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 »
Already in the tannaitic literature, we encounter the notion that the women were approached before the men to accept the Torah. In the Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, it is stated, “’Thus shall you say to the House of Jacob’ (Exodus 19:3), speak softly, tell the women the main things; ‘and declare to the children of Israel,’
Addressing the Women First Read More »
As the great-grandmother of King David and the first woman to have a book in the Bible named after her, Ruth must have been an extraordinary human being. Her constant devotion to Naomi throughout times of trouble is something we can admire, and her famous words of loyalty are recognized by all. However, Ruth is
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ COLUMN: One Act of Kindness Can Change the World Read More »
In Israel today, there are many synagogues that incorporate the names of women. Examples in Jerusalem include Ohel Rivka and Ohel Nehama in Kiryat Shmuel, Ohel Sarah in Meah She’arim and Bet Rahel in Knesset Israel. The association of synagogues with the names of women is not a new phenomenon and has deep historical roots
In the Cities of Judah and the Streets of Jerusalem… Read More »
While the mother of Rebekah is not named at all in Genesis, even though she has a role in Rebekah’s leaving home to go to marry Isaac, her grandmother Milka, Bethuel’s mother, is identified by name numerous times. Indeed Rebekah is often called the granddaughter of Milka, possibly to underline the relationship with Avraham and
A Girl and Her Grandmother Read More »
It would seem that there is a biblical bias against naming women. Although in actual numbers, anonymous men outnumber anonymous women in the Bible, there are a larger proportion of female characters that are unnamed. It is clear that many biblical women are identified not by name but only as wives and mothers. Listings of
Named and Unnamed Women in the Bible Read More »
