Summer camp is an informal but powerful part of girls’ education in contemporary Orthodox society. It is generally accepted that camps are so effective in transmitting educational values and knowledge because of their emphasis on experiential learning. In addition, sleepaway camp settings often offer ideological choices that may not be available in terms of Jewish
The Role of Summer Camps in the Education of Orthodox Girl Read More »
I am excited to be sending out my first letter to you as the President of JOFA. I truly believe that we are on the cusp of a new day in women’s leadership in the Orthodox world, and it is energizing to be a part of it. I took on the role of President because
Learning: A Lifelong Journey Read More »
God of my foremothers and forefathers, I gratefully acknowledge all that You have blessed me with. You have redeemed me from the discomfort of pregnancy and the suffering of childbirth. May it be Your will, dear God, that this new baby have enough milk from my body and that my sleep will be light, so
T’khine to Be Said by a New Mother Prior to Her Son’s Bris Read More »
Ribono shel olam, I stand before You, as did Sara, Rivka, Rachel, and Hannah, women who also came to You in sorrow, their dreams of motherhood as yet unfulfilled, their souls in despair. Dear merciful God, You carried the people of Israel like an eagle who gently and protectively carries its young on its wings.
T’khine for a Woman Experiencing Infertility Read More »
Ba’alat haBrit: …[T]he ba’al brit… appears in a number of texts. In one manuscript of the Mahzor Vitry, dated to the first years of the thirteenth century, one extra line appears that tells of another participant, the ba’alat brit, a female ba’al brit. The line reads as follows: They brought the baby into the synagogue.
Searching Our Past: Who Was the Ba’alat haBrit and What Did She Do? Read More »
For me, the brit of my firstborn son was, first of all, a celebration of the start of my family. I didn’t have a wedding to celebrate: I had never married, and my pregnancy had been achieved using the sperm bank. The beginning of the pregnancy was something too private to celebrate in public. The
A Single Mother by Choice Approaches Brit Read More »
There is no longer much controversy over the right of women to be acknowledged publicly within the Modern Orthodox community. Therefore, a formal ceremony to celebrate a daughter’s birth is natural and necessary, allows her to feel she has a place within the community, and reciprocally encourages the members of the community to celebrate her
I have always loved the mitzvah of brit milah. As a woman, this might seem surprising, as I have heard from many friends how terrified they were at their sons’ britot. However, for me, my three sons’ britot provided some of the most spiritually significant moments of my life. One of the reasons I have
Brit Milah: A Daughter’s Perspective Read More »
The past three decades have seen an explosion of women’s involvement and participation in various life-cycle events and public and familial ritual roles, especially in the more progressive and open parts of the Modern Orthodox community. These include activities such as women reciting hamotzi on the hallah at the Shabbat meal on behalf of the
Women’s Participation in a Brit Milah Ceremony: Kayeim et Hayeled Hazeh Le’aviv U-le’imo Read More »
The following conversation took place one evening last Sukkot in Jerusalem: “You can’t cross. Here there is separation of women from men.” “Why?” “You are in Mea Shearim.” “And it is a part of the State of Israel.” “This is a Taliban state. Welcome to Afghanistan. OK? Is that what you want to hear?” “I
The Campaign Against the Exclusion of Women from Public Spaces Read More »
