Tag Archive: social justice

By Allison Sherwat Cooper, October 2013 I was given a gift by the Jewish female pioneers (and their equally important male supporters) before me. As a child raised in the 1980s in an egalitarian, progressive, reform temple in Washington, DC, it was a given that I would become a bat mitzvah, stand on the bimah…

By Rabbi Neil Blumofe, October 2013 As one who came of age while walking the warrens of Jerusalem’s Old City, I could easily disappear into the miracle of a vibrant and exciting Jewish life that has been fought for and established in this place of miracle. And yet — our sages of old are still…

By Elaine Reuben, October 2013 Bat Mitzvah, present, absent or partial, seems to be significant in many of the stories here. Unusual as it still was then. I did have a Bat Mitzvah, “just like the Bar Mitzvah boys,” in 1954: my then rabbi, in a Conservative congregation in the Midwest, thought himself a Reconstructionist,…

By Hallel Abramowitz-Silverman, October 2013 My connection to God was strengthened at a Women of the Wall support service in NY last March. There were over 300 people. Some didn’t even personally understand women who chose to wear tallitot, but believed in religious freedom for all – not just those who agreed with them. Seeing…

By Susi Brieger OAM, October 2013 Australian Jewish women face challenges common to all women in society. Their responsibility as primary caregivers for children, the elderly and the sick hampers their development as spiritual, political and cultural leaders. Nevertheless since 1988 increasing gains have been made in the fight for gender equality. In my own…

By Ilona Lee AM, October 2013 Thirty years ago when I became president of my WIZO group. there were no female rabbis and no females presidents of mainstream Jewish organisations in Sydney. There have been marked changes since in both the general and the Jewish community. A woman was elected for the first time as…

By Barbara Ford, October 2013 Born in Sydney Australia I have always been a member of a Liberal/Progressive congregation. There have been many changes since I did my Bat Mitzvah with a group of 10-12 girls all dressed in white. Rabbis were male only wearing ceremonial gowns. I have been privileged to be on a…

By Ruth Wilson, October 2013 I grew up knowing that my life was an exception to the rules. My friends prayed on Sunday, in churches that were landmarks in my small country town. My family prayed, on Saturday, at home. We had different rules for eating. In my friends’ homes, they shared ghost stories and…

“Granny, why can’t I sit downstairs?” I always asked my Grandmother as we sat upstairs in the women’s section in the shul in Muizenberg, the seaside suburb of Cape Town. Her answer was always unsatisfactory, as was the answer that my Grandpa gave me when I asked him why I couldn’t have a Bar Mitzvah…