Jewish Voices in Feminism

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Jewish Voices in Feminism

Transnational Perspectives

Nelly Las
Translated by Ruth Morris

Studies in Antisemitism Series

272 pages

Hardcover

August 2015

978-0-8032-7704-5

$55.00 Add to Cart
eBook (PDF)
Ebook purchases delivered via Leaf e-Reader

August 2015

978-0-8032-7749-6

$55.00 Add to Cart

About the Book

Feminist theories maintain that gender issues are a ubiquitous component of our lives, intersecting with every aspect of the society in which we live and interact. Because the feminist debate has included questions important to Jewish discourse, including religion, antisemitism, Zionism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is not surprising that such matters should also be of concern to Jewish women, many of whom have played an active role in feminist movements.

In Jewish Voices in Feminism, Nelly Las navigates primarily among three cultures (French, Anglo-American, and Israeli) to present a philosophical and historical analysis of the intersection between contemporary Jewish dilemmas and feminism and its impact on Jewish thinking. She also explains the ambivalent attitude of feminist activists regarding current developments in the Jewish world. This book, based on extensive documentation that includes written and oral testimonies, provides a wide variety of gender-centered approaches to ethics, solidarity, identity, and memory.

Author Bio

Nelly Las is affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is a Helen Gartner Hammer Scholar-in-Residence at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. Her interests include comparative Jewish diasporas in cross-cultural and gender perspectives. She is the author of Jewish Women in a Changing World: A History of the International Council of Jewish Women, originally published in French and available in English. Ruth Morris is a freelance translator and researcher.

Praise

"This volume privileges the voices and experiences of women and so should be required reading for those interested in feminist theory, Middle Eastern politics, and/or religious identity."—CHOICE

"Nelly Las offers a transnational approach to analyzing the intersections of feminism and Jewishness."Joyce Antler, Springer Journal

“On a matter that concerns us today—the question of identity—Nelly Las examines the diversity, contradictions, and complexities of various ‘Jewish voices’ in French and American feminism during the last half century. This thought-provoking book helps us to better hear and understand these voices in the context of our time.”—Michelle Perrot, coeditor of the History of Women in the West series and 2014 winner of the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom 
 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: New Orientations and Commitments in Contemporary Feminism
1. Differences and Identities: From Feminist Controversies to Current Jewish Dilemmas
2. The Use and Abuse of Jews/Women Analogies in Contradictory Arguments
3. Identity through the Feminist Lens: American Responses
4. Being Jewish and Feminist in France
5. From Confrontation to Dialogue: Jewish Women Face Christian Theologies
6. Feminism, Secularism, and Religion in France
7. Feminism and Zionism: Conflictual Narratives
8. Israel and Zionism in the Global Feminist Debate
Conclusion
Selected Bibliography
Index

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