Australian Orthodox feminists stand up to be counted

The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance will launch next month in Melbourne. SHARON BERGER speaks to their president about the movement’s hopes and ambitions

A NEW FORUM FOR people who want to change the landscape for Orthodox women in Australia will be launched early next month.

The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) Australia will be launched in Melbourne on May 9. The launch, originally planned for March 2020, was put on hold due to the pandemic.

JOFA organisers see the in-person event, for up to 100 men and women, as a chance to hear what changes Orthodox women and girls want to see in their community.

Members of the JOFA Australia board, which includes women from four Melbourne synagogues - Blake Street, Beit Aharon, Mizrahi and Ohr David (a sub-shule of Mizrahi)- have their own views but want to ensure those ideas are aligned with the needs of their community.

One item agenda they will be pursuing regardless is the setting up of a Women’s Orthodox Speakers Bureau, with plans to have a diverse list of 60-80 names within a year.

“Organisations will no longer have an excuse to say there are no suitable women to sit on a panel,” JOFA Australia President Nomi Kaltmann told The Jewish Independent.

“Across Australia there is a growing number of amazing Orthodox women who have strong foundations in Torah learning and are looking for opportunities to teach and speak,” JOFA Australia’s Vice President, Sharona Jotzkowitz, said.

“Many of these women are fantastic resources for our community. JOFA Australia intends to foster this potential and continue to inspire greater female engagement in Torah learning and participation in communal affairs.”

Although the group’s focus will be in Melbourne, it plans to expand nationally at some point. It feels Sydney has “more consistent Orthodox feminist options” for now, including the Sydney Women’s Tefilah group, which holds regular women’s services on Purim and Simchat Torah.