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.
The Time Is Now: Express Your Rabbinic Will
There are several things that happen when a stone is thrown into a lake. First, the stone pierces the top ...
Eliezer: The Servant Disciple
When LGBT Jews re-encounter their tradition on their own terms, they can experience spiritual risk, iconoclasm, and reimagined faith. One ...
The Year I Missed Simchat Torah
I did not have Simchat Torah this year. Bold statement, right? Some of you are probably thinking that I must ...
Forget the Man, Fix the System
This week marks the fifteenth anniversary of my conversion to Judaism.As for so many others, my process of entering into ...
Tomorrow Night
I am supposed to go to the mikveh tomorrow night.The mikveh and I have never been friends; the first time I immersed, ...
Open the Mikveh During the Day
Vashti is a heroine of the Purim story because she chose not to expose her naked body to the Court despite ...
Dr. Seuss, Rashi and Sydney Taylor: A Study of Creating Ritual
In my mind, the definitive tale of sisterhood was not the conventionally chosen classic, Little Women , but rather the ...
Body Talk – Our Bodies, Our Sukkah Posters
When we received our JOFA sukkah poster last week, I excitedly showed my daughters, ages five and ten, the poster ...
When Creativity and Faith Collide
Growing up as the daughter of two teachers, my parents encouraged me to read every kind of book that I ...
My Daughter’s in the 4th Grade… And I’m Planning Her Bat Mitzvah
My youngest daughter will turn nine in just a few weeks, but I have already begun to actively arrange for ...