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May 2, 2011 by Emma Gray
Glee’s Rachel Berry Confronts Her “Jewish Nose”
Last week, Glee aired a much-anticipated 90-minute episode, entitled “Born This Way,” after Lady Gaga’s inclusive anthem. During the episode, each character deals with the things about themselves that they are most ashamed of, ultimately embracing these characteristics. For Rachel Berry (played by Lea Michele), one of the most markedly Jewish characters on the show, her challenge is accepting her not-so-button nose.
The myth of the Jewish nose is one of the most widely espoused Jewish stereotypes. Its origins can be traced to the flawed “science” of 19th century Eugenics movements. Eugenics attempted to define ethnicity through physical characteristics. In his book Making the Body Beautiful, Sander L. Gilman explains that these traits were generally compared to and vilified in relation to a white, European “ideal.”
The German children’s storybook, Der Giftpilz, published in 1938, provides a perfect example of the explicit discussion of the Jewish nose. In one of the stories, Little Karl, a 7th grade schoolboy, describes to his classmates how to recognize a Jew. “One can most easily tell a Jew by his nose. The Jewish nose is bent at its point. It looks like the number six. We call it the Jewish six.”
Although we have come a long way since 20th century ideas of racial purity, the myth of the giant Jew nose still runs rampant, providing perfect fodder for Glee’s writer, Brad Falchuk. Falchuk himself happens to be Jewish, as well as the son of the current president of national Jewish women’s organization, Hadassah. (more…)
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April 29, 2011 by Jill Finkelstein
Link Roundup: Working Women
Welcome to this week’s installment of Lilith’s Link Roundup. Each week we post Jewish and feminist highlights from around the web. If there’s anything you want to be sure we know about, email us or leave a message in the comments section below.
The 2010 U.S. census revealed that, for the first time, women have surpassed men in obtaining advanced degrees. [Yahoo News]
Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern came under fire after making derogatory statements about minorities and women not wanting to work hard. She claimed that a wage gap exists because women are not as committed to working as men and would rather spend more time at home. She has since apologized. [NewsOK]
A new study reported that the median annual salary of women doctors is $65,000 less than that of men doctors, resulting in a $2.3 million wage gap over the course of 35 years. The study claims women tend to choose lower paying specialties, work in smaller firms, and work fewer hours. [Forbes]
A recent college graduate shares that even young women worry about work-family balance when beginning their careers. [Susie B]
Sarah Seltzer writes about the sacrifices that come along with wearing professional-looking high heels. [The Sisterhood]
In the latest Women’s Roundtable Podcast, a collaboration between Lilith and The Forward’s Sisterhood blog, we take a look at the importance of fashion to Jewish women today, and how Passover rituals are connected to feminist consciousness. [Lilith Blog]
Haviva Ner-David reviews In Her Voice: An Illuminated Book of Prayers for Jewish Women. [Jerusalem Post]
A proposed bill in Louisiana would ban all abortions- even in cases of rape, incest, and endangerment of the mother. The bill would also charge women who receive abortions and doctors who perform them with “feticide,” which currently carries a jail sentence of 15 years at hard labor. [Mother Jones]
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April 28, 2011 by admin
Women's Roundtable Podcast: Fashion and Feminist Rituals
Here’s the latest from the Women’s Roundtable Podcast, with Lilith editor in chief Susan Weidman Schneider, Lilith assistant editor Sonia Isard, and the Forward’s Debra Nussbaum Cohen and Gabrielle Birkner. In this installment, we take a look at the importance of fashion to Jewish women today, and how Passover rituals are connected to feminist consciousness. Join the conversation in the comments section below!
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April 22, 2011 by Jill Finkelstein
Link Roundup: Earth Day and Orthodox Women
Welcome to this week’s installment of Lilith’s Link Roundup. Each week we post Jewish and feminist highlights from around the web. If there’s anything you want to be sure we know about, email us or leave a message in the comments section below.
Newsweek released its 2011 list of America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis. The list included 13 women, which is more than the past two years’ lists combined. The increase of women is like due to the addition of Abigail Pogrebin to the selection committee, which was previously made up of men. [The Sisterhood]
Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Majority Foundation launched No More Excuses!, a new campaign that urges the FBI to remove the term “forcible” from its definition of rape. [Ms. Magazine]
In response to last week’s New York Times article about the prevalence of eating disorders in the Orthodox community, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach writes about the growing pressure that young women in the community face to be thin in order to get married. Many matchmakers prefer girls who wear size 0-4. [Huffington Post]
In honor of Earth Day, Justin Branch gives an introduction to Ecofeminism. [Canonball]
Ecofeminism is especially prominent in developing countries, like Jordan, where women have become more self-sufficient by using solar energy to make their villages more sustainable. [Green Prophet]
Doree Lewak describes the problem Orthodox women face during Passover when it comes to their beauty routine. Women have to refrain from beauty products that contain non-Kosher for Passover ingredients, however the governing board of rabbis releases an annual list of “chametz-free” personal care items. [Huffington Post]
Lilith blogger Maya Bernstein writes about experiencing moments versus preserving memories. [Lilith Blog]
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April 21, 2011 by Maya Bernstein
Commemorating
It was one week into my family’s trip to Israel, and we lost our camera. Perhaps it was stolen. Most likely it fell out of the bottom of the stroller, while I was digging for sunscreen, or pretzels, or a hat. Perhaps it was the inevitable sacrifice, to appease the gods who watch over those who travel with young children and worry about losing BPA-free bottles and spoons, favorite dolls’ clothing, socks, diaper-bags, not to mention, of course, the children themselves. I noticed the camera was gone when the children were bathed and clean and dressed for the Sabbath. The girls had flower head-bands in their hair and the baby was wearing a vest, the sun was setting over the walls of the old city in Jerusalem, and the air smelled of the exhaust fumes of the last Friday buses, and of jasmine.
What upset me most was losing a week’s worth of pictures. My oldest moaned: “now it’s like we were never here.” I momentarily entertained the thought of buying a new camera, and retracing our steps. My husband suggested that we could leave pages of our photo-album blank; a trip of blind images, wisps of memories trickling ephemeral from between our fingers.
Now, though, that it is Passover, and the leavened excesses of our existence have been burned, for the moment, and, as a people, we are immersed in the preservation of an ancient psychic memory, the loss seems strangely appropriate. It has reminded me to spend some time experiencing, rather than preserving an experience. I have become so accustomed to reflecting while living, that, perhaps, I have cheated myself out of the full joy of being, of living, without trying to figure out how to package, market, preserve that life. My camera, Twitter account, Facebook site, all at once seem like chametz, bloated with self, replete with very me. How appropriate to be without a camera on Passover, to travel, suddenly, lighter, with a different lens. Emptying myself of these vehicles for expression, I find more space to be. I am reminded of a poem by Sir Thomas Browne: (more…)
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April 15, 2011 by Jill Finkelstein
Link Roundup: Passover and Freedom
Welcome to this week’s installment of Lilith’s Link Roundup. Each week we post Jewish and feminist highlights from around the web. If there’s anything you want to be sure we know about, email us or leave a message in the comments section below.
On Tuesday, women around the United States observed National Equal Pay Day. The day marked how far into the year women must work for their earnings to match what men earned in 2010. [National Committee on Pay Equity]
Many women’s rights activists, like Marlo Thomas, shared a feeling of frustration for having to observe yet another Equal Pay Day as the wage gap has only reduced by 18 cents over the past 40 years. [Huffington Post]
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate rejected a measure to defund Planned Parenthood just moments after the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of it. However, not all went as planned. As Katha Pollitt points out, “the final budget cuts Title X, the federal family-planning program, by $17 million.” [The Nation]
A new study revealed that contraceptive use is the norm among religious women. [Guttmacher Institute]
Is voting immodest? Jewish women in Crown Heights are banned from voting for the Jewish Community Council, which received $1.9 million in government grants in 2008. [City Room]
Today is National Day of Silence, a day in which many U.S. students take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying. [GLSEN]
This week, France enacted a new law prohibits women from wearing any kind of face covering, including a niqab, or full-faced veil, in public. The new policy has become a hot topic among feminist on whether or not it is a violation or protection of women’s rights. [Sisterhood Blog]
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April 8, 2011 by Jill Finkelstein
Link Roundup: Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Government Shutdown
Welcome to this week’s installment of Lilith’s Link Roundup. Each week we post Jewish and feminist highlights from around the web. If there’s anything you want to be sure we know about, email us or leave a message in the comments section below.
On Tuesday, Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz was named as the new Chair of the Democratic National Committee, making her the third woman (and second Jewish woman) to ever hold the position. [Politico]
Jewish Women International released a new resource for Jewish clergy called Embracing Justice: A Guide for Jewish Clergy on Domestic Abuse. The guide provides rabbis and cantors with information and skills to support families experiencing domestic violence. [JWI]
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the launch of a National Sexual Assault Awareness Campaign for colleges and K-12 schools. The campaign will provide schools with guidelines about their responsibilities to prevent sexual assault, support victims, and pursue adequate disciplinary measures against perpetrators. [Ms. Magazine] [NPR]
The U.S. Government has until midnight tonight to reach a decision on budget cuts or face a major shutdown of all “non-essential” government operations. Democrats and Republicans have remained deadlocked over Planned Parenthood funding. [Huffington Post]
In honor of Hadassah’s 100th anniversary, Marjorie Ingall visited the organization’s archive of cookbooks to see what they revealed about the “interplay between Jewishness and Americanness,” as well as regional differences, among Jewish women over the past 90 years. [Tablet Magazine]
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April 7, 2011 by Bonnie Beth Chernin
Birthday Serenade
I had just finished listening to my daughter serenade me with Happy Birthday to You when I asked if she could sing the song again in Hebrew. Maybe it was because I didn’t want my birthday celebration to end, or maybe it was because I knew she could do it.
Rachel had learned the Hebrew version at her Jewish day school, a school under the auspices of the Conservative movement. I mention this only as a report released in 2008 about attitudes concerning Jewish days schools found that many people, at least in the New York City area, think a Jewish day school refers to an Orthodox yeshiva and are not aware that day schools can also encompass Conservative Judaism
At school Rachel learned Yom Huledet Same’ach, Happy Birthday, sung to the popular tune first composed by two sisters Mildred Hill and Patty Smith Hill in 1893. But Rachel’s 2011 Hebrew rendition took on a new twist, at least for me. (more…)
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April 5, 2011 by Amy Kronish
Feminists in Focus: Divorce, Deadbeat husbands and DVDs
Literally, “agunot” are women whose husbands have disappeared and it is unknown if they are still alive. This leaves the women in a form of limbo, since it is unclear if they are widows. In these cases, who can determine if they are able to remarry?
In contemporary usage, the term “agunot” has also come to include women who are unable to obtain a Jewish divorce or “get.” According to Jewish law, based on the Book of Deuteronomy, a woman cannot initiate a divorce; it must be granted to her by her husband. “Agunot” are hostages, chained to deadbeat husbands who are refusing to grant them a writ of divorce.
In the modern state of Israel, matters of personal status such as marriage and divorce are controlled by the ultra-Orthodox rabbinate which deals with divorce in an archaic manner. Some claim that the rabbinate is not interested in whether or not the husband is justified in withholding his agreement, since they do not interfere or compel these men to behave honorably. As a result and not surprisingly, men within Israeli society have learned how to exploit this advantage in the rabbinic courts. Some men are manipulative and cruel and withhold the divorce in an attempt at vengeance. Others do it for financial gain. Even if the man has moved on and already lives with another woman, he might not be interested in providing his wife with the same degree of independence. In fact, some men actually require that the woman denies her right to communal property, child support and alimony payments in return for his agreement to the divorce, thus actually forcing the wife to “buy” her divorce.
Recently, a new and informative documentary has been produced on the subject, called Women Unchained by Beverly Siegel and Leta Lenik. The women in this film live in both Israel and North America and are plagued by the blackmail being legitimized by the rabbinical courts. The film talks about the toll that is being exacted – the stress, money, turmoil, and emotional pain. An in-depth look at a complex subject, the film even presents the point of view of American law – a wife-beater should be brought up on criminal charges if he demands that his wife drop charges against him in exchange for a get, or if exorbitant amounts of money are demanded in exchange for a get. These are both illegal acts and criminal proceedings should be initiated. The film also provides a creative legal solution to the problem — people are beginning to use pre-nuptial agreements to stipulate how much money the husband must pay during the period of separation until a get is given. (more…)
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April 1, 2011 by Jill Finkelstein
Link Roundup: A Look Back at Geraldine Ferraro
Welcome to this week’s installment of Lilith’s Link Roundup. Each week we post Jewish and feminist highlights from around the web. If there’s anything you want to be sure we know about, email us or leave a message in the comments section below.
Former U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro died this past Saturday at the age of 75. Ferraro, a major women’s rights activist, broke the glass ceiling when she became “the first woman nominated for national office by a major party.” [NY Times]
Letty Cottin Pogrebin wrote a touching, heartfelt remembrance of her friend, Geraldine Ferraro. [Women’s Media Center]
On Wednesday, March 30, U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney and U.S. Senator Susan Collins reintroduced The National Women’s History Museum Act (HR 1269 and S 680). The bill would authorize the sale and use of the land adjoining the National Mall in Washington, DC for the museum’s future site. [Post Gazette]
In light of Elizabeth Taylor’s passing, CNN profiled her conversion to Judaism. The article also highlighted Taylor’s involvement with Lilith, adding “And in 1987, she was among those who signed an appeal launched by a Jewish feminist magazine, Lilith, to free Soviet refusenik Ida Nudel.” [CNN]
Renée Levine Melammed, dean of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and editor of NASHIM, wrote about the 19th century discovery of various archives in Elephantine. The archives contained documents about a woman named Mibtahiah, who has become the earliest documented Jewish women in history. According to Melammed, the documents “reveal surprising details concerning her life and the options available to Jewish women in this settlement.” [Jerusalem Post]
Anat Hoffman of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) and Women of the Wall was profiled in New Voices this week for her efforts toward religious pluralism. Hoffman was arrested last year for carrying a Torah at the Western Wall. [New Voices]
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