September 13, 2018 ALL

Today: The Women of the Wall: Freedom to Worship at the Kotel

Since the creation of the State of Israel, the Jewish-Democratic country wrestles with a number of multifaceted dilemmas including: its relationship to the Jewish communities throughout the diaspora; the necessity and complexity of religious pluralism; and the role of women in society, in religion, and in the military. Women of the Wall, founded over 25 years ago, is a powerful case-study of all these dilemmas. It touches on three major questions: What is the role of women in Jewish public spaces? Is non-orthodox Judaism legitimate in Israel? And what is or should be the role of Diaspora Jewry in shaping Israeli society and responding to such dilemmas? Rabbi Sabath will dive deeply into all these questions as seen from academic, religious, and personal perspectives on Thursday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Donahue Auditorium.

Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D., serves Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as the National Director of Recruitment and Admissions and Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethic. Rabbi Sabath also teaches and mentors students of HUC-JIR and speaks throughout North America on leadership, Israel, gender, and theology.