Voices in the Wilderness
Emerging Roles of Israeli Clergywomen
Edited by
Jonathan L. Friedmann & Meeka Simerly
In the United States women are increasingly participating in rabbinical and cantorial roles in many synagogues and temples especially of Reform, Conservative and Jewish Renewal affiliation. The experience in Israel has been different, and this book documents the cases of women who have entered the clergy, either as rabbis or cantors, in that country in recent years. In the "Miri Gold" case the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that women clergy (mostly Reform) are to be recognized and remunerated as are the Orthodox clergy, which are only men. In Voices in the Wilderness women rabbis and cantors from Israel tell their stories
"Public society, whether Jewish or not, is much more a wilderness for women than for men, even in the 21st century. Thus it is one of the cutting edges of our evolution: women engaging with and confronting structures that restrict women’s and men’s full potential. The writers in this book show us how to meet each stage of life as a place for growth, like the stages of the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness. Moscow, New York, Tel Aviv, Romania, Big Sur...integrating histories of pain and confusion, reflecting on experiences of anger and shame, love and comfort, questioning and spiritual exaltation. You will find these stories a pleasure to read, and a source of inspiration for the future."
Tamar Frankiel, Ph.D., President, Academy for Jewish Religion, California
"The stories of women rabbis and cantors are the voices that have been missing for centuries. This book brings a collection of extraordinary women from the wilderness closer to the Promised Land; to the place where their torah, their music, their creativity is a blessing to the entire Jewish people. What a gift we have received, to follow their hopes and struggles and ultimately their unique accomplishments that serve as an inspiration for the next generation of women and men."
Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
ISBN: 9781935604679. 188 pages. $18.95
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