Spirituality and Religious Life

Content type
Collection

Eliana Jacobowitz

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Lynne Himelstein interviewed Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz on February 25, 2014, in Sommerville, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Oral History Project. Rabbi Jacobowitz reflects on her spiritual path in Jewish mysticism and becoming a rabbi, aiming to create an inclusive environment at Temple B’nai B’rith, and navigating the challenges of being a woman rabbi in Israel, sharing her complex feelings towards her homeland.

Barbara Penzner

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Ronda Spinak interviewed Rabbi Barbara Penzner on February 25, 2014, in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Oral History Project. Rabbi Penzner reflects on her Jewish upbringing, calling to become a rabbi, studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, exploration of the mikvah ritual, working with interfaith couples, and balancing motherhood and her career.

Green and gold watercolor next to line drawing of smartphone

It-Girls, God, and Me

Sonia Freedman

Just as the it-girls online promised, working through my issues by connecting to a feminine God works, even if it is extremely different than what they envisioned.

Elaine Zecher

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Ronda Spinak interviewed Rabbi Elaine Zecher in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 20, 2024, for the Boston Women Rabbis Oral History Project. Zecher, senior rabbi of Temple Israel of Boston, shares her journey as a female rabbi, her experiences as the first woman rabbi at Temple Israel, her love for liturgy and involvement in prayer book projects, her spiritual practices, Temple Israel's work with AIDS victims, and her deep connection to the universal values of Judaism.

Claudia Kreiman

Project
Boston Women Rabbis

Ronda Spinak interviewed Rabbi Claudia Kreiman on March 30, 2014, In Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the Boston Women Rabbis Oral History Project. Rabbi Kreiman shares her experiences growing up as a rabbi's daughter in Chile, her journey to Israel, her personal tragedies, and her goals as a rabbi at Temple B'nai Jeshurun.

Animal drawings by Liana Finck on orange gradient background

Making Space

Judy Ruden

In Liana Finck's exploration of the kabbalistic concept of Tsimtsum, the idea of God's contraction as a means of creation, I find the beginnings of a Jewish feminist future. 

Stephen Richer

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Stephen Richer on November 27, 2006, in Gulfport, Mississippi, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Richer discusses his Jewish upbringing, his move to Biloxi, Mississippi, his experiences as a Jewish community leader during Hurricane Katrina, and how the storm changed his perspective on spirituality and material possessions.

Ronya Schwaab

Project
Women Whose Lives Span the Century

Vicki Gabriner interviewed Ronya Schwaab on January 18 and 26, February 3 and 7, and June 18, 1997, in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Whose Lives Spanned The Century Oral History Project. Schwaab recounts her childhood in Gomel, Belarus, highlighting aspects such as the First World War, Jewish traditions, women's roles, interfaith relations, arranged marriages, and encounters with the anti-revolutionary group, the Chyornaya Sotnya.

Lisa Mednick-Owen

Project
Meet Me at Sinai

Jayne Guberman interviewed Lisa Mednick-Owen on February 8, 2015, in New York, New York, as part of the Meet Me at Sinai Oral History Project. Lisa reflects on the accomplishments of Jewish feminism, highlights the ongoing challenges in traditional and Orthodox Jewish communities, and emphasizes the role of Jewish values in addressing broader feminist issues, particularly regarding sexual assault and gender equality, while also recognizing the importance of organizations like the Jewish Women's Archive and the potential for Judaism to guide discussions on these topics.

Lenora "Leni" LaMarche

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Roz Bornstein interviewed Lenora LaMarche on May 24 and June 25, 2001, in Mercer Island, Washington, as part of the Weaving Women's Words Oral History Project. LaMarche shares her family history, Sephardic culture, and experiences growing up in the Seattle and Los Angeles Jewish communities, highlighting her education, comedic talents, work during World War II, raising a family, and involvement in various organizations.

Jeffrey Smith

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Jeffrey Smith on July 16, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Smith talks about his Jewish upbringing, the effects of Hurricane Katrina, his family's conversion to Judaism, their evacuation experience, and his work representing Jewish individuals on death penalty cases, reflecting on racism and his hopes for his children.

Elana Sztokman

Project
Meet Me at Sinai

Jayne Guberman interviewed Dr. Elana Maryles Sztokmann on February 8, 2015, in New York City, New York for the "Meet Me at Sinai" Oral History Project. Dr. Sztokman, raised in a Modern Orthodox family, became a feminist activist challenging Orthodox Judaism's sexism, pursuing higher education, and seeking a balance between her beliefs and her commitment to gender equality.

Dina Rosenfeld

Project
Meet Me at Sinai

Jayne Guberman interviewed Dina Rosenfeld on February 8th, 2015, in New York, New York, as part of the Meet Me at Sinai Oral History Project. Rosenfeld talks about immigrating to Boro Park, becoming involved in Jewish feminism through Ezrat Nashim, confronting the Jewish Theological Seminary, and discussing the impact of the movement on women's religious participation.

Toby Reifman

Project
Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America

Judith Rosenbaum interviewed Toby Reifman on October 30, 2005, in New York, New York, as part of the Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America Oral History Project. Reifman talks about her journey of growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, her experiences with gender dynamics and inequalities in Judaism, her involvement in Jewish feminist movements, and her evolving commitment to feminism and personal fulfillment throughout her life.

Vivian Cahn

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Vivian Cahn on October 21, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Cahn tells her experiences of growing up in the South, moving to New Orleans, evacuating during Hurricane Katrina, and the challenges and recovery efforts faced by the Jewish community in rebuilding the city after the storm.

Ellen Bender

Project
Meet Me at Sinai

Jayne Guberman interviewed Ellen Bender on February 8, 2015, in New York, New York, as part of the Meet Me at Sinai Oral History Project. Bender discusses her childhood in New York, her mother's influence on her feminism, and how it shaped her religious practice, highlighting the impact of Jewish feminism and her vision for gender equality in Judaism and Jewish life.

Judith Kates

Project
Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America

Judith Rosenbaum and Jayne Guberman interviewed Judith Kates on October 20th, 2005, in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the Jewish Women Changing America: Barnard Conference Oral History Project. Kates talks about her Orthodox upbringing, her struggle for gender equality within Judaism, her education, involvement in the women's movement, teaching women's studies, her gabbai position at a synagogue, and the impact of feminism on Judaism.

Nancy Sargon

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Nancy Sargon on December 23, 2004, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Sargon discusses her family background, her Jewish upbringing in a Conservative family, her experiences with Jewish education, her career path in social work, and her bat mitzvah experience in 2000, emphasizing her commitment to Jewish education and ritual practice for herself and her children.

Anne Kahan

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Anne Kahan on February 2, 2005, in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Kahan discusses her family's immigration, Jewish education, synagogue involvement, marriage, disillusionment with traditional roles for women, involvement with Minyan Shaleym, and personal growth through her Bat Mitzvah and engagement with Torah and prayer.

Sonia Saltzman

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Sonia Saltzman on December 21, 2004, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Collection. Saltzman reflects on her childhood in Chile, her determination to have a bat mitzvah, her family's move to New Jersey, her personal growth through studying Hebrew and preparing for her bat mitzvah with her son, and the transformative power of her bat mitzvah experience.

Ruth Anna Putnam

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Ruth Anna Putnam on December 20, 2004, in Arlington, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Putnam reflects on her journey with Judaism, including her memories of living in Germany during Nazi rule, her parents' immigration to America, her evolving relationship with Judaism, and her experience of having an adult bat mitzvah at the age of seventy.

Carol Michael

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Carol Michael on February 23, 2005, in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of JWA’s Adult Bat Mitzvah Oral History Project. Michael recounts her family background, her disconnection from Judaism, her son's disabilities, and her rediscovery of Judaism through her daughter's bat mitzvah, leading to her active participation in Jewish practices and community.

Hadassah Blocker

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shayna Rhodes interviewed Hadassah Blocker on November 3, 2004, in Newtonville, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Blocker discusses her Orthodox Jewish background, her role in Torah learning, and her advocacy for women's participation in synagogue services and adult Jewish education.

Karen Geggel

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shanya Rhodes interviewed Karen Geggel on March 16, 2005, in Dover, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Geggel recounts her journey from growing up in a Catholic household, questioning her faith, exploring Eastern religions, experiencing a spiritual awakening while backpacking, and eventually converting to Judaism, which has influenced her life, family traditions, and spiritual fulfillment.

Episode 86: Fat Torah with Minna Bromberg

It all started at a preschool Hanukkah party a few years ago. That's when an offhand remark led Rabbi Minna Bromberg to start Fat Torah, a project to end fat stigma in Jewish communal life. In this episode of Can We Talk?, Judith Rosenbaum speaks with Minna in her home in Jerusalem about how fatphobia plays out in Israel versus the US, the ways it intersects with gender, and how Jewish tradition can teach us to be more body positive. 

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