Reconciling Judaism and Feminism

Traditional Jewish and feminist principles appear to be hopelessly opposed to one another.  Whereas Judaism has historically been an essentially patriarchal tradition, feminism seeks to redefine the role of men and women in society as egalitarian.  The problem is that the patriarchal traditions and rituals of the Jewish faith make up the strong central core around which the Judaism has been built, and to simply annihilate these customs could lead to a destruction of the Judaic tradition.  It is difficult, therefore, for a Jewish feminist to remain true both to her faith and to her feminist beliefs.  A Jewish feminist must consider how much the tradition can be changed before it is no longer tradition.  She must be able to reconcile within herself her reasons for rejecting the oppressive elements of Judaism without destroying the core around which the whole religion traditionally revolves.

Antisemitism, which has been persistent for centuries, complicates issues for feminists.  From the days of Moses to the days of World War II the Jewish people have often lived as outcasts from the greater society of man.  The antisemitic feelings that have persisted have led to a consolidation of the Jewish people in an attempt to maintain their community against the forces that have conspired against them.  A consequence of this consolidation has been a rigorous adherence to the traditions of Judaism, including those elements that are oppressive to Jewish women.  Thus Jewish feminists can be faced with the impossible choice of remaining in Judaism and maintaining the patriarchal tradition or turning toward the often antisemitic outside world.

Women's traditionally subordinate place in the Judaism can be traced back to "in the beginning."  Two passages in Genesis have been used to interpret woman as inferior and subordinate to man.  The first is the creation story, which tells of Eve literally being made out of Adam:
 

Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed woman out the rib and brought her to him.  Then the man said, "At last, here is one of my own kind--Bone taken from my bone, flesh from my flesh. `Woman' is her name because she was taken out of man" {Genesis 2:21-23}.

The rib story suggests Adam as the principle creation of God and Eve as an afterthought.  Woman in this instance is defined only as an insignificant part of Adam; created to combat his need for companionship.  In addition, Adam's act of naming her woman places her on the same level with the animals and birds, which he also named.  Later, an alternative creation story states that man, male and female, was created by God, suggesting equality. Unfortunately, this equality is essentially obliterated by a second passage in Genesis that establishes Adam firmly as the ruler of Eve:
 

And he said to the woman, I will increase you trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth.  In spite of this you will still have desire for your husband, yet you will be subject to him. {Genesis 3:16}

Eve's subordinate position under Adam virtually doomed future generations of not only Jewish women but also Christian women to subjugation under patriarchal rule. (For an alternate view on women and the Jewish tradition, click here )

With Adam and Eve as the model, women in Judaism are defined by their relationships to men.   The relationship is one of subordination for the women involved.  The role of spiritual head of the family is reserved for males. Ignored and silenced in their religion, the primary place of women in the Jewish faith is in the family.   Yet the family is a central component to Judaism; it serves as a bastion against the outside forces and as a base from which to exercise Jewish traditions.  The importance of women in families is stressed in the orthodox tradition in which a child's Jewish identity is linked to his or her mother's status as a Jew.

Despite the importance of mothers within the family, females have sought a more complete inclusion as participants in their religion.  Women's sons have always been able to enter into the covenant with God through circumcision and become full members of the Jewish community.  Simple biology precludes women from sharing in this covenant.  The irony of this exclusion is clearly presented by Cynthia Ozick's revelation that everywhere except in a Jewish temple, she is considered a Jew.
 

In the world at large I call myself, and am called, a Jew.  But when on the Sabbath, I sit among women in my traditional shul and the rabbi speaks the word "Jew," you can be sure that he is not referring to me.  For him, "Jew" means "male Jew" ¹ {page 125}.

Changes have been made in an attempt to include women in Jewish traditions, such as allowing young girls to participate in a feminized version of the traditional bar mitzvah in the form of a bat mitzvah.  Additionally, feminists such as Aviva Cantor have advocated a reevaluation of Jewish history and literature in order to redefine the place of women.  Jewish feminists who are displeased with Eve's position of subordination in the Bible have turned to another woman, Lilith, to be their model.  In rabbinic tradition, Lilith was created at the time of Adam's creation.  Believing man and woman to be equal, she left the garden of Eden by uttering the name of God rather than subordinate herself to Adam.  Although God sent angels after her, Lilith chose to remain in exile rather than sacrifice her independence.  In legend, Lilith has been turned into a wicked, demonic woman who kills babies and renders men impotent.  Jewish feminists who wish to accept the independence and equality of Lilith must also struggle with these negative traits of Lilith.

There is a second option for women who cannot reconcile feminism with Judaism, which is to abandon Judaism. Arthur I. Waskow in "Feminist Judaism: Restoration of the Moon" asks the question:
 

Why should women who seek an equal share of power in all the institutions that control their lives not simply shrug off the sexist institutions of conventional Judaism and refuse to let these institutions and longer control their lives?  {page 269}

The answer to Waskow's question is tradition.  In their writings, Jewish feminist writers speak of the appeal of the history that lies behind the Judaism.  For example, in "Memories of an Orthodox Youth," Thena Kendall speaks about her difficulties accepting the traditions of Orthodox Judaism but obviously takes great pride in being a member of a Reform congregation.  Sara Reuger and Deborah Lipstadt both speak of their trials in saying kaddish for their parents, yet it is obvious that they wished to express their grief within the Jewish tradition.  Gail Shulman expresses reasons for not abandoning Judaism in "A Feminist Path to Judaism:"
 

"Why bother with Judaism at all?"  For years I've asked that question, alone and with other women, and for some time I have known that even if I could view my personal and religious history as part of my past, important but past, that I could actually put away from me, I would still face a more difficult obstacle.  Despite being a feminist who is not a traditional Jew, it is my very Jewishness which is at the root of my feminism {page 108}.

Thus one can see that abandonment of Judaism is not always an answer for Jewish feminists.  Women share a certain affinity with the Jewish community.  Both have been oppressed and marginalized throughout their history.  What Shulman is suggesting is that oftentimes a Jewish feminist can no sooner put aside her Judaism than she could her sex.  The need to come to some sort of reconciliation within Judaism thus becomes the problem.

Alternatives to abandoning Judaism include adding to the traditions and/or advocating gradualist methods for change.  Adding rituals to the tradition can be a tricky business.  Suggestions that radically deviate from the tradition are not readily accepted or can be viewed as inferior versions of male traditions. The key appears to be gradualism, which involves patiently attempting to alter the tradition to be more accommodating to women. Infusing feminism into a religion that is often incorrectly seen as the original source of patriarchy is not a task which can be accomplished overnight.  The difficulty lies in the need to redefine the tradition without destroying it.  By using gradualist methods to change the institutions from within, Jewish feminists can remain true to their identity as women and as members of the Jewish community.

¹ All quotations are taken from On Being a Jewish Feminist, edited and with introduction by Susannah Heschel.  Published by Schocken Books. Copyright 1983.