Using the tools and methodology of qualitative sociological research, Yael Israel-Cohen plumbs the religious identities, strategies for effecting change, and aspirations for the future of fortyfive Israeli Orthodox feminists. Her interviewees are our Israeli sisters (and brothers, as some pro-feminist men are included) who are on the cutting edge of Modern Orthodoxy— in Kolech, Kehillat Yedidya, Shira Hadasha, Nishmat, and Women of the Wall, as well as in religious courts as to’anot rabbaniot.
Israel-Cohen describes the balancing act her subjects employ between strategies of active and passive resistance in order to bring about change in their communities—for example, in lobbying for a more womanfriendly mechitzah, while not wanting to alienate one’s home community. She cites the creation of Congregation Shira Hadasha as a “key example of active resistance on a wider scale” and acknowledges that “by implementing changes that go against religious norms and rabbinical dictum, the congregation is pushing for a pluralization of power within Orthodox life.” Interestingly, she argues that the development of such “counterhegemonic groups” expands the space for more conservative observant women to “negotiate their status on less ideological and symbolically charged issues.”
On the topic of ordination of women, Israel-Cohen observes that in the ever-expanding midrashot (women’s learning programs), students often turn to their female teachers for spiritual and halakhic guidance. This trend, combined with the turning to yo’atzot halakhah on questions of ritual purity, provides “a positive model for the advancement of women as poskot at a later time.”
Relevant to the theme of this issue of the JOFA Journal, IsraelCohen describes the relationship between age and feminism, noting that women who are middle aged or slightly older are more likely to identify with feminism than younger women. She finds that the “middle age years are most formative to the shaping of feminist identity,” while younger women may resist the feminist label “because of the stigma and social price they may have to pay for such affiliation.”
Israel-Cohen’s observations are very specific to the situation of Israeli feminists. For example, she cites the resentment some feminists (and Israeli women in general) feel toward the Orthodox rabbinate for being government established and so externally enforced in matters relating to marriage and divorce. She also finds among her interviewees an unexpected degree of openness to denominational pluralism that she believes goes beyond liberal tolerance to a belief in the need to offer Israelis “meaningful religious alternatives.”
Her observations are on less firm ground when describing developments in American Orthodox feminism. Her account of the controversy surrounding the ordination of Rabba Sara Hurwitz is largely based on a New York magazine article and has a secondhand story quality.
Nevertheless, JOFA readers will find much of interest in IsraelCohen’s research into how Israeli Orthodox feminists perceive themselves and their experiences. Her takeaway from the many interviews is optimistic about the prospects for expanding the boundaries of Orthodoxy so that religious feminists can find a comfortable home within Orthodox society.