Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism: Resistance and Accommodation
University professor and social activist Tova Hartman, discouraged by failed attempts to make her modern Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem more inclusive of women, together with other worshippers, set about creating their own own, Shira Hadasha ("a new song"). \ Since it opened in 2002, this new synagogue's mission--to develop a religious community that embraces halakhah (Jewish law), tefillah (prayer), and feminism--has drawn thousands to services. The courageous act of creating the...
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An innovative analysis of how creative tensions between modern Orthodox Judaism and feminism can lead to unexpected perspectives and beliefs
Preface ixAcknowledgments xvFeminism and Modern Orthodoxy 1Facing the Legacy of the Canon: Affirmation, Rejection, and Reinterpretation 20Modesty and the Religious Male Gaze 45The Paternal Voice in Liturgy 62The Hands of Rabbis: Orthodox Women and Niddah 81Roles, Rules, and Responsa: The Backlash against Feminism 99Go Away and Change 121Glossary 135Notes 139Bibliography 145Index 155
\ From the Publisher"[D]elightfully perceptive . . . [Hartman's] observations of the Modern Orthodoxy movement are so insightful that this work should be required reading for students of contemporary Judaism, whether or not they have any interest in feminism."--American Jewish Libraries Newsletter\ "[Hartman's] new book presents a radical perspective on being a modern Orthodox Jewish feminist. She confronts every difficult issue for a feminist in Jewish practice, locates the issues in universal terms informed by the latest feminist scholarship as well as by a deep knowledge of Jewish texts, and presents innovative perspectives that are important for anyone who wishes to maintain a religious commitment and still be intellectually and spiritually honest. This book is also a powerful reminder that the debates in Halachah (Jewish law) retain their appeal to many because they are intellectually exciting even when one doesn't accept the Orthodox premises from which they begin." --Tikkun\ "It is a "must-read" for anyone interested in religious feminism for any stripe."\ --Lilith\ "Stressing reinterpretation and creative tensions, Hartman juxtaposes moving personal reflection with trenchant diagnoses of the means by which and reasons why (some) Jewish traditionalists refuse to acknowledge feelings of religious marginalization and alienation experienced by (some) Jewish women . . . Recommended." --Choice\ \ \
