Gender Ideology in the Jewish Community

How we got into the mess we are in, and how we can find a way forward that is compassionate, realistic, and authentically Jewish.Today I am interviewed by Jo Brew of Women’s Declaration International. The interview was not suitable for WDI’s channel as my positions are not radical feminist, but Jo kindly has allowed me to publish the interview here, which I hope will be a treat for you.https://shirabatya.substack.com/p/gender-ideology-in-the-jewish-community>We discuss the challenges that gender identity ideology poses in Judaism, particularly to the very gendered legal structure of Orthodox Judaism, and why this challenge has not been tackled by those in positions of leadership. We also talk about why those movements in Judaism for which gender appears not to matter at all are precisely those who have embraced gender ideology.I introduce my approach to these issues, which is to pursue the triple value of Inclusion, Realism, and Halachah (Jewish Law). I explain why it is so important to pursue all three of these, no matter how difficult that becomes; also, how the many people who propose simple answers to the problem of gender-identification in Judaism always neglect one or more of these. For example, pushing people out of the community completely, or pretending that transwomen are women (either biologically or within Jewish law).This recording should work about equally well on audio or on video. If this issue matters to you, please do subscribe as I will soon be publishing a series of shiurim (lectures) that I gave in 2023 in which I addressed these problems in detail. In the current polarised climate, it is more important than ever to adopt a nuanced non-ideological approach to these issues, so I am ready to finally make this work public.If you enjoyed listening to Jo Brew, you can find her own writing on her Substack, Radical Feminist Essays: https://jobrew.substack.com/Jo and I have a varied conversation that references a superb article by Kathleen Stock on why it is impossible to get rid of gender completely. You can find that article here: https://kathleenstock.substack.com/p/lets-abolish-the-dream-of-genderThanks for reading Heterodox Jewish Woman! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. https://shirabatya.substack.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shirabatya.substack.com