A ritual garment, the synagogue, and gender questions

Abstract

Jewish women in some synagogues have recently taken to wrapping themselves in a prayer shawl, tallit. For women to use this ritual garment is a historic change in custom because for almost 2,000 years the prayer shawl, tallit, was worn by men only. Jewish tradition placed women in a gender-segregated space in the synagogue, denied women all synagogue roles such as rabbi, cantor, and Torah reader and excluded them from wearing ritual garments such as tallit. In the last thirty years in synagogues of the Conservative branch of Judaism women have taken on all these ritual roles including wrapping themselves in tallit in the synagogue. I examine the context in which this historic change is taking place and the meaning that change has for women, the tallit itself, and the synagogue. I raise the following gender questions: Has the tallit been feminized? Are women worshipers simply incorporated/co-opted into a traditional (male) custom? Has the gender of the synagogue changed?

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