This past Shabbat, a young woman volunteered to deliver one of the weekly text studies in our shul. In honor of Tu Bishvat, she led us through sources she had studied about the significance of trees in Torah and midrash. Six months ago she had celebrated her Bat Mitzvah with a women’s tefilah service and by delivering a drash. We were all amazed by her poise during that celebration, and we were proud of the openness of our community to some innovation. But this past Shabbat was particularly moving for me. Beyond creating an inclusive and empowering lifecycle moment for this young woman and her family six months ago, this past week, our community proclaimed that her voice was welcome and that her ideas deserved a platform. I smiled, watching her confidently share her thoughts, and seeing the younger girls look up to her, maybe envisioning themselves in her place one day.
While there are times when I wish my community could be more progressive in terms of ritual inclusion, I am aware that in small Jewish communities, even progressive Orthodox synagogues must often serve a broad spectrum of Jews. In many of these communities, where maintaining and strengthening unity is of vital importance, ritual innovation is not the be all and end all of feminism. Our challenge is to find ways, beyond ritual inclusion, to welcome women’s voices, scholarship and leadership and to convey to young women, and to all who attend our synagogues, that everyone truly counts.
I appreciate what you say…but, part of it is troubling. I quote, ” ritual innovation is not the be all and end all of feminism. Our challenge is to find ways, beyond ritual inclusion, to welcome women’s voices, scholarship and leadership and to convey to young women, and to all who attend our synagogues, that everyone truly counts. “.
To me, this statement is contradictory. Either we have innovation to allow women to find wasy to be more included….or the systemj remains the same. How can we say everyone truly counts when an agunah situation is allowed to continue.
Call it innovation, change, reinterpretation…whatever. Without the voices of women both challlenging the status quo and actually working for change….why would today be any more likely to see true movement – not just shaking heads and more words – by the great male leaders – to whom this will never personally affect?
Innovation – which as we see is inspired ONLY by the women – as it is they who have been so impacted all these years….ls what the young girls must witness if they are ever to believe they too can effect change and inspire growth through innovation.
Laurie
Comment by laurie dinerstein-kurs on March 9, 2010 7:17 PM
Thanks for your response Laurie,
I think you may have misunderstood my argument. My main point was that RITUAL innovation is not the be all and end all of Orthodox feminism. I agree with you about the issue of agunot, and do not see how innovation in PRAYER RITUALS would necessarily lead to a change in their situation. I think that innovations in our communities are vital to progress for women, but not all Orthodox communities will achieve this through changes in their synagogue rituals. It is my hope that even communities where women do not get aliyot to the Torah, can find meaningful ways to honor and support women’s leadership.
I am sure these kinds of issues will be part of the great conversation at the conference on Sunday!
Comment by Frayda on March 12, 2010 2:23 AM