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.
My Four-Year-Old Just Lit Shabbat Candles for the First Time
“Tzi-tzit tzitzit tzitzit, where are you today? I need you for a bracha, I need you right away!”This was a ...
Is There Such a Thing as a Feminist Dress Code?
In December, the New York Times printed an article about the new fashion guidelines for state legislators in Montana. In ...
Praying like a Lady
Don’t be mad, but I am ordaining myself as a Hazzanista, which is like a cantor, barista, and fashionista rolled ...
Bruce Springsteen Would Be Proud (Or Maybe Scratch His Head in Confusion)
Two weeks ago, I joined thousands of families around Israel for a time-honored ritual: the Saturday night grand finale of ...
Chayla on the Balcony
Looking at the award-winning photograph “Chayla in Shul” I wonder:What is Chayla thinking? Here she is. Alone in this cavernous ...
Exercising Religious Freedom
I’m a runner, a three-time marathoner. Whenever someone asks when I took up running, I say I started 12 years ago. ...
An Orthodox-Friendly, Egalitarian Bencher: Something Old, Something Very New
With great fanfare, David Zvi Kalman and Joshua Schwartz announced their production of a new, “egalitarian and queer-inclusive” bencher, Seder ...
Safety Doesn’t Happen by Accident
I hope we can all agree that the tragedy of the Freundel case is the harm that was done to ...
The Spectrum of Leaders and Followers: A Tale of My Third Grade Play
In third grade, most learning stopped while we prepared for our class play. It was quite the production. We each ...
Hitting a Creative Wall
I didn’t mind the mechitza at first. The wall—more frequently a short partition—separating men and women in ritual spaces was ...