Welcome to JewFem.com!

Your source for news and insights about gender in Jewish life

elana head shot low res croppedJewFem.com offers you news, information and insights about gender and feminism in your Jewish life. The blog tackles Jewish education, synagogue, Israel, Jewish community, bits of pop culture, and more. The site was created by the award-winning writer Dr. Elana Maryles Sztokman (@ElanaHope), former Executive Director of JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. Elana's books include The Men’s Section: Orthodox Jewish Men in an Egalitarian World, which won the 2012 National Jewish Book Council Award for Women's Studies, Educating in the Divine Image: Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools, which won the 2013 National Jewish Book Council Award for Education (co-authored with Chaya Gorsetman), and the forthcoming The War on Women in Israel: How Religious Radicalism is Stifling the Voice of a Nation Elana writes frequently at The Forward, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Lilith, and more.

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Listen to Elana talk about her books

Elana talks with Sara Ivry of Vox Tablet about her book "Educating in the Divine Image: Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools".

Elana talks with Gabrielle Birkner of The Forward about her book "The Men's Section" and her vision of gender in Jewish education.

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Latest News

divineimage
Congratulations! Educating in the Divine Image wins the National Jewish Book Council Award
Elana's newest book, Educating in the Divine Image: Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools, won the 2013 National Jewish Book Council Award in the category of education and i...
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The JewFem Blog

Ashdod rabbinate: Women excluded from the safe shelter during rocket attack
This really happened: As rockets flew over Ashdod and red alerts sent people running for shelter, the Ashdod rabbanut had other plans for women. Men went to the shelter and were allowed in. Women, on the other hand, were...
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Posted by Elana Sztokman on 16 July 2014
Teens' Funeral Changed Israeli Youth Forever
  Funeral ceremony for the three Israeli teenagers / Getty Images When the city of Modi’in was built in 1993, I don’t think the planners envisioned the scene that took place here today. Tens of thousands of Isr...
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Posted by Elana Sztokman on 03 July 2014
Before Hope Was Lost: A rally in Tel Aviv for the kidnapped boys on June 29, a night before their bodies were discovered.
A Kidnapping That Made Israel Into One Family
How Three Boys United a Country in Death Getty Images Before Hope Was Lost: A rally in Tel Aviv for the kidnapped boys on June 29, a night before their bodies were discovered.   Modi’in — With news that the ...
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Posted by Elana Sztokman on 30 June 2014
A fantastic HBI breakfast
HBI and Dr. Laura S. Schor, board member and former chair, hosted a reception in Israel on June 9 that brought together scholars, artists, authors and activists, all who have been connected to HBI over the years. Elana S...
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Posted by Elana Sztokman on 21 June 2014
JWA launches a new website
I'm a huge fan of the Jewish Women's Archive, especially their new Executive Director, Dr. Judith Rosenbaum. Today, JWA announced the launch of their new website, which is really exciting because this site is one of the ...
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Posted by Elana Sztokman on 18 June 2014