Jeanette Friedman

How I Became a Jewish Feminist

Apr 16

Jeanette Friedmanfeminism, judaism, orthodoxy No Comments

The year was 1960. The place was Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Fraternal twins, a boy and girl are being raised in an ultra-Orthodox home. She is older by 12 minutes, and it’s an issue between them, since he liked being a bully—and she would yell, “I’m 12 minutes older than you are, have a little respect!� As young children, born on Simchat Torah, one of the liveliest and happiest Jewish holidays, they would share the fun in shul—dancing with their father around the bimah, sneaking along the floor during the Amida, bothering the men, tying their shoelaces together, helping the older boys wrap the baal tefillah in his talit and carry him out of the building—people did wild things on Simchat Torah in Crown Heights—they even drank a lot and danced in the streets.

But then the little girl turned nine, and was told, “OUT! You are a girl. You don’t belong here.� And Simchat Torah was never the same. I ought to know. That little girl was me.

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