Moria Ran Ben Hai

Moria Ran Ben Hai’s research focuses on modern Orthodox feminism in Israel and the United States, from its inception to the present day. Her PhD dissertation sketched Professor Alice Shalvi's biography as a case study for changes in the status of women in Israel from the 1970s to 2000, focusing on the Pelech high school for religious girls and the Israel Women's Network organization. Her current study focuses on the religious feminist organizations JOFA and Kolech.

Articles by this author

Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance

JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, was the first Orthodox feminist organization in the United States. Since 1997, it has striven to expand Jewish women's religious and spiritual roles within the parameters of halakhah and to address specific halakhic issues related to women in marriage and divorce. JOFA provides practical suggestions for increasing women's participation in religious rituals and halakhic-theoretical views on modern Jewish observance.

A group of ten men and seven women, smiling and standing in front of a building labeled "Segal Beit Midrash" in English and Hebrew

Leaders in Israel's Religious Communities

Since the late twentieth century, Israeli women have begun to assume leadership positions that are undoubtedly “religious” in both content and form. In the Reform and Conservative movements, gender equality has existed for decades, while in the most traditional ultra-Orthodox societies distinctive female religious leadership exists only within halakhic constraints. In modern Orthodoxy, measured changes have led to significant changes over the years and a new generation of religious leadership.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Moria Ran Ben Hai." (Viewed on November 21, 2024) <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/ran-ban-hai-moria>.