HBI book wins National Jewish Book Award
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Ten more congregations on the Shira Hadasha model have sprung up, both in the United States and Israel, based on Hartman's vision. The act of building this synagogue – against amazing odds – was radical and revolutionary, a testimony to Hartman's own deeply felt commitment to both feminism and Orthodox Judaism.
"Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism: Resistance and Accommodation" is an innovative analysis of how creative tensions between modern Orthodox Judaism and feminism can lead to unexpected perspectives and beliefs. "For me, starting the shul was a deeply personal decision that came out of both believing in tradition and the possibilities of feminism and tradition, and feeling very alone in a world of people wanting to keep modernity and Orthodoxy very separate – thus knowing in some way that I had to leave, or at least leave the model I had known, and create something new," says Hartman.
She addresses issues and questions of particular current cultural interest and discusses three feminist analyses of Freudian psychology for reading Jewish texts; modesty and the religious male gaze; the backlash against feminism by traditional rabbis; the male imagery in liturgy; and Orthodox women and purity rituals. Hartman's discussion of various areas of intersection and interdependency between traditional and modern worldviews will serve as a significant contribution to the discourse in these fields.
The National Jewish Book Awards will be held March 4 in New York City. Hartman will receive the Barbara Dobkin Award in Women’s Studies.
The HBI Series on Jewish Women publishes a wide range of books about Jewish women and gender issues in diverse contexts. By offering fresh perspectives on Jewish women’s history, lives and experiences worldwide, the series aims to close a major gap in Jewish learning.