Women’s Megillah Readings Go Global
Women’s megillah (Scroll of Esther) readings haven’t gotten quite as big as Achashverosh’s kingdom, but they are getting there.
The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) has published its annual directory and interactive map of women’s megillah readings happening around the world on Purim this year. The initiative is part of Project Esther, an annual JOFA program named for the heroine of the Purim story.
The directory includes readings in the United States, Canada, France, England, Australia, and Israel. The list provides information for each reading, including whether men are permitted at the readings as well as whether or not babysitting will be provided.
Project Esther also includes a number of articles on the basis for women’s megillah readings in Jewish law, as well as an app to learn how to read the text.
Contact Shira Hanau at hanau@forward.com
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO