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

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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.

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