By Rabbi Daniel Sperber, Afterword by Rabbanit Dr. Michal TikochinskyMaharat/Urim Publishers, 2020, $27.95Review by Debbie WeissmanIn the Bible, there are many important female figures—although many fewer than the male figures—occupying a variety of roles far beyond the traditional domestic ones, including judge, queen, warrior, and “wise woman.” If Proverbs 31:10–31—the Eishet Ḥayil–can be taken as […]
By Noam StadlanThe discussion of abortion in halakhah begins with the life of the mother. Pikuaḥ nefesh, the obligation to preserve life—in this case, the life of the mother—trumps every other obligation except for three: murder, sexual immorality, and idol worship. Until the head of the fetus or the majority of its body has exited
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By Nancy SinkoffWayne State University Press, 2020, $34.99Review by Roselyn BellLucy Dawidowicz was not a feminist, nor was she Orthodox, yet much in her life experience and in her intellectual contributions will resonate with JOFA readers. She was often the only woman in a room filled with opinion-shaping men. She was sometimes given lesser recognition
It’s Both Public and Private By Pam Scheininger The Call for Articles for this edition of the JOFA Journal began with this hook: “Our awareness of our human capacity for reproduction is a vital aspect of our view of our bodies and ourselves stretching from menarche to menopause.” As women, we are acutely aware of this
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In Shifra’s ArmsJewish Unplanned Pregnancy Serviceswww.jewishpregnancyhelp.orgHelpline: 888-360-5872Textline: 646-632-8547 JScreenSaliva-based screening for genetic diseases common among people of Jewish ancestryBased at Emory University’s Department of Human Geneticswww.jscreen.org IWSTHAB“I Was Supposed to Have a Baby”—online support platform for those facing pregnancy and infancy lossLinktr.ee/iwassupposedtohaveababy on facebook.com Jewish Fertility FoundationProvides financial assistance, educational resources, and emotional support to
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By Hillary Kener RegelmanOne of the first mitzvot in the Torah is to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). In light of modern medicine, many rabbis today interpret the verse to mean “Be fruitful and multiply … but be cautious and get genetic testing first!” Since the 1970s, tremendous innovations in the field of human genetics
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By Michal Raucher When people learn that I have conducted research on reproduction among ḥִaredi (ultra-Orthodox) women in Jerusalem, their first questions usually are: “Do they use birth control?” “Do they get abortions?” and “Will they use fertility treatments?” These questions are understandable. People generally know that haredi women have a high birthrate, even by
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By Plonit Almonit“I hope you don’t resent.…”That’s what my boss said to me in the course of the discussion in which I was fired while still new on the job. She agreed that my performance had clearly been affected by my pregnancy. Positive feedback had gone down during my second trimester but up when I
Career and Kinder: The Choices We Make, the Challenges We Face Read More »
By Gail KatzThe typical pro-choice and anti-abortion positions in debate in American society today do not line up well with halakhic views on abortion. Halakhah never frames the issues in terms of individual choice, nor does halakhah talk in absolutes around the theology of when life begins. Rather, the issues are framed in terms of
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High School Leadership Development Program On June 29, JOFA launched its first online High School Leadership Development Program. Over the course of this virtual three-week program, 26 young women from all over the country participated in skills-building seminars, career fairs, and cohort-bonding exercises. Participants focused on strengthening their critical thinking skills, taking advantage of opportunities
