Feminism and Jewish Continuity - The 92nd Street Y, New York

Your Cart

On Demand

92NY Humanities Audio Collection

About Women

Feminism and Jewish Continuity

Mar 30, 1993


Letty Cottin Pogrebin, co-founder and contributing editor of Ms. Magazine, moderates a panel discussion about the relationship between feminism and the idea of Jewish continuity. Panelists include Rabbi Rachel Cowan, a feminist social worker and convert to Judaism; Melanie Kaye Kantrowitz, the Executive Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; and Blu Greenberg, a writer, lecturer, scholar, and nationally known spokeswoman for the Orthodox women's movement. Pogrebin prompts the panelists to respond to “detractors” who “believe that feminism threatens Jewish continuity” and to reflect on the influence of feminism on the Jewish tradition and the influence of the Jewish tradition on contemporary feminism. Cowan emphasizes the importance of inclusion and argues that anything that “adds meaning to Jewish lives” contributes to the continuity of Judaism. Kantrowitz, a secular Jew, atheist, and lesbian argues Jewish feminists can contribute to the “survival of Jewishness” by fighting for justice and standing with other “groups who are struggling.” Greenberg provides an Orthodox perspective, arguing that “you can have gender equality with gender distinctiveness” and that even in strict traditional communities there is room for reform, reinterpretation, and inclusion. The discussion is followed with questions from the audience.

The Preservation of and Increased Access to the 92nd Street Y Humanities Audio Archives is generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.


Did you know that donations cover nearly half of our costs?

As a nonprofit community and cultural center, The 92nd Street Y, New York relies on support from people like you. Your donation today helps us continue connecting you to the programs you love, no matter where in the world you are.

© 2024 The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association

All Rights Reserved.

All material accessed via the 92NY website (“content”) is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association or the party credited as the provider of the content. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database. You may not alter or remove any copyright or other notice from copies of the content accessed via 92NY’s website. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of 92NY or the copyright holder identified in the individual content’s copyright notice.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this collection do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.