Tag Archive: social justice
Gender Equality is a Jewish Value
By Dr. Martin Rosenberg, October 2013 Even as a child attending an Orthodox shul, I was bothered by my mother and sister having to go upstairs to separate seating. And I wondered why my coming of age in the Jewish community was a big deal, but my older sister’s was not. As one who grew…
It’s a New World
By Marcia Cohn Spiegel, October 2013 I grew up in the 1930s when I was one of the rare girls allowed to study Hebrew, knowing that I would never read from the Torah or be on the bima of my shul. As a grown woman in the 1970s and beyond, I became a member of…
Kaddish
By Emma, October 2013 I grew up as a Reform Jew in London. Until I went to university, I would go to synagogue every week because my father insisted that my sister and I should. My father himself rarely attended synagogue except at festivals. To get to synagogue we had to travel by bus quite…
A Debt of Gratitude for the Women Who Opened the Doors
By Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, October 2013 When I was ordained in 1985, women rabbis were still rather rare. I was the first woman rabbi in every congregation I served in the 1980s, and in most cases I was the first and only woman rabbi in that city. I looked to the women who preceded…
Two Halves, One Whole
By Shelly F. Cohen, October 2013 The first time I stood on the bima was when I became bat mitzvah in a Conservative shul. At that time, 40-some years ago, it seemed likely that would be the last time I’d be on the bima as well – there were no women clergy (that I knew…
The B’nai Mitzvah of Two Generations as a Metaphor for Equality
By Sandra Cuttler, October 2013 When my children were growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, we belonged to a “traditional” synagogue, which some people would call “Conservadox.” During the many years that we were members, the synagogue did not allow females to read from the Torah during services. It was important to me that…
Up and Down, No and Yes
By Dr. Judith B. Tischler, October 2013 I recently turned 80 (gvurot). I grew up in a traditional Orthodox home, rebelled, and became a member of Hashomer Hatzair (Youth Guard). My first real taste of women’s equality was in that youth movement. At the time, the dream was life in a kibbutz with a lifestyle…
My Most Memorable Service
By Robert Levy, October 2013 It was on a trip to Australia in December with a group of friends. We were exactly 10 people, 5 men and 5 women. I had Yahrzeit for my father and I wanted to say Kaddish, so we needed a minyan of 10 worshipers. Jewish tradition asks for 10 men…
Be the Change
By Cantor Linda Shivers, October 2013 I have lived through a lot of change. I have felt a lot of the growing pains through the changes, but I am proud of all that has been accomplished for Jewish women in the majority of American synagogues. I have seen changes in the treatment and attitudes toward…
What full partnership in Judaism means in Israel
By Ilan Chaim, October 2013 The goal of furthering women’s rights in the secular realm is not the same goal as women becoming full partners in modern Judaism. Eliminating various glass ceilings and ensuring equal pay for equal work is attainable through legislation. But for a woman to become a full partner in the modern…
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