Elana Sztokman

Women gathered at the Modi’in mall tonight, not to shop, thank heavens, but to attend the 55th Women’s Parliament in the newly unveiled lecture hall on the premises. Dr. Esther Herzog, the visionary behind this important initiative, listed the many impressive achievements of previous Parliaments, from promoting anti-pornography legislation to backing the first woman presidential candidate for Israel. This latest Parliament, the first one in Modi’in, organized in cooperation with the Women’s Council of the Modi’in municipality under the leadership of Ofira Krakower, offered a panel of stimulating speakers examining the topic of gender and economics and the ways in which privatization and recession affect women’s lives. Read the rest of this entry →

I don't know about you, but my experiences at supermarket checkout are usually filled with aggravation, tried patience, mental budgetary calculations, and self-directed reminders to maintain, as George Castanza famously said, "Serenity Now." But apparently I've been missing out. It seems that there are some places in which the check out line is filled with sexual innuendo, licensciousness, and sensual seduction. At least according to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Fox of Jerusalem has implied. (Hey, maybe I should be shopping where he shops.) Read the rest of this entry →

The public drive to create a viable alternative to the rabbinical court system received some significant support this week. Mavoi Satum, in cooperation with Kolech and Neemanei Va'Avodah, received a five-year commitment from the New Israel Fund to help make this vision into a reality. The implications are enormous, not only for agunot, not only for religious women, not only for the religious public, but also for women and men across all segments of Israeli society. Batya Cahana-Dror, Director of Advocacy at Mavoi Satum, recently published an extensive article on the significance of this topic in Eretz Aheret. Several volunteers from Mavoi Satum translated this important article into English. I am publishing it here for the first time. The future of Israeli society is undoubtedly at stake: [You can also read this post on the Kolech English Blog, Jewish Women's Voice] Read the rest of this entry →

The death of a former prostitute does not often merit public attention. But then again, Norma Hotaling, who died this week at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer, was no ordinary former prostitute. After twenty years of suffering in the sex trade industry, she not only found the remarkable courage and strength to pull herself our of devastating cycles of addiction, abuse and self-loathing, but she managed to create an organization, The SAGE Project of San Francisco (Standing Against Global Exploitation), that has saved the lives of hundreds of women and raised public and legislative awareness about the travesty that is the global sex trade industry. Oprah Winfrey made her part of the famous “Angel Network” for her life’s work and accomplishments. You can also read this article on the Kolech English blog, Jewish Women's Voice Read the rest of this entry →

Jewish Women International, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, is one of the greatest advocates for the advancement of Jewish women. They have been on the front lines fighting for vital issues, most notably the issue of domestic violence. Their programs are always innovative and powerful, getting at the core of the problem from different angles. They work with rabbis, educators, teens, and men. I have been a great fan of these amazing women for many years, and their conferences are places where the most important ideas for Jewish women are often pioneered. Here is an announcement from JWI about their next conference. Highly recommended: Read the rest of this entry →

Well, Israel is at war again. We were apparently on a break for a while, but just like that Hamas said, "Forget it -- we liked it better when we were bombing you." So as I sit here in Modi'in in the comfort of my out-of-rocket-fire home, 8,000 children are sitting in Sderot terrified about when and where the next Qassam will hit. Shimon Buscila produced a vivid, moving documentary about everyday life in Sderot. Watching it is undoubtedly the most important thing you can do in the next four minutes of your life. Click here to watch the video B'vracha, Elana Read the rest of this entry →

Orthodox feminism is one of the most vital and vibrant social forces in Israel today. That was the message of Tuesday's conference marking Kolech's ten year anniversary. Kolech has changed the discourse and the dynamic of Israeli society, one speaker after another said. Dr. Hana Kehat, the founder and original fighter behind this movement, deserves every ounce of credit that she was given, and more. Read about this on the Kolech English language blog, Jewish Women's Voice. Read the rest of this entry →

Are women set up to fail - by being appointed to positions of power only in hopeless situations? According to a recent study in the Leadership Quarterly, the answer is yes. This is from the Israel Feminist Forum: Read the rest of this entry →

It gives me a great thrill to announce the launching of SWITCH! a brand new English language magazine by teens and for teens in the Modi'in area. The only publication of its kind in Israel – English or Hebrew – Switch is a forum for teenage expression, creativity and dialogue. The magazine covers topics chosen by the writers, in the style and format the teens determine. Teens also submit photos and artwork, and work on design and layout. In short, Switch is exactly what it says: a magazine by teens for teens. Read the rest of this entry →

Here's a quick round-up of the notable and notorious events of the week that was: Chief Rabbi attacks women's groups. Women are to blame for the weakening of the rabbinical courts, according to Sephardic Chief Rabbi Amar who was speaking at an international rabbinic conference last week. Amar claims that rabbis are seen as weak in the eyes of the general public, and it's all because of the women. I say, maybe the rabbis are seen as weak because a little boy in the crowd finally shouted that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. Read the rest of this entry →