0hn0myt0rah's review against another edition
3.0
The classic groundwork to a feminist Judaism that doesn't go as deep as I wished it would
razzberry_pi's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Good overview of the ways in which patriarchy has influenced Torah and other elements of jewish society. Would have liked more analysis on disability/sexuality but the small amount that is present is decent.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Sexism, and Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence
zhelana's review against another edition
2.0
This book made some good points, but a lot of them I think were dated. But then... Then! She starts talking about how all gods are God, and we should just rename God Isis or Diana! I think she is missing a key bit of history about how people in Biblical times tried to make this argument and worship Canaanite gods and every single time they got smited (smote?) for it. This should be offensive to every Jew and is certainly offensive to most pagans, too. Her over reliance on Starhawk as a source makes me wonder if she is secretly a pagan out to end Judaism as we know it. Also, I don't think calling God "She" automatically sexualizes God. If we accept the very foundation of our believes: Adonai Echad, then there are no sexual partners for God and s/he can't be sexualized regardless of which pronouns you use.
parkergarlough's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
applej314's review against another edition
4.0
I understood maybe 40% of this book but I'm never going to look at anything the same.
alexisrt's review against another edition
4.0
Plaskow's central thesis (with which I agree) is that Jewish tradition is fundamentally male centered and rooted in patriarchal culture, and she does a good job of showing how--from the texts, to halakha, to the very language we use.
What this does, however, is define negative space. We can see what is missing--the language and narratives of women's experience. What we do not know is what should fill it. The evidence we do have of women's religious practice in the past, such as the tkhines she references, show only what women might have added (in this case to the liturgy), not how they have related to the existing text. Plaskow has a variety of ideas, but at times, she risks essentializing women's experience, such as her questioning of women's relationship to law or motherhood.
This book was written in 1988 (per the foreword; published in 1990) and as such, is a little dated (the section on women's relationships with the modern state of Israel is notably so, but to be honest, not getting caught up in the politics of that issue is not a bad thing). Plaskow is upfront about her own biases, which is helpful, but nonetheless, more traditionally observant women may find it difficult to relate to her Reform-turned-women's havurah suggestions.
Despite this critique--I found myself disagreeing frequently--I recommend this book to anyone interested in Jewish feminism, including the Orthodox. She forces you to examine how you view Jewish text and tradition and how you might define that space for women in Jewish history. You may shake your head and laugh at language about the Goddess, or her (somewhat slapdash) treatment of how rabbinic Judaism is only the survivor, not the only branch of Judaism. But you'll have to think about your answers.
What this does, however, is define negative space. We can see what is missing--the language and narratives of women's experience. What we do not know is what should fill it. The evidence we do have of women's religious practice in the past, such as the tkhines she references, show only what women might have added (in this case to the liturgy), not how they have related to the existing text. Plaskow has a variety of ideas, but at times, she risks essentializing women's experience, such as her questioning of women's relationship to law or motherhood.
This book was written in 1988 (per the foreword; published in 1990) and as such, is a little dated (the section on women's relationships with the modern state of Israel is notably so, but to be honest, not getting caught up in the politics of that issue is not a bad thing). Plaskow is upfront about her own biases, which is helpful, but nonetheless, more traditionally observant women may find it difficult to relate to her Reform-turned-women's havurah suggestions.
Despite this critique--I found myself disagreeing frequently--I recommend this book to anyone interested in Jewish feminism, including the Orthodox. She forces you to examine how you view Jewish text and tradition and how you might define that space for women in Jewish history. You may shake your head and laugh at language about the Goddess, or her (somewhat slapdash) treatment of how rabbinic Judaism is only the survivor, not the only branch of Judaism. But you'll have to think about your answers.
jessi_quinn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
let’s go lesbians let’s go!
rivqa's review against another edition
4.0
Although somewhat dated, this is an excellent resource for those seeking to engage with Judaism without losing their modern ideals (and vice versa). Covering Torah, community, God, sexuality, and social justice, Plaskow brings together a range of useful resources in an engaging manner. If anything, it's a little dispiriting to reflect on how little progress has been made, but isn't that always the way of things?
kpeninger's review
challenging
informative
4.0
(Written in the mid-80s, released in 1990, this book definitely has aged unevenly in some ways. The theology is still very, very sound, as is the overall analysis; absolutely worth reading, it's still very relevant. But anyone reading this in 2021 should know that things are constructed very much along a gender binary, and there isn't much intersectional analysis - both of which the author has acknowledged in recent interviews as things she would change were she revisiting it. One thing that did bother me, though, was the author's repeated use of disability as a metaphor for barriers to women; this didn't explicitly come up in any interviews, so I just wanted to note it here.)