Feminism, in essence, is a movement that seeks to establish equality between men and women in public and private lives, at home and at work. Many of the main world religions are not particularly inclusive of women, often offering only lesser roles to women in the hierarchy of their religious institutions (or none at all) and often having very strict rules on behaviors that are expected of women both in and out of the home. It should come as no surprise, hence, that almost every religion has a feminist branch, wherein women seek to achieve equal rights, or at least rights in which their position is respected.

Jewish Feminism Ideology

Jewish feminism seeks to give women a better status religiously, legally and socially. They also want to open avenues for women to achieve a position of religious leadership. The “Call for Change” can be traced back to 1970 when articles were published on the role of women in Judaism.

Through the hard work of Jewish feminists, women are now ordained as rabbis and cantors and are also allowed to read from the Torah in front of a congregation. However, their rights remain highly limited in Orthodox Judaism. In all forms of Judaism, women are not allowed to initiate divorce.

Jewish Feminism Theology

Some Jewish feminists feel that God should have a feminine characterization in the siddur (prayer books). This is highly controversial, despite at least three notable Jewish women calling for it. These women are:

• Rabbi Rebecca Alpert
• Rabbi Paula Reimers
• Ahuva Zache

Many agree that there is nothing wrong with using female pronouns when referring to God as well as male pronouns, but there seems to be a general consensus that it would be better to use gender neutral pronouns.

Some Famous Jewish Feminist Quotes

Jewish feminism has brought about some of the best quotes that both call for equality and celebrate femininity. For example:

• “If I can’t dance – I don’t want to be part of your revolution” – Emma Goldman
• “No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution – revolution is but thought carried into action” – Emma Goldman
• “The surest way to be alone is to get married” – Gloria Steinem
• “A woman is not born, she is made. In the making, her humanity is destroyed. She becomes symbol of this, symbol of that: mother of the earth, slut of the universe; but she never becomes herself because it is forbidden for her to do so” – Andrea Dworkin

Notable Beliefs on Women in Orthodox Judaism

As a prevention of unwanted sexual contact, Orthodox Jewish men are not allowed to shake hands with women. Orthodox Jewish men are also not allowed to have any form of contact with women when they are menstruating, whether they are married or not.

Historically, women have been described as lazy, vain, jealous, gluttonous, prone to gossip, the occult and witchcraft. It is almost unsurprising that Jewish Feminism has had a strong influence on Judaism and continues to have one today.