Chochmat Nashim (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: ) is an Israeli organisation that promotes women's rights in the

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses ...

community in Israel and the United States. Their work aims to raise awareness of trends and policies within Orthodoxy that may harm women and girls. The group's activities include the establishment of a photo bank which includes the images of Orthodox women, and the use of satirical publications which mimic Jewish Torah study aimed at educating Orthodox men about the unequal treatment of Jewish women in religious divorce proceedings.

Activities

The work of Chochmat Nashim focuses on contemporary social issues facing Orthodox Jewish women including divorce refusal under Jewish law, and the erasure of women from public spaces in Israel. The group also promotes public health information campaigns informing

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to '' halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in opp ...

women of breast cancer treatments. The group hosts a regular podcast on a range of topics featuring the Rachel Stomel, Anne Gordon, and the group's co-founder,

Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll (born 1975) is an American-Israeli activist and writer whose work focuses on women's rights in Orthodox Judaism and the visibility of women in Israel's Orthodox communities. Keats Jaskoll was born and raised in Lakewood Tow ...

. The podcast is hosted and produced by Jewish Coffee House. In 2021, Chochmat Nashim launched a photo bank project to alter the perceived Haredi norm which excludes Jewish women from public life. The photo bank project consists of

stock photography Stock photography is the supply of photographs which are often licensed for specific uses. The stock photo industry, which began to gain hold in the 1920s, has established models including traditional macrostock photography, midstock photography, ...

of Orthodox women and seeks to address the issue of the erasure of women from Haredi and other Orthodox newspapers, magazines, and other publications. According to the group, the issue stems from a hyper-modesty that is not based on Jewish practice and contributes to the exclusion of Jewish women from policy making decisions. The project involved the use of over 200 Haredi and Orthodox volunteers and professionals, from the United States and Israel. The range of photos reflect the everyday lives of Orthodox and Haredi women. The stock photography produced in the project is managed by Chochmat Nashim for use by Jewish organizations, businesses, media outlets and advertisers based on a fee service model. In 2021, the group launched a campaign ahead of the Israeli election for rabbinical judges which distributed satirical leaflets mimicking the religious study of the

weekly Torah portion It is a custom among religious Jewish communities for a weekly Torah portion to be read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' ( he, פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ), is po ...

. The publication uses

satire Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

to highlight the inconsistencies in the ways in which

rabbinic authority Rabbinic authority in Judaism relates to the theological and communal authority attributed to rabbis and their pronouncements in matters of Jewish law. The extent of rabbinic authority differs by various Jewish groups and denominations throughout ...

discovers legal solutions in many areas of Jewish life with the exception of the issue of " chained marriage" in which Jewish women in contemporary Jewish life are not disadvantaged in divorce proceedings under Orthodox religious law.

References

External links

* Orthodox Jewish feminism Jewish women's organizations {{Israel-org-stub

Activities

See also

References

External links