Lifecycle Guides
Every Jewish milestone offers a chance to bring women's voices, leadership, and learning into the center of the ritual. These guides gather halakhic sources, real stories, and practical tools so your family can mark each moment fully.
The Birth Rituals Guide
From the zeved habat and simchat bat to prayers of thanksgiving, roles for women at a brit, and rituals for adoption and weaning, this guide gathers historical precedents and contemporary models so every family can welcome all of our children with meaning.
Read the guide- Jennifer BregerHistorical Precedents, Crafting a Welcoming Ceremony, and Women's Involvement at a Brit
- Jon LevisohnWhen She Arrives
- Dr. Adena K. BerkowitzAll Jewish Children Are Our Guarantors
- Jennifer Breger and Lisa SchlaffEditors
The Bat Mitzvah Guide
A Bat Mitzvah marks a girl's formal entry into a life of Torah and mitzvot, not just a party with a Torah theme. This guide brings together stories from mothers, tutors, and Bat Mitzvah girls themselves, along with practical ideas for learning, leadership, and simcha, so every family can build a celebration rooted in meaning.
Read the guide- Dr. Sharon Penkower KaplanBat Mitzvah and Women's Tefila
- Shira BecherMy Bat Mitzvah
- Jennifer BregerThe Mother of Two Bat Mitzvah Girls Looks Back
- Ilana FodimanReflections of a Bat Mitzvah Tutor
- Renee S. SeptimusThe Voice of a Mother
The Marriage Guide
For generations, the choreography of an Orthodox wedding centered almost entirely on the groom. This guide gathers halakhic sources, real stories, and a full checklist so that the bride, and the women who love her, can take an active and meaningful role from the tisch to the chuppah and beyond.
Read the guide- Blu GreenbergTaking the Old and Making It New Again
- Ruthie Braffman ShulmanJofa Chattan and Kallah Classes
- Keshet StarrThe Halakhic Prenuptial Agreement
- Abigail PickA Personal Account
- Rabbanit Leah SarnaA Personal Account
- Rabbi Dov LinzerThe Giving of the Ring
- Rabbi Dr. Joel WolowelskyWomen's Participation in Sheva Berachot
- Miryam KabakovLGBTQ+ Considerations
- Tamar Lindenbaum and Sabina TilevitzCreating a New Paradigm
- Melech TannenMechitza at Weddings
The Death and Mourning Guide
From a woman’s role in the chevra kadisha to reciting kaddish, organizing a funeral, and honoring a mother’s name on the matzevah, this guide gathers halakhic sources and real stories so every woman can mourn, and be mourned, with the honor she deserves.
Read the guide- Belda Kaufman Lindenbaum z"l and Carol Kaufman NewmanTwo Funerals: A Look at How Times Have Changed
- Dr. Sharon Penkower KaplanChesed Shel Emet: Women and Chevra Kadisha
- Sylvia Axelrod HerskowitzReclaiming a Mother’s Name
- Barbara Gaims-SpeigelWomen and Kaddish
- Jennifer BregerWomen and the Cemetery; Kavod Hamet
- Jennifer Breger and Lisa SchlaffEditors