Coming to Stern, I was met with a reality that did not conform to my expectations. After spending thirteen years learning and being encouraged as a woman to pursue higher level Torah learning and leadership, I expected Stern to be a place to begin actualizing all my aspirations in the realm of Jewish leadership and Torah study. In my time here, I have had some discouraging experiences. I faced teachers who considered our capabilities sub-par and was upset by hearing tremendous Torah scholars diminishing the value of women’s learning.
Each time, I felt in over my head. I was only one student in a larger university; I was irrelevant. I turned to my friends and role models with my frustration. From many, the response was also discouraging. They wanted to help but didn’t know that there was anything that could be done. Some people simply shrugged it off. I was being too sensitive, reading too far into harmless anecdotes.
On April 20, 2015, I attended a panel on female leadership in Orthodox Judaism. The panel featured Lisa Septimus (Yoetzet Halacha), Shuli Taubes (Community Scholar at Yong Israel of Riverdale and SAR), and Rachel Kraus (Director of Community Education at KJ). The first thought that struck me as the panelists introduced themselves was the diversity within their uniformity. All three of these women spoke of their Torah learning aspirations and pure intentions but identified differently when questioned about feminism. Surely they would identify with my frustrations.
As I sat in the program, I was pleased, but not altogether surprised by many of the responses to the questions at hand. Each panelist answered the prompts from the unique vantage point she was coming from.
I was conflicted when Rachel Kraus responded with an immediate “no” when she was asked if she considered herself a feminist. Her disassociation from the term was not, however, indicative of her beliefs, but rather her opposition to labels. Kraus went on to discuss that labels create walls and barriers that create more separation than unity. While her premise resonated with me, I felt frustrated by her lack of commitment. Why are we afraid to accept labels that recognize our beliefs?
Shuli Taubes weighed in on the other side. She openly embraced the label of feminism and all that goes along with it, and she discussed her decision to attend Harvard Divinity School, attributing her comfort regarding discussion about God to her three years of study in the non-denominational, primarily Christian school.
I groaned inwardly when the panelists were asked what Yeshiva University could do to help support women’s leadership and high-level learning. It was the million-dollar-question, but I had low expectations for the subsequent responses. I assumed there would be criticism at worst or unrealistic suggestions at best.
It was at this point that Taubes made a critical point. She gave a small but impactful suggestion: Rather than giving a grand suggestion of reform for the university, she encouraged conversation. She encouraged us to have these conversations, to discuss the importance of female involvement in Jewish leadership over a Shabbat meal.
In my short time on campus, I have heard many small complaints. Ranging from a trivial request for different food in the caf to more weighty issues regarding women’s Talmud learning. Sometimes we must realize that these issues are out of our hands. Whether due to monetary constraints or because the issues are complex, our struggles may seem hopeless and beyond our control.
Taubes reminded us of one thing we do have control of: our voices. It is up to us to start the conversation, to thoughtfully explain why these ideals are important. It is up to us to speak out and stand for something.
It is not a solution, not even a plan. It is simply a beginning. We are the students and this is our school. We must speak about the good and the bad and what can be improved. If we do not speak up, if we do not raise our voice, how can anyone hear us out?
This might be as simple as a discussion over lunch in the caf, as an article in The Observer. We have such opportunity here at Stern. “Nowhere but here” do sympathetic Roshei Yeshiva comment on the articles written by students regarding the importance of Talmud learning. When a student speaks out, her voice will be heard.
I’m not being so naive as to say that writing an article can solve our problems. It cannot. Writing an article is taking a step forward and taking a stand. It opens the door to further discussion and, hopefully, action.
This idea is not new; this idea is not groundbreaking. But, this idea is critical. If we care about our learning and leadership, we must discuss it.