New scholarships offered to Jewish women
JOFA Australia, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, wants to expand spiritual, ritual and intellectual opportunities for women within the framework of halakha (Jewish law) by advocating meaningful participation for women in family life, synagogues, houses of learning and Jewish communal organisations to the fullest extent possible.
“JOFA Australia is excited to partner with the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning at Hebrew University to offer Australian women the chance to receive access to 10-week learning courses titled “Women in Midrash”, said JOFA Australia president Nomi Kaltmann.
In this ten-lesson course, learners will delve into reading classical and modern midrash, exploring some of the major female figures of the Bible, and gaining multiple perspectives on their characte
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rs, relationships, and choices. By utilising the midrash’s strategy that reads texts very closely, the “behind the scenes” will be uncovered—clarifying issues that are unaddressed in the text by using hints from the text itself.
The course will be offered on zoom for women from all Australian states and territories.
“Women of all ages and learning abilities will enjoy this course, which will provide excellent discussion about women in the Torah,” said Kaltmann.
Learners will discover how the form and content of midrash changes as contemporary writers and how contemporary artists add their interpretations to ancient traditions. In the fertile ground of midrashic study, these biblical women emerge from the margins of the Biblical text, becoming full characters whose legacies guide and inspire.
This course has never previously been offered in Australia.
Since launching almost two years ago, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance Australia has provided opportunities to Australian women that actively promote leadership and support women’s Torah learning, public speaking, teaching and engagement. To date, 132 Australian women from five Australian States and Territories have received scholarships to complete training courses related to Torah learning and Jewish women’s leadership. JOFA Australia has also launched the first-ever orthodox women’s speaker bureau, with more than 80 Australian women from across the country listed on a publicly available bureau.
“Change comes in ripples, and we see the success of all our previous programs knowing that Jewish women from across Australia are enthusiastic to embrace these Torah learning opportunities, which we are keen to continue to offer,” said Kaltmann.
For more information, email jofaaus@jofa.org
