Engendering Judaism

the long version

Rachel Adler has written a pioneering work on what it means to "engender" Jewish tradition, that is, how women's full inclusion can and must transform our understanding and practice of Jewish law, prayer, sexuality, and marriage. Engendering Judaism challenges both mainstream Judaism and feminist dogma, and speaks across the movements as well as to Christian theologians and feminists. "What would modern Judaism be like if it articulated the commitments, prayers, and visions of both men and women?" The aim of the book is to imagine quite concretely what an engendered Judaism would entail, how it would grapple with the great and diverse body of Jewish tradition, and how it would be lived. Engendering Judaism presents a theology and ethics for Judaism that men and women recreate and renew together as equals. Adler assesses the impact of gender and sexuality on Judaism's classic texts. She brings this assessment to bear on three central areas of Jewish thought and practice: law, liturgy, and the ethics of sexuality and relationship.