The shelves of the Beit Midrash are overwhelmingly dominated by books and articles written by men — enter the inaugural cohort of the Jewish Women Scholars' Writing Fellowship, a new initiative presented in partnership between Sefaria and Maharat and funded in part by the Maimonides Fund. The fellowship aims to elevate Jewish women's scholarship by building a cohort of scholars, and providing the skills, support, and resources necessary to produce new content. 

 

An independent selection committee of seasoned Jewish women scholars reviewed 75 applications and ultimately selected these 14 impressive leaders. Fellows will benefit from specific training and individualized writing coaching, and will present their 3,000-word pieces at a virtual convening in June.

 

“The shelves of our libraries and batei midrash are sorely lacking in the wisdom and scholarship of 50% of our population,” says Rabba Sara Hurwitz, Maharat’s President and Co-Founder. “Maharat’s partnership with Sefaria will ensure that women add their voice into the canon of Jewish law, philosophy, and ideas, and ultimately into our Jewish consciousness for generations.”

 

Each fellow’s writing will be published in the Sefaria library. “Sefaria regularly receives requests for more women’s voices in the library, and it’s something we take very seriously,” says Sefaria’s Chief Learning Officer Sara Wolkenfeld. “We’re excited by the opportunity to not only include their voices, but also to support them through the process of publishing.”

 

Meet the inaugural cohort of Jewish Women Scholars’ Writing Fellows:

Maxine Berman

Rabba Dina Brawer

Rabbi Atara Cohen

Ranana Dine

Rabbanit Goldie Guy

Margo Hughes-Robinson

Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz

Zoe Jick Fertik

Rabbi Sari Laufer

Rabbanit Leah Sarna

Nomi Schneck

Rabbanit Chamutal Shoval

Rabbanit Aliza Sperling

Rabbi Avi Strausberg

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