Expanding women’s rights and
opportunities within halakha

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30+ Years

Advocating for women in Orthodoxy

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Enhance your Jewish life

Halakhic

Framework for all we do

Community-centered

Built by and for the people we serve 

Jofa in the community

Learning, leadership, and celebration — all year long

From packed batei midrash to living-room roundtables, Jofa brings women and men together to learn, lead, and build communities where everyone counts.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin speaking into a microphone beside Jon Polin during a Jofa fireside chat

Events · Conference 2025

Fireside Chat with Rachel & Jon Polin

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Three women studying Jewish texts together around a table

Learning · Jofa at Home

Jofa at Home: Learning in Your Community

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A woman in a red blazer speaking at a podium in front of a Jofa backdrop

Leadership · Women’s voices

State of Orthodox Women’s Torah Leadership with Ann Pava

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Two panellists holding microphones in conversation, one of them seated in a wheelchair

Inclusion · Panel discussion

From “Welcoming” to “Belonging” in Jewish Institutions

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A woman speaking into a microphone in front of a Jofa backdrop

Advocacy · Jofa Conference 2025

Rabba Dr. Anat Sharbat accepts the inaugural award

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A woman carrying a Torah scroll, walking beside a young child

Chagim · Shema Bekolah series

Sukkot & Simchat Torah: Women’s Torah Reading

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Three women reading from an open scroll on a table, one wearing a Purim costume

Chagim · Purim 5786

Megillah Reading & Purim Seudah

Learn to leyn Megillat Esther ›
Participants seated around a long table at a Jofa community roundtable

Events · Community roundtable

Roundtable: Orthodox Feminism & Halakha Intersecting

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OUR RESOURCES

Tools for your Jewish life

Everything Jofa creates is free and rooted in halakhic practice — guides, toolkits, and learning materials for individuals, families, and communities.

Feminist Community Toolkit

Prayer Finder, minyan locator, women’s leadership resources — all in one place.

Explore the toolkit

Tefillah & Torah

Recordings to learn and lead tefillah, the Torah service, and Megillat Esther.

Lifecycle guides

Bat Mitzvah, weddings, birth rituals, mourning — navigated from a feminist lens.

Halakhic resources

Jewish divorce, Hilkhot Nashim, and legal frameworks for women.

Shema Bekolah: Chagim

Hear her voice — Torah learning and leining for Shabbat & the chagim.

Jofa Journal

Our flagship publication on women, halakha, and Orthodox life.

Reproductive health

S.A.F.E. Plan — halakhic abortion access resources and support.

Support the work that matters

Jofa’s resources are free because donors make them possible. Your gift keeps halakhic feminism alive and accessible for every Orthodox Jew who needs it.

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Jofa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All gifts are tax-deductible.

Dr. Mindy Feldman Hecht

Executive Director

Dr. Mindy Feldman Hecht is a mission-driven nonprofit and academic leader committed to advancing women’s leadership, scholarship, learning and participation within halakhic Jewish life. She served on the Board of Directors of Jofa for eight years, including as Board President, where she helped shape the organization’s strategic direction, led a successful international conference, strengthened governance, and steered its long-term growth and impact.

 

Mindy brings more than a decade of experience leading equity-centered, community-engaged initiatives at the intersection of public health, research, and social change. She previously served as Program Director of the Office of Community Health at Columbia University, where she built and managed cross-sector partnerships and programs designed to translate academic research into meaningful community benefit.

 

She holds a doctorate in Applied Exercise Physiology from Teachers College, Columbia University, where her research focused on innovative approaches to improving physical activity and cognitive outcomes in underserved school communities. Mindy earned her BA from Columbia University and her Master of Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health.

 

Earlier in her career, she served as Chief Compliance Officer for Uri L’Zedek’s Tav HaYosher (Ethical Seal) restaurant program in New York, advancing ethical labor standards within the kosher food industry. She is also an alumna of Migdal Oz. She lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her husband and children and is an active member of Darkhei Noam, where her commitment to partnership minyanim and inclusive communal leadership is deeply rooted.