JOFA’s Torch
From Isolation to Community: Opening the Conversation on Mikvah
Two weeks each month, I refrain from physical intimacy with my husband because of Jewish law. It is not only ...
Reading Esther and Coming of Age
The story of Esther teaches us many things, amongst them, that timing is everything.This year, the women’s Megillat Esther reading ...
A New Purim Hero?
This year on Purim, several minyanim in the U.S. and in Israel will be reading the Megillah with a twist. ...
Fasting for Two: Who Makes the Call?
This Thursday (March 13) many Jews will fast from sunrise to sunset in commemoration of Esther’s fast before she approached ...
Including Agunot on Purim in Montreal
Every year costumed women and children arrive from communities across the island, all aglow and abuzz with great anticipation. Purim ...
Purim Picks for Feminists of All Ages
There’s a serious side to Purim costumes and masquerades: Who do we want to be? Who do we want our ...
Megillah on the Run
Purim for Jews is a public riot, but in our family we celebrate Purim quietly. My brother Daniel can’t hear and our ...
One Student’s Ordination Affects Us All
Yeshiva University’s recent decision to withhold semicha (rabbinic ordination) from one of its about-to-graduate rabbis because of his participation in ...
Pounding on the Gates of Heaven
We have much to lift our spirits and much to concern us in the attention paid to young women laying ...
Leyning In
Two summers ago I was having a relaxed conversation with Judy Heicklen, the president of JOFA. She mentioned to me ...
Singing is a Mitzvah
I have been hiding from the audience my entire life. I am not sure if this is because I have ...
Let’s Get The Conversation Started: LGBT Jews and Orthodox Communities
On Keshet, an anonymous group of parents reflects on their difficult journeys accepting their children—and the challenges their communities pose. ...