Close to a thousand women and men attended JOFA’s Fifth International Conference on Feminism & Orthodoxy in New York, entitled “Zachar U’Nequevah Bara Otam (Male and Female God Created Them): Women and Men in Partnership.” Twenty per cent of the attendees at the conference were men, and there were representatives from all over the United States, Israel, England, Canada, and Spain. Partnership was the theme of the day, as participants considered the ways in which women and men are partners in Jewish practice, learning, growth and change. As in the past, sessions explored increasing ritual opportunities for women and examined halakhot that relate directly to women. However, this conference also addressed broader social questions, examining the larger implications of changing gender roles in Jewish families, institutions, synagogues and schools.
Dr. Tamar Ross’s opening plenary touched on these issues by examining the consequences of redefining gender roles. Rabbi David Silber, Rabbanit Malke Bina and Rabbi Dov Linzer participated in a forum moderated by Giti Bendheim about the future of Jewish leadership. The session confronted new ideas and tough issues. The likelihood of one day having women as Orthodox rabbis was discussed and viewed by many as an inevitable and positive development.
Many of the conference’s smaller work shops had a different feel from those in previous years. These workshops were geared toward facilitated discussion groups that were incredibly interactive and lively. The discussion groups centered around such pertinent topics as raising Orthodox feminist children, dealing with mikvah and sexual desire, the changing demographic of Orthodox families and the effect of gender on dating in the Orthodox community.
Gender and education played a large role in the conference. One Sunday afternoon panel focused on Orthodox day schools and highlighted education as a centerpiece toward future change. Participants noted that there was an enormous gap between JOFA’s work and the current attitudes and thought processes of Orthodox day schools. The panelists noted that, while the feminist movement has done a tremendous amount in expanding educational opportunities for women post-high school, there is an urgent need for greater parity in the earlier years of Orthodox education.
Participants were especially pleased with the highly successful chavruta learning program on Sunday afternoon. A loud buzz filled the ballroom as people paired off to learn in traditional chavruta style. The learning sessions explored texts involving a wide variety of subjects, including the partnership of Mordecai and Esther, the Biblical figure of Deborah, and the Talmudic character Imma Shalom. Accessibility of all texts to all people is one of the greatest achievements of the feminist movement in general and JOFA in particular. The open atmosphere of the JOFA bet midrash exemplified this accomplishment.
After a full day of programs, more than four hundred people returned Sunday evening for the screening of “Tehora” (Purity), directed by Anat Zuria. A panel consisting of Blu Greenberg, Devora Steinmetz and Devorah Zlochower and moderated by Sylvia Barack Fishman discussed issues of niddah from a halakhic and emotional point of view. A spirited question and answer period followed.
A crucial element in this year’s conference was a panel addressing clerical abuse. Rabbi Yosef Blau and Rabbi Mark Dratch confronted the issue directly, in a panel discussion moderated by Judy Heicklin. Rabbi Dratch addressed three traditional mechanisms that have been misused to silence victims: directives against lashon hara (malicious gossip), the principle of mesira (turning someone over to the civil authorities) and that of hilul Hashem (desecrating God’s name). Both Rabbis concluded that the Orthodox community and Rabbinate need to do more to protect the victims from the outset by putting a clear system in place for dealing with accusations of abuse and making victims feel safe coming forward with such accusations.
Other conference sessions reflected JOFA’s commitment to breaking the silence surrounding abuse within the Orthodox community. Two workshops, aimed at “Shattering the Silence” discussed the sexual abuse of children in the Orthodox community. There were also a number of sessions devoted to the agunah and how the community is working to free women chained in untenable marriages.
In an e-mail to the conference planners, Rachel Keren, head of Midreshet Ein Haatziv in Israel, summed up the feeling of the conference. “I felt this conference was an upgrading of the previous ones, mainly because it gave the sense that on the basics we already stand on solid ground and there is a way to move ahead. Let us hope that a lot of good will result from the conference.”
Tapes of all sessions of the conference are available through our website at www.jofa.org.