Limmoed 8 maart 2026
THEMA B - Internationale vrouwendag / International women's day
Details kunnen nog veranderen! / Details may still change!
THEMA B
Matriarch or Mogul? The Life and Times of Flora Sassoon (ENG)
Flora Sassoon (1859–1936) lived a life of remarkable contrasts. She was both a traditionally observant Jewish woman and a commanding business leader, a devoted mother and a prominent figure in international society. Rather than conflicting, these roles reveal the breadth of her confidence, intelligence, and independence. This talk highlights how Flora raised her children, managed her inheritance, and oversaw significant family and commercial affairs. Her story helps us see that she was not an isolated exception: women in the Baghdadi Jewish elite often exercised notable authority in both family and communal life. Through Flora’s experiences, we gain a clearer picture of the unexpected autonomy and influence women could hold in this distinctive community.
Sasha Goldstein-Sabah
Orthodox women rabbis? A short history (ENG)
We'll look at the history of women's rabbinic ordination in the Reform, Conservative/Masorti, and Reconstructionist movements before surveying what's happening today in the Orthodox world, with over 100 women who have Orthodox ordination, in the USA, Israel, France, Germany, and the UK!
Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz
Women, Obligation, and Authority in Orthodox Judaism (ENG)
This source-based session explores how women's roles within traditional Jewish communities have been shaped by structures of obligation, education, and authority. The first half of the talk examines women's exemption from time-bound commandments and the central role this exemption has played in constructing gender distinction—and, historically, male preference—within religious and communal life. We will trace classical and modern explanations for this exemption, beginning with medieval commentators such as Abudraham, moving through Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, and engaging contemporary Orthodox women thinkers including Tamar Ross, Blu Greenberg, and Rachel Adler. The second half of the session turns to the modern transformation of women's Torah education and its far-reaching implications. We will examine how expanded access to learning has produced new forms of female religious leadership and sparked ongoing debates about authority, including the emergence of Yoatzot Halakha and women trained for rabbinic roles through institutions such as Yeshivat Maharat. The session will survey a range of Orthodox responses to these developments, highlighting both resistance and adaptation within the tradition. Participants will engage directly with textual sources and take part in a short paired study, fostering thoughtful discussion about continuity, change, and the future of women's authority in Orthodox Judaism.
Nechama Goldman Barash
Women in the Book of Judith and its Spin-offs (ENG)
We’ll explore the little-known apocryphal book of Judith, some later spin-offs, and pictures by a woman artist of the Renaissance. We’ll meet some remarkable women who break rules, juggle birth and death, and bring salvation. Like their biblical sisters Yael and Esther, they get away with murder, providing some unexpected role models.
Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz
Vrouwen in het Jodendom
Esjet Chail, een sterke vouw, zoals in Mislé, Spreuken 31:10-31 staat. Weinig vrouwen zijn bekend, vooral Ruth, Esther, Mirjam en Sarah, maar er zijn veel meer. Terwijl het orthodoxe Jodendom de rolverdeling tussen mannen en vrouwen benadrukt, zouden de genderrollen een aanpassing aan nieuwe trends in het feminisme niet in de weg moeten staan. Wat zijn de mogelijkheden voor vrouwen vandaag de dag en hoe bereik je jouw plek in de traditie? Hopelijk komt dit aan bod in de workshop.
Marianne van Praag
