A gender gap
Is there a “stained-glass ceiling” for women in Conservative Judaism?
Steve Cohen’s recent survey showed a marked difference between men and women among Conservative Jews in their attitude toward gay ordination; male respondents favored gay ordination by a 60 to 33 percent margin, while females overwhelmingly approved 86 to 10 percent.
Since women have constituted 30-50 percent of each new rabbinic class since 1993, I was disappointed to note that only 2 of the 25 members of the Committee on Jewish Lawand Standards were women.
The outcome of votes on the 3 teshuvot and 2 takanot concerning the halachic status of homosexuals may have been strikingly different if more women were included on this important committee of the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly.
In 2004, the Rabbinical Assembly noted a gender gap in salary and career status for Conservative women rabbis, and pledged to address this problem. I call upon the Rabbinical Assembly to address the problem of gender gap within its own house, and to actively recruit and include women in leadership positions. It is time for the
decision-making process in the Conservative movement to include the voice of its female constituency.
Joanne Cornbleet | Saratoga
Shtetl wanted
Like others, we have a graduating senior and a recent grad. Although not rejecting Judaism, it is low priority. It’s partly due to:
1. A gap of 6-10 years between high school and the ability to settle down, depending on education needed and time finding a job somewhere.
2. That “somewhere” is not going to be where they grew up. (it’s way too expensive to buy a house, and jobs are hard to get there.
3. There are few Jewish organizations catering to highly educated hardworking mate-seeking 20-somethings.
Regarding No. 3, I noticed the Jewish hiking group in j.’s calendar. Wonderful, but more choice is needed. Examples are Jewish travel clubs/tours, ski/bike clubs, young professionals organizations and investment clubs. Can someone organize?
As for No. 2, kids can afford to raise families in Woodland, Hollister and Novato, not San Francisco, Palo Alto or San Rafael. It is awfully lonely for Jews out there — you need a shtetl, even just a minyan.
As for No. 1, people don’t want to get involved with potential Jewish mates until they know where they will get a job, because their college and first-job locations will certainly and cruelly diverge. Choices are needed at that time and place.
David Moss | Palo Alto
‘Eloquent’ column
I just had to write to tell you how much I enjoyed reading Janet Silver Ghent’s April 27 column about the candle in the darkness. What a moving, beautiful and eloquent piece. I greatly appreciate her imagery about the power behind the flickering light of a candle.
I never knew my great grandmothers, but each Friday night as I light my Shabbat candles I feel connected to them by performing this one simple act. I will definitely be keeping the article to reread and pass along to others.
Karen Gould | Palo Alto
‘Ongoing support’
Stacey Pavlesky’s May 4 j. article about Rabbi Michael Schudrich, chief rabbi of Poland, neglected to mention that his trip to San Francisco, his meetings with both the North and South Bay Jewish federations, and public appearances at Emanu-El and the Jewish Film Festival were supported by the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, which is the only American foundation to make major philanthropic investments in the Polish Jewish renaissance.
These investments include ongoing support of such institutions as the Jewish Historical Institute and the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and the Jewish Culture Festival and the Judaica Foundation in Krakow.
The Taube Foundation efforts are bolstered by the significant contributions of several other major Bay Area philanthropies, including the Koret Foundation, Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies, Kanbar Charitable Trust, Friend Family Foundation, Henry and Lucille Libicki, Irving and Vardin Rabin, and the San Francisco and Silicon Valley Jewish federations.
Stephen Dobbs | San Francisco
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California