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.

It’s Not Just for Feminists Anymore

It’s not easy being a feminist.We are the butts of jokes, the objects of stereotypes, and the recipients of sometimes ...

Partners in Prayer: A Recipe for Success

A new partnership minyan was recently formed in Hampstead in North-West London. Here, two of the founders, Beverly Paris and ...

Solving the agunah problem means finding the right address

In the wake of the current discussion of the Gital Dodelson case (about which I know nothing more than what ...

When a Woman Leads Services, A Community Struggles With Its Identity

Recently, the Ritual Committee of my congregation, Kehillat Yedidya in Jerusalem, asked its members whether we might occasionally allow Kabbalat ...

Join Us Today in Times Square for a 1-Day Only JOFA Billboard!

Update: Click here for pictures of the Times Square billboard! Join us in Times Square today (Wednesday) as JOFA celebrates five ...

“Rabbi, please, let me immerse in the mikveh alone!”

I have two issues with the title of this blog post. For one thing, I should not have to ask ...

Carrying Deborah’s Torch to a New Generation of Feminists

Nearly every book of Tanakh, the bible, is filled with stories about strong, independent women who influenced and led the ...

Authors

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Simchat Torah Firsts

This past Simchat Torah I had the fortune of dividing my time between two minyanim: the Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington ...

Good Reasons to Institute Civil Marriage in Israel? We’ve Got Thousands.

Avishalom Westreich and Pinhas Shifman, religious Israeli legal scholars of marriage and divorce law who presented compelling proposals at JOFA’s Agunah ...