Lines of communication

Nudel Appeal Update

Is Israel Really Liberating for Ethiopian Women?

by Andrea King

What happens in the lives of African women brought to Israel when they must give up traditional customs—-such as living in separate dwellings during their menstrual periods—-that they feel defined their female role in Judaism?

This Too is Enough

poetry by Rachel Pollack

Love then and now

A Biblical woman who defied patriarchy by falling in love and a modern-day Jewish soap-opera heroine who can't marry the man of her choice--what their stories tell  us about popular perception of Jewish women and romance.

• Lost Love, 1000 B.C.E. by Nehama Aschkenasy
• Star-Crossed Romance,1987, N.B.C. by Naomi Pfefferman

The Prisoners of Divorce

by Adena Berkowitz

Jewish law says only a husband can divorce his wife, not vice versa, leaving in limbo thousands of women whose husbands are vindictive. Many—with support from within the Orthodox community—are making their private agony public and seeking help in secular courts—and via public protest.