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Below is the text of the talk I will be giving tomorrow, first day of Rosh Hashana, right before the shofar blowing, at Kehilat Renana in Modi'in: We are about to do something strange. We are going to abandon the prayerbook, the verbiage, all the texts that the Jewish people have preserved for many generations, we are going to put that all aside an...

My wishes for the year 5779: * Massive political changes: turning the US Congress blue, and getting a new prime minister and coalition in Israel.... * The restoration of hope and optimism * That the cultures of hate will be overpowered by cultures and practices of compassion, empathy, and kindness * that the women (and men!) who have suffered from ...

  Dvar Torah by Elana Sztokman, 25-8-2018, Minyan Renana, Modi'in Parashat Ki Tetze is the Torah portion ( parasha ) that is most packed with no less than 74 commandments between men – or to be more precise, commandments between men and other men, or between men and the women who didn't do anything to them. You might call this parasha , "When ...

       פרשת כי תצא: אשת יפת תואר דבר תורה של אילנה סטוקמן, 25-8-2018, מניין רננה, מודיעין פרשת כי תצא היא הפרשה הכי דחוסה עם לא פחות מ-74מצוות בין אדם לחברו – או ליתר דיוק מצוות בין גברים לגברים אחרים או בין גברים לנשים שלא עשו להם כלום. אפשר לקרוא לפרשה הזאת, "כשאתם עושים דברים איומים, תנסו להיות קצת פחות איומים." אני מגזימה טי...

Jerusalem Post Op-Ed, June 21, 2018 Since Trump took office, it has been difficult for me to be an American-Israeli. Watching fellow Israelis and American-Israelis cheer for a man who has no moral compass or capacity for empathy has been chilling. Moreover, the realization that so many members of my tribe care more about soulless buildings – like, ...

Some highlights from my year at HUC rabbinical school: * Every single Talmud class we had with the amazing Prof  Ruhama Weiss , for whom "love" is not a catchphrase or platitude but an entire way of life, whose classroom is freeing and healing -- in the Paulo Freire sense of freeing --  freedom and compassion in action. * When  Debi Shoua-Haim  conducted the entire prayer service in the female form, with God as "she" and the prayer as "she"....using some amazing texts written also by  Rabbi  Stacey Blank ... Wow, so much healing * When  Osnat Eldar  dedicated the entire prayer service to  # MeToo * When Yael Vergan did an entire service in sign-language * The time we had a Friday night tefilla on the roof of Rabbi Naamah Kelman's house in Jerusalem * Hearing talks from amazing women, like Rabbi  Yael Karrie ,  Orly Erez-Likhovski , Rabbanit  Devorah Evron , and many others. * Learning liturgy with the amazing Professor  Dalia Marx * Learning gender in bible with the amazing Dr.  Lea Mazor * When Dr.  Judith Rosenbaum  came to visit and talked about gender, Judaism, and history * Getting to play piano to accompany the tefilla * Getting to know so many interesting students from many different sectors of Israeli society. Listening to their sermons, watching them create beautiful prayer experiences. Having some beautiful, real conversations about life, God, and the world..... # gratitude   # rabbinicalschool

My daughter  Meital  wrote an article about her trip to India last year that is featured in the amazing JGirls Magazine . Thank you  Elizabeth Mandel  for the beautiful work you do!!  <3   By   Meital Sztokman 423 https://jgirlsmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Meital-3-Main-Image-300x200.jpg    Last year I got a huge surprise: I was going to fly to India with my parents! My father told me just a few days before our trip, and I was so excited that I couldn’t focus on school. My father runs an NGO in India called Gabriel Project Mumbai, and for the past two years, I’ve been begging him to let me volunteer with them.

JPOST -- S ince Trump took office, it has been difficult for me to be an American-Israeli. Watching fellow Israelis and American-Israelis cheer for a man who has no moral compass or capacity for empathy has been chilling. Moreover, the realization that so many members of my tribe care more about soulless buildings – like, say, an embassy – tha...

 As the world continues to shake with revelations of sexual abuse in the most high-profile corridors of power and the #MeToo realization that it is nearly impossible to find a woman who has not been affected by sexual harassment, some members of Jewish communal leadership seem to be living in a cave. I knew this was true. Still, it’s shocking to meet this reality head on. When I learned this week that the 92nd Street Y is advertising admitted sexual predator Ari Shavit as their keynote speaker to mark Israel’s 70th anniversary, it became unambiguously clear that the insulated, powerful, and tone-deaf Jewish boys’ club is still running the show, to the detriment of women and all victims of sexual assault. On the most basic level, this decision ignores women as consumers. The idea that women and sexual assault victims would be horrified by this choice apparently did not occur to the organizers. That we would never come to an event like this doesn’t seem to matter. Whoever the victims of sexual abuse are – women and men alike – we are irrelevant. We are not even considered as potential attendees. It is a stunning dismissal of victims from the community. It reminds me of how every time I click on a link on a browser that pops open a window for call girls, I face the reality not only of the commodification of women’s bodies but also of the default assumption that all consumers are at least perceived to be men. In fact, the dominant assumption in so many areas of business and communal life is not only that a typical consumer is male, but that he is a heterosexual male who has no problem with the sexual objectification of women. It seems that these same dark forces controlling my internet browser are also making decisions at the 92Y. All they see is men, particularly ones who have no problem with sexual abuse. Read more: https://forward.com/opinion/390179/seriously-92y-you-might-be-ready-for-ari-shavits-come-back-but-we-arent/

Like a Phoenix, coming back to life from the ashes: Tomorrow I am hosting my first event since the elections, called "Finding Light Amid Darkness". This will be an online discussion with the wonderful Rabbi Jill Berkson Zimmerman, founder of the Jewish Mindfulness Network and a leading voice calling for compassion, equality, justice, healing and action in this post-election world. READ MORE: It has been quite a difficult time for those of us concerned with issues like social justice, equality, compassion, and the progress of our society and humanity. The American elections, followed by some other terrible events -- from the Dakota Pipeline to the tragedy in Aleppo and the entire wave of hate and prejudice that has been unleashed and empowered in our world -- the enormity of all this has left so many of us stunned, paralyzed and fearful. At The Center for Jewish Feminism, we, too, have been struck by the challenging energies around us and by the realization of how many dangers lurk in our everyday lives. It has taken us some time to recover and regroup. And now, we have decided, it is time for us to begin the hard process of moving forward, reconnecting, and taking action. The first step in this plan is to come together, connect with like-minded people, and talk through the impact of recent events as well as potential next steps as a Jewish feminist community. Towards that aim,  we are hosting our first on-line event since the American elections. This  Sunday, December 18, 9AM PST  in an online panel discussion titled, "Finding Light Amid Darkness",  I will be hosting a conversation with one of my favorite people,  Rabbi Jill Berkson Zimmerman, founder of the Jewish Mindfulness Network , and a leading voice in the Jewish world for integrating social justice and spirituality. You can read more about the event  here , or read more about Rav Jill  here .  The event will take place online on Sunday, Dec 18, 9AM PST, 12 noon EST,  7PM  Israel time,  5PM  UK time  (and apoligies once again to the Aussies and kiwis in the group who will either wake in the middle of the night or wait for the recording...) You can purchase tickets to the event  here  . Please note that we are asking for donations of $5-$18, at your own discretion, to help us build the framework for an ongoing conversation. Our plan is to use this time slot to host conversations with other leading Jewish feminists and to create a global Jewish feminist community of spiritual and social-activist warriors who are dedicated to keeping the light of justice and compassion shining. But to do that, we need your help. Thank you for your support and understanding. A few other items to note: * This event, like all our events, are conducted in the spirit of Jewish feminism, and are open to everyone. You don't have to be a woman or Jewish to join. All who want to be part of the...