Voices of Women at Wartime – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we continue to study modern midrashim written by women in the wake of October 7 with Tamar Biala, editor of the "Dirshuni" series.

Tamar Biala has been collecting and editing modern women’s midrashim for over 20 years and published them as part of the “Dirshuni” series, with two volumes in Hebrew and one in English. The first Hebrew volume was co-edited with Nehama Weingarten-Mintz.

Since October 7, Biala has received many texts relating to the Hamas attack and its aftermath. In this two-part session we will study these powerful texts written by women about grieving mothers and angry grandmothers, faith and doubt, the Jewish present and past and how they interact with one another.

To learn more about women's midrashim and Dirshuni, listen to this 2002 interview with Tamar Biala: 

https://newbooksnetwork.com/dirshuni

Texts discussed in part 2:

1. All Your Brothers’ and Sisters’ Bloods are Crying to Me from the Soil
   Gili Mivtzari Zivan
   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aNGyHlWLSoPh-tIzkJfnit4iaG4sEcdYpAvO1sNDzzA/edit?usp=sharing
2. Redeeming Captive Women
   Oshrat Shoham https://docs.google.com/document/d/1130ptM6jQPTRuUT47bGrWLcOJD-70A00nWiuGifleXM/edit?usp=sharing
3. Sleeps and Slumbers, The Guardian of Israel
   Rivkah Lubitch
   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wr5hn_P0zmtrByKMZq4LOC7lwZzCe5uVGthg4AFl-LQ/edit?usp=sharing
4. Midrash One People to Another
   Rabbi Yael Vurgan
   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NmgwsUUv8mC33mawGrM_rhH8d8jcLNDg8outpF_TjCg/edit?usp=sharing 

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Tamar Biala has been collecting and editing modern women’s midrashim for over 20 years and published them as part of the “Dirshuni” series, with two volumes in Hebrew and one in English. The first Hebrew volume was co-edited with Nehama Weingarten-Mintz.

Since October 7, Biala has received many texts relating to the Hamas attack and its aftermath. In this two-part session we will study these powerful texts written by women about grieving mothers and angry grandmothers, faith and doubt, the Jewish present and past and how they interact with one another.    

In the introduction to this episode, Rivkah explains the background behind women’s midrashim. If you’d like to learn more, please listen to this 2022 interview with Tamar Biala about Dirshuni: 

https://newbooksnetwork.com/dirshuni

See a video about Leora Ayalon’s granddaughter: 

https://www.mako.co.il/mako-vod-keshet/heroes-s1/VOD-78a0c38dde9ec81027.htm

Texts discussed in Part 1:

1. Liora Ayalon’s midrash: “The Power of a Community to Diminish Suffering in the World”
   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1niJjmDMmEUCFaegsMxc_X5dJSU_nQadnL_wDO7TMv-8/edit?usp=sharing

2. Nurit Hirschfeld-Skupinsky’s midrash “Midrashim of Destruction”
   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m71SJkROg-lNBez6bfIAbOfxKjOPlagmIRmiedfoKpQ/edit?usp=sharing

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Celia Jawabreh, a feminist social activist and educator in the Arab-Israeli community, has a very painful and candid conversation with us. She tells what it is like to grow up as a woman in a patriarchal religious society, and especially how Arab women (and men) are faring since the 7th of October. We learn what it is like to be identified in public as an Arab and having Israeli Jews suspect her as being pro-Hamas. She described how shocked Israeli Arabs were by what happened on the 7th of October, and their pain at being constantly under suspicion.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Leader of the Religious Kibbutz Movement Sarah Evron describes the miraculous story of how Kibbutz Sa’ad was spared on October 7th, the challenges of evacuation, and how the community has rallied together in inspiring ways.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Embedded trauma specialist Lisa Fliegel recounts working with children survivors of October 7th. Drawing on her experiences in three disparate high conflict zones—Israel, Northern Ireland and inner city Boston—Lisa shares insightful and effective ways of responding to children processing trauma.

Read about Lisa’s experiences with children survivors post-October 7th here.

Why is humor the quintessential Jewish coping mechanism—even during war? Bazy Rubin talks about making funny videos of her struggles as a reservist wife and mom on the home front, and why they resonate with so many right now.

Check out Bazy’s funny videos on Facebook and Instagram.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Since the start of the war, Israel has drastically loosened and expedited the process for citizens to obtain gun permits. But at what cost? Social worker Tamar Schwartz of Women’s Spirit shares how war affects women victims of domestic violence and warns of the deadly consequences of guns falling into the wrong hands.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

What compels a volunteer forensic pathologist to travel all the way from New Zealand to Israel? Dr. Judy Melinek speaks about the crucial role of science in bearing witness to the Hamas attacks on October 7th.

Read Dr. Melinek’s firsthand account here.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Why do international feminists, who champion human rights and social justice for minorities, seem to have a blind spot when it comes to antisemitism? Feminist icon Dr. Phyllis Chesler shares her experiences confronting antisemitism over decades in feminist activism and academia.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.

Learn more about the volunteer database, Anchor for the Reserve Families, and the  50-50 Partnership for Equity.

Support and amplify women's voices by contributing to the making of this podcast: Donate now to the Center for Women’s Justice.