Call for Articles for Summer 2022 JOFA Journal:

JOFA Celebrates Its Twenty-fifth Anniversary

 

Twenty-five years ago  JOFA was launched at the First International Conference on Orthodoxy and Feminism held in New York City. This year JOFA will celebrate its silver anniversary by looking back to appreciate how far we have come and projecting forward to envision a brighter and more vibrant and equitable future.

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The 2022 JOFA Journal will be a larger than usual volume with reminiscences, historical research, and evaluations as well as predictions and aspirations for the future. It will try to answer the questions: How has JOFA and Jewish feminism changed the Orthodox world, and what progress can we anticipate in the years to come? Are there negative trends that concern us?

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Your recollections of JOFA events that have touched your life, as well as your examination of the course of Jewish feminist history over the past quarter century, are welcome. In particular, we would welcome manuscripts on the following topics:

1.      Jewish women’s prayer:

         A.     Proliferation of women’s tefillah groups and partnership minyanim 

         B.     Acceptance of women saying Kaddish

         C.     Popularization of bat mitzvah

         D.    Women learning to leyn and to read megillot

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2.      Jewish women’s educational opportunities

        A.     Changes in the day school curriculum for girls

        B.     Expansion of higher educational opportunities for women in both credentialing programs and lishma

        C.     Women learning and teaching daf yomi

        D.    Women’s writings included in publications, Sefaria, social media

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3.      Orthodox women in clergy and other leadership positions

         A.     Changes in titles and roles for female spiritual leadership

         B.     Differences in the development of opportunities in Israel and in the diaspora

         C.     Strategies for encouraging women to get leadership positions

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4.      Solutions to the agunah problem: Has the situation changed for better or worse?

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5.      Shifts in societal gender role expectations and their impact on Orthodoxy

         A. In domestic relations and family dynamics

         B.  On the performance of rituals in the home and synagogue

 

6.      Women and money: women’s philanthropy as an instrument for change

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7.      Openness to LGBTQ concerns

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8.      JOFA Conferences as catalysts for change

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9.      Arts as a catalyst for change

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10.   Impact of JOFA internationally: JOFA UK, JOFA Australia, and Kolech

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11.   What will the next generation of Orthodox Jewish feminists look like?

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Historical analyses, personal reflections, memorabilia, and photos are welcome. For substantive pieces, please submit a one-paragraph abstract by March 21. Articles and visuals should be sent to jofa@jofa.org by April 29.  Word count may vary up to 3,000 words. Your input for this retrospective issue is vital. You may participate by sharing an “aha moment” from a JOFA Conference or how a JOFA publication touched your life.