We find gender-bending language in the Torah, in the greater Hebrew Bible, as well as in later Hebrew literature. And I am hardly the first one to notice this. Bible scholars, critics, and translators of later Hebrew works have all drawn attention to the phenomenon. In his 1990 bestseller “The Book of J,” Harold Bloom…
For two decades, I’ve passed “Charging Bull,” the iconic bronze statue that stands near Wall Street, twice every workday when I walk from the Staten Island Ferry to my office in Manhattan. Now, I have to pass her too. I was never particularly fond of the beast, which always struck me as a bronze descendant…
In this series I am responding to frequently asked questions about some gender-bending translations of Torah texts I have proposed in a few articles since 2008, and in a 2016 op-ed in The New York Times, “Is God Transgender?” So far, we have looked at Eve as “he;” Noah repairing to “her” tent; Rebecca, who…
I am responding in this series to frequently asked questions about some gender-bending translations of Torah texts I have proposed in a few articles since 2008, and in an Op-Ed in The New York Times, “Is God Transgender?” (August 12, 2016). So far, we have looked at Eve as “he”, Noah repairing to “her” tent,…
In an uncharacteristic, and laudable move, yesterday Hillel International cancelled Ari Shavit’s book tour of US college campuses after accusations of sexual harassment against Danielle Berrin were made public. Hillel and other major Jewish organizations, have not always been as quick on the draw. In lower profile sexual harassment cases on individual campuses, and organizations…
Forward readers were surveyed about their experiences in the workplace. Here are some responses: “I realized that my emails included ‘just,’ ‘don’t want to bother you,’ ‘if that’s okay.’ Men’s emails include statements. I was making way too many excuses and apologizing for having ideas and taking up space.” “If you are in the right…
Recent debates about women and the Orthodox rabbinate yielded a range of interesting, impassioned and also banal observations by various Jewish professionals and laypeople. Although sociological and legal arguments abound, a broader philosophical discussion of the nature of gender roles within Judaism is lacking. The assumption in these debates seems to be that the challenge…
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled against requiring gender segregation at Jewish cemeteries in Israel. The ruling Thursday Jerusalem overturned two lower court rulings dismissing a lawsuit filed in 2011 against the municipal chevra kadisha burial society of the City of Netanya, the news site Nrg.co.il reported. The lawsuit was filed by Susanne Ayad, who that year…
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