Customer Reviews

Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism: Resistance and Accommodation (HBI Series on Jewish Women)

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I devoured this book. Tova Hartman, professor of gender and education in Israel, has written a brilliant and important work on the dilemmas of Modern Orthodoxy, and much, much more. Unlike so many books of this sort, however, it is not one long kvetch (complaint), but is full of many constructive suggestions for how Modern Orthodoxy, and religious tradition in general, should move forward.
The book is extremely clear, engaging, and wide-ranging. Hartman shows her range as a scholar, integrating feminist scholarship and scholarship on psychology (she was a student of Carol Gilligan at Harvard), philosophy--both secular and Jewish, and Jewish law. Her knowledge in all of these areas is deep, but she is never show-offy in how she uses it, and she explains her positions with exemplary clarity. Moreover, in each chapter, she moves back and forth between examining important religious issues (e.g. mechanisms for religious change, prayer which has males as its focus, etc.), and discussions of Shira Hadasha, the remarkable Jerusalem synagogue which she founded over a decade ago--an inspirational Orthodox synagogue that "pushes the envelope" in many ways, including the involvement of women as synagogue and prayer leaders (within limits). The synagogue has had a strong influence on synagogues in several continents, and this book, which provides insights into its development, and its theological underpinnings, is of great interest.
Feminism Encounters Jewish Religion is not a critique of tradition--it is written from within the tradition, and calls for an expansion of what tradition might mean. I am certain that many will disagree with some of what it ways--e.g., I for one, found it a bit too conservative in its attitude toward change in Jewish prayer. However the wide-ranging nature of its clear arguments make this a very important book for any scholar who is interested in mechanisms for change in religion, in Judaism, or in change in religion. But this is far from a book for scholars alone--anyone interested in how religions do and might change will be stimulated both by the book's intellectual strength, and the significant illustrations of how Hartman, and Shira Hadasha of Jerusalem, accomplished remarkable changes in a short time-period.
As a person who is deeply sympathetic on both the personal and scholarly level to the problems that Hartman is addressing in such an honest fashion, I can only hope that the book will be widely read and discussed, and will have a positive impact on the wide variety of communities that can benefit from its insights.

Tova Hartman is a brilliant scholar and a religious practioner, never caught up in a web of competing ideologies. She analyses the places where Judaism and feminism intersect or can be reconciled and is honest and compassionate in the places where they can only meet bearing their jagged edges. What I like most about Hartman's style is her 'straight talk.' She is direct, witty, and is biting only when necessary to make a point that has been eluding us for 10 centuries. Hartman is not afraid. She is respectful, engaging, and she is in the struggle with those of us who get a headache wondering how to teach our children and how live our lives with deep commitments to Judaism and feminism. Hartman is a courageous leader as well as a part of us and our struggle. For anyone wanting guidance and clarity, read this book and give it to all the women and men you know.

I highly recommend this easily accessible collection of essays by Tova Hartman to anyone wondering how feminism and Orthodoxy can be reconciled. There are no easy answers, but this thoughtful book offers an approach that is both philosophically honest and practically sensible.

This book is a gift to lovers of Torah and critical thinkers. Hartman combines an insightful use of feminist thought and a commitment to traditional Judaism to provide readers with a bold and sensitive understanding of important forces shaping Judaism today. I found all the chapters illuminating. However, the final chapter was in a class by itself. I had tears of joy as I read it. It was Hartman at her best -- courageous, nuanced and inspiring. Dr. Hartman, please keep going your way. I cannot wait to learn more from this important Jewish thinker in the future.

Miss Hartman called herself elsewhere a protege of the lightweight ¨feminist¨Harvard U. Professor, Carol Giiligan. That set off for me red flags even before I read this awful book. Gilligan is given to simple-minded ideas, not serious critical thinking, but then, that can be said of virtually all ¨feminists.¨
Moreover, Hartman subscribes to what ahe calls ¨Modern Orthodoxy.¨There is no such thing, as there aren't such things as ¨reform, ¨conservative¨ or ¨reconstructionist¨ Judaism. There is only Judaism and it can't be amended like a Constitution or twisted to fit an era's zeitgeist, but that is what Hartman wants to do.
Hartman founded a so-called synagogue in Israel which grants equal status to women and even allows them to lead prayers, which is clearly and unambiguously proscribed under Jewish Law. In other book, Hartman uses the word subversive in its title and that is exactly what she and her cohorts are. Their thinking has brought about the virtual demise of Judaism in the U.S. and are now trying to extend their destructiveness to beseiged Israel.I'm sure they will fail.
¨Feminism¨ and ¨women's studies¨ programs have become increasingly marginalized in the U.S. even at left-wing schools, as many young women even at Seven Sisters schools pointedly refuse to call themselves ¨feminists.¨ Hartman's book represents the death wail of a dying movement, i.e. radical feminism. It espouses nonsense from cover to cover. and actually rates zero stars. Don't waste your time.