotional
Navigating Egg Freezing, Genetic Testing, and Fertility Read More »
Panel: Dr. Noam Stadlan is Vice Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Endeavor Health and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Pritzker School of Medicine of the University of Chicago. He also holds a Masters degree in halakhic medical ethics from New York Medical College. Darcy Hirsh is Vice President, Government Relations and Advocacy
My Body, Whose Decision? Abortion Advocacy in a Time of Rising Antisemitism Read More »
The following is an edited excerpt from Rabbanit Sarna’s remarks at the conference as part of the panel on New Frontiers in Orthodox Communities. I am the spiritual leader of Kehillat Sha’arei Orah in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. My shul started with a small handful of families who wanted to daven together.
New Frontiers in Orthodox Communities: Female Senior Spiritual Leadership in Synagogues Read More »
I met Blu Greenberg 25 years ago, but she had shaped my life long before I met her. I had become Orthodox when Jeremy and I married, and my mother-in-law had given me Blu’s How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household. I read it cover to cover. It became my Bible. Not long after we
The State of Orthodox Women’s Torah Leadership Read More »
This past July, Sharon Shenhav, director of the International Jewish Women’s Human Rights Watch and an international women’s rights lawyer, convened a symposium at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs to discuss the halakhic opportunities for agunot (women whose husband refuse to grant them a Jewish divorce). Justice Menachem Elon, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, and Professor
Agunah Watch: A Jerusalem Conference Explores Opportunities For Agunot in Israel Read More »
Last fall, my daughter, Elana, L turned three and had her first ☑experience as a budding Orthodox feminist agent of social change. Growing up with three older sisters and a Jewishly active mother, Elana has always been able to enjoy all aspects of Jewish life. As her third birthday approached, Elana was excited that her
A Woman’s Voice Sweet Changes Read More »
