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Religion

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Collection
Collage of outline of Iran and Roya Hakakian

Speaking Out as an Iranian Jewish Woman

Shamim Elyaszadeh

As the daughter of two Iranian immigrants, I am compelled to take advantage of the opportunities and privileges my mother, aunts, and grandmothers were deprived of.

Two women standing outside a synagogue

Learning from My Mother to Just Say Yes

Dorrit Corwin

Channeling my grandfather’s generous spirit, my non-Jewish mother agreed to become her synagogue’s co-president.

Menorah Rotenberg

Project
Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America

Jayne Guberman interviewed Menorah Rotenberg on October 30th, 2005, in New York, New York, as part of the Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America Oral History Project. Rotenberg reflects on her childhood experiences attending Orthodox day school, her growing feminist consciousness, challenges to traditional gender roles, and finding a more egalitarian community in Conservative Judaism.

Naomi Rosenblatt

Project
Washington D.C. Stories

Deborah Ross interviewed Naomi Harris Rosenblatt on December 31, 2010, in Washington, D.C. as part of the Weaving Women's Words Oral History Project. Rosenblatt details her personal journey from witnessing the birth of Israel to her career in Washington, D.C., discussing her deep connection to Jewish identity, the intertwining of the Bible and psychotherapy, and her concern for the future of the Jewish people.

Turkish Coffee and Dates

The Intricacies of Queer, Interfaith Relationships

D. B. Ashkenazi

It was the first time I’d hung out with “other Muslims” and not felt stressed about being Jewish. My girlfriend’s mom recognized me wholly as a Jewish woman and as a woman of her same culture. I had nothing to prove. I was enough.

First Second Wave Jewish Feminist Conference in North America Begins

February 16, 1973

In February 1973, 500 women gathered in the McAlpin Hotel in Manhattan for the first second-wave Jewish feminist conference in North America. Speakers and attendees discussed Jewish religious observance, issues of sexuality, duties of community service, inequality in Jewish movement organizations, and experiences of growing up in Jewish families. The conference brought Jewish women of many backgrounds together under a shared feminist identity.

Collage with outlines of the UK and Arkansas divided by a white line, on a red background

Being Jewish in the UK at Christmas

Irene Y. Raich

I loved the time I spent in England, but I would’ve enjoyed it more had my school attempted to create a more diverse, welcoming, and not Christian-centric environment.

Irwin Lachoff

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Irwin Lachoff on August 24, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Lachoff reminisces on his upbringing in New Orleans, his involvement with Beth Israel Synagogue, his experience during Hurricane Katrina, and his concerns for the future of the local Jewish community.

Rosalie Harris

Project
DAVAR: Vermont Jewish Women's History Project

Ann Buffum and Sandy Gartner interviewed Rosalie Harris on April 10, 2007, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, as part of the DAVAR: Vermont Jewish Women's Oral History Project. Harris discusses her childhood in Montreal, her nursing career, her marriage, their experiences during World War II, running a clothing store, their involvement in the Jewish community, her volunteer work, and reflections on family and interfaith connections.

Michael Ferrand

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Michael Ferrand on November 1, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Project. Ferrand shares his Jewish upbringing, experiences studying in Jerusalem, relocation to New Orleans, involvement in the local Jewish community, and his bike shop while attending Anshe Sfard synagogue.

David Smason

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed David Smason on August 27, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Smason discusses his upbringing, community involvement, and the profound impact of Hurricane Katrina on his life, including the struggle to locate loved ones, the damage to his home, and the lasting effects on his academic and personal journey.

Joan Berenson

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Joan Berenson on August 31, 2007, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Joan Berenson talks about her New Orleans upbringing, connection to Judaism, involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, the impact of Hurricane Katrina, and her hopes for the future.

Still from the Bachelorette - woman and man talking

Why Haven't We Had an Openly Jewish Bachelorette?

Catherine Horowitz

Although The Bachelor/ette franchise features extensive discussions of Christianity, even the rare Jewish contestants never talk about Judaism.

Brian Bain

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Brian Bain on July 5, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Brian talks about his experiences growing up in Metairie, his involvement in Touro Synagogue and SoFTY, the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his family, and his current involvement in the local Jewish community.

Diane Africk

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Diane Africk on July 11, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Africk, a pediatric neurologist, recounts her experiences growing up in the city, her Jewish identity and involvement in Touro Synagogue, her career at Tulane Medical Center, the challenges she faced during and after Hurricane Katrina, and her criticism of the government's response to the storm.

Image of Star of David Necklace Over Star of David Background

How My Star of David Necklace Helped Me Understand My Jewish Identity

Sofia Isaias-Day

The Star of David and its history helps me understand the different layers of my Jewish identity; the symbol represents the different cultures we’ve embraced as part of the diaspora.

Collage of Hanukkah cookie decorating kit, Mensch on a Bench, and a Hanukkah Bush.

All I Want for Christmas Is…for It Not to Erase Hanukkah

Savoy Curry

Hanukkah might be over this year, but the problem persists.

Molly Yeh and Marissa Wojcik

How a Celebrity Chef Helped Me Connect with My Mixed Heritage

Marissa Wojcik

Celebrity chef Molly Yeh inspired me to share my Jewish fusion recipes with the world.

Episode 65: Regendering the Torah

Yael Kanarek wanted a more direct relationship with the Divine than she experienced through male-centric Jewish sacred texts—so she rewrote the Torah.  In Toratah, or Her Torah, Yael has switched the genders of each character.  The result is a familiar text that resonates very differently, with a new set of matriarchs and patriarchs, and stories that draw new connections and pose new questions.

Sephardi Women in the Dutch Republic

In the early modern period, Dutch Sephardim formed a community famous for its wealth, grandeur, and benevolence.

The article highlights the social, economic and religious position of Sephardi women in the Dutch Republic, arriving as immigrants from persecutions by the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions and their offspring, settled in generations afterwards. Their adjustment to normative Judaism is being discussed as well as their professional education and their contributions to Sephardi and Dutch society.     

Emma Mordecai

Emma Mordecai (1812-1906) navigated direct challenges to her Jewish faith and to her southern ideals by remaining loyal to both. She responded to the Civil War, which stirred antisemitism in the South and especially threatened Richmonders, with renewed commitments to Judaism and to the racist ideals of the Confederacy.

Audrey Flack

The only female member of the founding group of photorealists, New York-born painter and sculptor Audrey Flack is especially recognized for the feminine content in her art. Her feminist sensibilities manifest in both her pioneering paintings, which often consider stereotypes of womanhood, and her sculptures, frequently depicting goddesses and other strong female figures. Flack’s work appears in prominent collections around the world.

Illustration of Silhouetted Face Over Butterfly Background

My Jewish Feminist Metamorphosis

Lily Pazner

On the day of my bat mitzvah, I started to confront my internalized antisemitism and sexism.

Cover Illustration from Micah Bazant's "TimTum: A Trans Jew Zine": an illustrated figure with horns, and a star of David drawn on their chest, holds a needle and scissors connected to thread stitched across the figure's chest.

How “TimTum: A Trans Jew Zine” Taught Me to Be a Sexy, Smart, Creative, Productive Jewish Genderqueer

Avivit

I discovered Micah Bazant’s “TimTum: A Trans Jew Zine” in early high school, at a critical juncture (read: identity crisis).

Topics: Art, Religion

Rabbis Sandra Lawson and Isaama Goldstein-Stoll Lead Juneteenth Shabbat Services

June 19, 2020

On June 19, 2020, Rabbis Sandra Lawson, the Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life and Jewish Educator at Hillel at Elon University in North Carolina, and Isaama Goldstein-Stoll, the Senior Jewish Educator at Yale University’s Slifka Center, celebrated Juneteenth with a Kabbalat Shabbat service attended virtually by over 7,000 people around the world.

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