I appreciate Plaskow’s conscious decision to reconsider her myth and her experiences from a Jewish perspective, using Judaism-based language. To have begun her journey with Protestant-themed terms like mission, conversion, and grace makes sense within an American context, where Protestantism is the most prevalent religion. I think it was important for her to deliberately reexamine her own story in order to see the aspects of Judaism reflected in it. Plaskow herself mentions the importance of community, togetherness, and sisterhood within women’s movements, and how helpful it is for women to see their own experiences reflected in others. Thus, for her to share a deliberately Jewish perspective of women’s experiences is helpful for all women, but particularly for Jewish women, looking to better understand the world that they live in and their own feelings toward it. The language of tikkun olam and midrash is familiar to many Jewish women, and Plaskow’s use of these terms helps them relate their new experiences with the women’s movement to something that they already know and understand, making them more comfortable with the feminist ideas that Plaskow and the women’s movement are presenting.
Writing and other content
