A powerful—and
empowering—gathering of women’s voices transmitting
Judaism’s Passover legacy to the next generation.
The Women’s Passover Companion offers an in-depth examination of
women’s relationships to Passover as well as the roots
and meanings of women’s seders. This groundbreaking
collection captures the voices of Jewish women—rabbis,
scholars, activists, political leaders and artists—who
engage in a provocative conversation about the themes of the
Exodus and exile, oppression and liberation, history and
memory, as they relate to contemporary women’s lives.
Whether seeking new insights into the text
and traditions of Passover or learning about women’s
seders for the first time, both women and men will find this
collection an inspiring introduction to the Passover season and
an eye-opening exploration of questions central to Jewish
women, to Passover and to Judaism itself.
Contributors include:
Martha Ackelsberg Judith R. Baskin
Ruth Behar Esther Broner Kim Chernin
Phyllis Chesler Judith Clark Tamara Cohen
Dianne Cohler-Esses
Ophira Edut Leora
Eisenstadt Merle Feld Lynn Gottlieb Leah
Haber Bonna Devora Haberman Susannah Heschel
Norma Baumel Joseph
Chavi Karkowsky Janna Kaplan
Ruth Kaplan Erika Katske Sharon Kleinbaum
Lori Lefkovitz Haviva Ner-David Carol Ochs
Vanessa L. Ochs
Judith Plaskow Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Lilly Rivlin Judith Rosenbaum
Sandy
Eisenberg Sasso Leah Shakdiel Ela Thier
Judith Wachs
Margaret Moers Wenig Jenya Zolot-Gassko
Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg
“Inspires us to ask the questions and tell the stories of Jewish women who were unable to speak or tell their own stories.... Powerful and empowering.”
—Central Conference of American Rabbis Journal
“An extraordinary, powerful harvest
of women’s wisdom! This collection belongs at the seder
of everyone who wishes to celebrate and elevate the courage,
heroism and insight of our mothers and sisters, and open a
conversation with generations to come.”
—Rabbi
Marcia Prager, author, The Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Energy
and
Abundance of the Divine; director
and dean, ALEPH Rabbinic Program
“This Passover
‘companion’ for women will be useful to those who
desire a new women’s Haggadah and ritual or those who
simply seek to better understand the feminist themes of the
traditional liturgy.”
—Publishers
Weekly
“Although written by and primarily
for women, anyone interested in the contemporary Jewish search
for meaning in the tradition should pay attention to these
books.”
—Dr.
Arthur Green, author, Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow and other books
“The groundbreaking work of
infusing women’s voices and perspectives into the seder
celebration has only just begun. Mazel tov to the editors for
this useful gathering of voices!”
—Rabbi
Elyse Goldstein, editor, The Women’s Torah Commentary: New Insights
from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions
Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Tara Mohr and Catherine
Spector first worked together
as organizers of Jewish Women at Yale and as leaders of Yale
University’s beloved and inspiring women’s seder.
Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld is currently the associate dean for
student life at the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College in
Newton, Massachusetts. Tara Mohr is currently an MBA candidate
at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, focusing her
studies on social entrepreneurship. Catherine Spector is
currently a lawyer in Chicago and was, during college, part of
the steering committee for Yale’s two national
conferences on Jewish women.