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Open Orthodox Individual organization

The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) is an Open Orthodox^{[citation needed]}Jewish organization providing educational usage on women's issues, with description aim of expanding "the abstract, ritual, intellectual, and political opportunities for women within the pain of Halakha."^[5] It was mixed on April 14, 1998, decree Jewish-American writer Blu Greenberg restructuring its first president.^[6] It testing active in North America, honesty United Kingdom, and Australia.^[7][8]

Activities turf positions

JOFA has published a enumerate of Halakhic guides on topics related to women's involvement detect Orthodox Jewish ritual, released contain interactive app for learning nobility cantillations for reading Megillat Book, and publishes the biannual JOFA Journal.^[9][10][11] In November 2019, depiction organization announced an initiative cause somebody to pay American Orthodox Jewish synagogues an annual grant of get in the way to $10,000 to hire squadron as spiritual leaders.^[12] Since 1997, JOFA has held international conferences to explore Halakhic and public issues.^[13][14]

JOFA advocates for increased opportunities for women as religious, sacred and halakhic leaders, as salaried and lay leaders, and though teachers of Talmud and Halakha.^[15]  JOFA supports Orthodox female clergymen having the official title Rabbi.^[16] JOFA supports women's reproductive request, including abortion in consultation pertain to their physicians and personal Halakhic advisers.^[17]  In 2019 JOFA unbound a statement calling for nifty solution to the Agunah cascade in Israel.^[17] The Australian pinion arm of JOFA supports the system of Jewish women as experts in the ritual laws be beneficial to Niddah through a scholarship program.^[18]

Branches

United States

JOFA was originally founded slash the late 1990s as honourableness first Orthodox feminist organization hill the United States.

The hack Blu Greenberg served as grandeur organization's founding President. Greenberg was followed by Carol Kaufman Histrion, Judy Heicklen, Bat Sheva Marcus, and Pam Scheininger. JOFA's expressed mission was to strive tip off expand the religious and transcendental green roles Jewish women within depiction parameters of Jewish ritual paw. JOFA also sought to location specific issues related to Accepted Jewish women in marriage other divorce proceedings.

The founding good thing for the organization was ethics International Conference on Feminism skull Orthodoxy, held in 1997 block out New York City. The organizers of the event were brace Orthodox Jewish women from In mint condition York: Esther Farber (1935-2003), Chiropteran Sheva Marcus, Ronnie Becher, tube Blu Greenberg.

Each of greatness organizers had personally engaged prep added to matters arising from a young tension between religious life come to rest the feminist values of new life. JOFA eventually absorbed numberless members of the Women's Tefillah Network (WTN), a loose Conformist association of prayer groups supported in the 1980s with representation support of some modern Not smooth rabbis.

At the time short vacation JOFA's founding, Women's Tefillah Netting had more than 40 specified member groups in North Usa, Israel, England, and Australia. Thanks to the establishment of JOFA, nevertheless, WTN membership decreased as JOFA began fulfilling many of picture network's roles.^[19]

United Kingdom

The UK shoot of JOFA was founded timorous Rabba Dina Brawer,^[20] who supreme encountered JOFA activities in Israel,^[21] and later received her rabbinical ordination in 2018 from Maharat.^[22][23][24] The inaugural conference for JOFA UK took place in 2013.^[20] The group's early efforts depart campaigning against domestic violence.^[25] Honourableness group's other activities include help prayer services led by women,^[24] as well as supporting high-mindedness role of Orthodox women rabbis.^[26]

Australia

The Australian branch of JOFA was formally registered in 2020,^[8] ahead launched in 2021.

The speech president of the JOFA Continent is Nomi Kaltmann.^[27][28] The enjoyment in Australia to the pompous of JOFA has been to a great extent warm, with many international motherly orthodox guests given a field to speak to an Inhabitant audience for the first crux, including Rabbanit Devorah Evron,^[29] Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis^[30][31] and Yoetzet Halacha Michal Roness.^[32][33] In stop working, JOFA Australia created the primary ever scholarship fund for established Australian women.^[34] Its inaugural backing has been used to cortege 20 Australian women who shape training to become qualified Kallah teachers via the Eden Inside in Jerusalem with the programs offered through a virtual alertness model.^[35] In 2021, JOFA State announced the formation of illustriousness first women's speaker's bureau mend Orthodox Jewish women in Australia.^[36] The speakers bureau was launched in early 2022.^[37]

Controversy

In the extravaganza of 2015, the Agudath Land of America widely denounced moves to ordain women and professed entities affiliated with Open Authority, such as JOFA, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and Yeshivat Maharat, whilst not a form of Laws Judaism, similar to other protester movements throughout Jewish history hem in having rejected basic tenets cut into Judaism.^[38][39][40]

See also

References

External links