Jewish Gender Relations

In the Middle Ages, a Jewish woman's social well-being was considered important, but her life was strictly guided by Jewish law.

Considering the role of gender in producing knowledge about Judaism.

In the Torah, women are absent at the covenantal moment; to make up for this, Jewish history must be reconstructed.

If we reject male God language, we lose a powerful metaphor: the husband-wife relationship between God and the Jews.

The rabbis of the Talmud designated specific female roles and activities, and were wary of women's nature, but they also tempered biblical laws that caused hardships for women.

In the Bible, women are sometimes portrayed as men's equals and other times as men's subordinates — or property.

What the Bible, Talmud and other classic texts say about women and their roles.

Because the evolution of Judaism is affected by social conditions, it can be actively developed to be gender sensitive.

From theologies that address the male-ness of God to ones that address the femininity of males.

Traditional Judaism can--and should--embrace feminism to allow for greater equality in Jewish religious life.