A lively and accessible look at Jewish intermarriage and its familial and cultural effects.

A sensitive exploration of the development of pivotal life cycle rituals as they touch Jewish women’s lives.
The past twenty-five years have seen the development of a rich literature on Judaism and feminism. Most recently, scholars have had a heightened interest in the life experiences that help define the identity of a woman as female. Rochelle Millen’s book, a crucial addition to this literature, explores how Jewish tradition perceives and treats rituals surrounding birth and death, particularly as they pertain to women’s development. Millen draws on halakhic literature from modern Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism, with sensitivity to the different guidelines given to diverse communities within distinct historical periods. Combining personal, legal, philosophical, and feminist critiques, this volume not only analyzes the rites of birth and death—their components and traditional meanings—but also explores new, halakhically sanctioned forms of celebration and commemoration for contemporary Jewish women.

Rochelle L. Millen is professor of religion at Wittenberg University. Her scholarly interests concern women in religion, phenomenology of religion, and modern Jewish thought, and her publications have explored Martin Buber, Joseph B. Soloveitchik, and the response literature on women and kaddish. Co-editor of New Perspectives on the Holocaust, she is cofounder of the Religion, Holocaust and Genocide section of the American Academy of Religion.

“An impressive synthesis of the personal, legal, and feminist approaches, this volume will engage readers who are knowledgeable about Jewish law and those who are just beginning to explore the subject.”
–Rela Mintz Geffen, president, Baltimore Hebrew University