Holy Rebellion: Religious Feminism in Israel

Tanya Zion-Waldoks will be in conversation with CCSR Graduate Fellow Emily Chesley. Zion-Waldoks’ most recent book is Holy Rebellion: Religious Feminism and the Transformation of Judaism and Women’s Rights in Israel, which won the National Jewish Book Award in Women’s Studies.

In Holy Rebellion, Zion-Waldoks and her co-author Ronit Irshai examine social change in Israel through a rigorous analysis of the shifting entanglements of religion, gender, and law in times of cultural transformation. They explore theological, halakhic, political, and sociological processes and show how they interact with one another in ways that advance women’s rights, as well as how they are met with a conservative backlash in the discourses and actions of the rabbinic establishment. Religious feminisms are emerging around the world, not solely in Israel, and this book helps elucidate how they create enduring and radical change. Many liberal states are also confronting an illiberal backlash and question the multicultural framework’s ability to serve the needs of minorities within minorities. Therefore, the theoretical framework offered by Irshai and Zion-Waldoks is applicable beyond the Israeli case, even as it offers deeper insights into an Israeli society in turmoil.

This event is part of the Religion and the Public Conversation series. This year’s theme is Religion and the Human. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Register at the link on the event page.