I have attended each one of JOFA’s conferences, both as a presenter and a participant. The earliest years were heady, deeply meaningful and exciting. We were thrilled to meet other like minded women, feminists who identified as Orthodox women. We spoke with great earnestness and openness about our spiritual, religious and institutional struggles.

And over the past 15 years we’ve made considerable progress. As Batsheva said in her post – her daughter had a bat-mitzvah similar to her brothers’ bar-mitzvha. Partnership minyanim are born at an alarmingly quick pace. The Maharat program has a beginning class. Even popular Israeli TV has women reciting Kiddush on Friday night. (S’rugim)

In the face of those gains, we need to find new inner resources to keep us energized for the future. I’m pleased that the focus of our next conference is to have multiple conversations. Each of us brings to the conference another set of interests. I’m particularly looking forward to the conversations on maintaining and enhancing spirituality in our modern lives. 

I look forward to seeing old and new faces.