Aviv Jewish Feminism Talk

Many of us grew up in more egalitarian Jewish communities than previous generations, but how did we get here? Veterans of the Jewish Feminist movement, Judith Plascow and Martha Ackelsberg will share their history of activism as interviewed by Aviv member Ruthie Fierberg.

This is an Aviv-only event, which is BJ’s cohort for folks in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

About the speakers:

Judith Plaskow is professor emerita of religious studies at Manhattan College and a Jewish feminist activist and theologian. Co-founder of the Jewish feminist spirituality collective B’not Esh, she is author or editor of several works in feminist theology, including Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective, The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism, and Sexual Ethics 1972-2003, and Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology (coauthored with Carol P. Christ).

Martha Ackelsberg is Professor emerita of Government and of the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College. She was a founding member of Ezrat Nashim, the first Jewish feminist group of the “second wave”; and of Bnot Esh, a Jewish feminist spirituality collective that has been meeting since 1981. Her activism in the arena of Jewish feminism has included speaking and writing on spirituality and politics, family structures, community power, and gay and lesbian issues.

Ruthie Fierberg is the new Executive Editor of Broadway News, a digital publication specializing in hard journalism about the Broadway industry. As an arts journalist based in New York City, she is also the creator and host of the podcast “Why We Theater,” which fuses theatre and social justice. She is the former Executive Editor of Playbill where she spent five years creating in-depth features, as well as launching and hosting Live From the Red Carpet specials. Ruthie continues to moderate panels at the 92nd Street Y, Disney Theatrical Productions, and the annual BroadwayCon. Early on, Ruthie worked as a full-time staff member at Parents and American Baby, and helped launch Parents Latina. She has written for Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health Magazine, Backstage magazine, and Dance Magazine. She is involved with such causes as Covenant House International, HIAS and The Entertainment Community Fund and is a proud member of B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan.