JOFA's Torch
The Torch explores gender and religion in the Jewish community. Named for Deborah the Prophetess, “the woman of torches,” the blog highlights the passion and fiery leadership of Jewish feminists, while evoking the powerful image of feminists “passing the torch” to a new generation. Disclaimer: All posts are contributed by third party authors. JOFA does not assume responsibility for the facts and opinions presented in them.
Tears and Empowerment on Purim
Crying isn’t supposed to be part of Purim. Maybe it’s okay if you’re six and having a sugar-induced meltdown right ...
A Daughter’s Response to “Mincha in the Midwest”
This past Simchat Torah, my mother began planning her synagogue’s first women’s mincha, afternoon service. She was inspired by the ...
Mincha in the Midwest
This past Shabbat as I walked to synagogue for mincha, afternoon services, I was thinking about how I would introduce ...
New Podcast Discusses the Intersection of Sex and Halakha
The first episode of “The Joy of Text” may make you blush. If it does, you’re likely its target audience. ...
Towards a More Inclusive Judaism: Bridging the Distance
I can trace my choice not to go to rabbinical school to a particular moment in time. Rabbi Matthew Cutler ...
JOFA Campus Leaders Shabbaton: A Weekend of Solidarity
The experience of being a self-identifying Orthodox Feminist Jewish woman on a college campus can be simultaneously empowering and alienating. ...
Lonely in a Crowd of Strollers
When a person is born or a person dies the Jewish community rallies with meals, support, and love. When a ...
No Choice But to Dance
Believe me, I wish I did, but I have no choice but to dance. It chose me. It is amazing ...
Filling the Missing Half of the Sacred Bookshelf
For years I studied and taught Torah, learning and teaching in many settings, including several batei midrash, teacher training programs, ...
Not Seen and Not Heard
Last week, the Israeli ultra-Orthodox paper, HaMevaser, photoshopped German Chancellor Angela Merkel out of a photograph of the solidarity march ...