You're invited! JOFA UnConference on Ritual Innovation, Nov. 23

[Rachel Lieberman]

Hi all-

You may have heard that JOFA is hosting an UnConference on November 23 in midtown Manhattan. The theme of the day is "Ritual Pioneers and Innovation" and we have restricted registration to 225 people (including presenters!) in order to keep the event more intimate and allow for a less structure format that encourages audience participation and unplanned discussions.

As Orthodox Jews, ritual is central to our daily routines, but as orthodox feminists we struggle with certain boundaries, norms and expectations that create friction. We will be exploring this borderland between traditional rituals and the gender expectations associated with them, but we will also be engaging with individuals who are engaging in new ritual roles and even creating a new corpus of Jewish rituals.

The program schedule is now available online with session topics and presenters: https://jofaunconference2014.sched.org/

One recently added program we are particularly excited about is a panel titled "Conversion, Rabbinic Authority, and Power Imbalance in Orthodoxy" featuring R' Asher Lopatin, Dr. Elana Stein Hain and R' Mark Dratch of the RCA. There will also be a partnership minyan option for Rosh Hodesh Shacharit. 

We are hoping that you can share this information with your networks, especially with the partnership minyans you are involved with. Below is a short blurb you can use in an email or to post on facebook.  Attached to this email is a conference logo you can also use.
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The JOFA UnConference
November 23, 2014 | Midtown NYC

Spotlight on: Ritual Pioneers and Innovation

Over the past year, Orthodox women have engaged with ritual in confident and innovative ways, including reclaiming mikvah, wearing tefillin, training to become mashgichot in Israel, tying tzitzit, and reciting Kaddish in public. JOFA’s UnConference will shine a spotlight on these pioneers and innovations. Sessions will explore the role of authenticity in innovation, the process of creating new rituals, strategies for adapting traditionally male rituals so they are appropriate for women, and the ways in which communal leaders implement changes in their communities without alienating members. This event will include lectures, interactive workshops, text-based shiurim, unstructured conversations and networking opportunities. Partnership MInyan and Women's Tefillah options will be available for Rosh Hodesh shacharit. 

The full schedule is online: https://jofaunconference2014.sched.org/

Space is limited, so register for the UnConference before tickets are sold out: http://jofa2014.bpt.me/

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Thanks, and let me know if you have any questions!

Rachel 

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Rachel Lieberman
Program Director

JOFA: Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
520 8th Avenue, Fourth Floor
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212-679-8500

rachel.l...@jofa.org

REGISTER NOW! JOFA UnConference | November 23 | jofa.org/UnConference2014

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