Finding Female Empowerment in Judaism, Part II: Women’s Customs

In my prior article, Finding Female Empowerment in Judaism, Part I: The Stories of the Bible, I highlighted several Bible stories that demonstrate and exude female empowerment. I will now continue the series by examining women’s spiritual roles in the…

The “Gaza Doctor” Abuelaish: Feminism Will Deliver Peace to the Middle East

As a part of Kehillat Israel’s (a Reconstructionist Congregation in Los Angeles) “Week of Civil Discourse,” put on by the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish was invited to speak in Broad Hall…

Is “separate but equal” okay in Israel?

According to fast-breaking developments first reported this week by the Jewish Daily Forward and subsequently amplified in the New York Times, a compromise may be in the works that would allow women to lead services, carry Sifrei Torah (Torah Scrolls),…

Blurring democracy: the Orthodox vision of respecting women

It was my first time at the Western Wall. It should have been a beautiful and emotional moment, one that allowed me to connect to the history of the Jewish people. And yet, something irked me. Perhaps it was the…

The Day the Buses Stood Still

Israel needs America – financially, diplomatically, and militarily. It’s a fact. So when U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton makes an observation, even about a relatively minor point of domestic policy, Israelis tend to sit up and listen. That is…