RJ Blog

Much has been written in recent days about the arrest of Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Reform Movement’s Israel Religious Action Center, at the Kotel while wearing a tallit and saying Sh’ma with Women of the Wall and Hadassah. There have been articles, websites, and petitions offered by many groups and individuals, each responding in their own way. WRJ also has expressed our outrage at Anat’s treatment and joined the chorus of women’s groups and other progressive voices calling for a change in policy by the authorities who manage this historic site. Reform women want Anat and Women of [...]

There has been a great deal of ‘piling on ‘ in recent days following Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s statement about “legitimate rape” and his assertion that in such cases women don’t get pregnant because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Of course, partisan advocacy groups and women’s rights organizations are making hay out of his political blunder. I’m willing to give him a pass on his unfortunate word choice – he didn’t really mean ‘legitimate’ in the sense that rape could ever be considered acceptable. He meant ‘legitimate’ in the sense of ‘real’ [...]

Well, it’s about time. After decades of diligent voting, my vote finally counts. According to recent New York Times article, “In Weak Economy, an Opening to Court Votes of Single Women” (August 7, 2012), pollsters and politicians have finally realized that us single gals are a force to be reckoned with. According to the article, single women are a growing population and constitute a quarter of the voting population. That voting power is even stronger in certain swing states. So now we are apparently being ‘courted’ – though I’m not exactly feeling the love. No one has sent me any [...]

What an amazing moment it was when Sally Ride flew into outer space. Joining the Challenger crew in 1983, she was the first American female astronaut to break the atmospheric barrier. Her untimely death today is cause for reflection and celebration of a journey well traveled. As a third-year rabbinical student that year, I was acutely aware of the barriers that tumbled down to earth that day… as well as the barriers that still existed. We were thrilled and proud and confident that nothing was beyond our reach. And it seems we were right. One by one, barriers continue to [...]

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) today released a study on Rabbinic Compensation by Gender. The executive summary provided by the CCAR in many ways states the obvious: there is a salary discrepancy between men and women, and that discrepancy increases as congregational size increases. No great surprise there. What is exceptional about this study is the raw data that it provides to document that disparity and to highlight exactly where that disparity is most noticeable: “Differences in senior/solo base compensation by gender are markedly less among “A” category congregations, which can be served by newly ordained rabbis (female [...]

I was blessed to have had the opportunity to become a rabbi and serve the Jewish community in a time when the doors to the rabbinate were open to women. As we celebration the 40th anniversary of Sally Priesand’s ordination, I am acutely aware that this was not always the case. Rabbi Priesand and the generation of pioneering women who came before me pushed through closed doors and laid out a welcome mat for women like me. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their perseverance. I am also reminded of the generations of women who came before them [...]

Several years ago, I did an interview for Jewish Women International (JWI) (To Remember the Enslaved of Our Time) related to Passover and social justice. Having recently stumbled upon it again, I think many of the sentiments I expressed continue to ring true. Working for a Jewish women’s organization, many of my meetings and conference calls this week devolve into conversations about recipes, preparations, and excitement over the family and friends who will be around the Seder table. Jewish women really take to heart the mandate to ‘let all who are hungry come and eat.’ How wonderful would it be [...]

With so much attention devoted to the URJ Biennial convention in National Harbor, MD it is easy to overlook the Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) Assembly taking place concurrently. As the incoming Executive Director for WRJ, this is not my first chance to work with our Movement’s sisterhoods, but it is my first opportunity to participate fully with them at this historic assembly.

Where else but at a WRJ Assembly would you hear Waco-born, Baptist-bred Cecile Richards talk about the importance of ‘tikkun olam‘ and being ‘verklempt’ upon her first visit to Israel with Jewish women? Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards, reminded participants at the WRJ Assembly of how important our continued activism is in an age when conservative elected officials would undermine decades of progress in women’s health and reproductive rights to pursue a right-wing political agenda.