AFBIU & BIU Event Calendar & Coverage

Jewish Woman’s Prayer Explored at AFBIU Event in NYC

Jewish women throughout the ages have been writing their own prayers, and Bar-Ilan University (BIU) Prof. Aliza Lavie’s best-selling A Jewish Woman’s Prayer Book has helped to revitalize this tradition in our time. Dr. Aliza Lavie, Professor of the Political Science Department at BIU, recently spoke to the members of the Women’s Rosh Chodesh group of Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue about the rich history of women’s prayer.

Lavie, who is promoting the new English edition of this book being published by Random House, noted how it was Hanna of the Book of Samuel whose heartfelt personal supplication to G-d is the model for how both men and women pray today.

At the meeting, hosted by Rabbi Shaul & Sarah Robinson, Lavie said the popularity of A Jewish Woman’s Prayer Book amongst Jewish readers ranging from secular to Haredi demonstrates a void that existed in common prayer and a yearning for prayers with which many people can identify.

According to Lavie, the prayers within her book have helped provide a bridge of understanding between Orthodox and secular Jews, a core value of Bar-Ilan University.

One of the unique prayers Lavie discussed was written by a mother-in-law, Shulamit Eisenbach, asking for favor in the eyes of her children-in-law, as well as asking that she not find fault with them, and that she’ll be able to be warm, loving, and generous to her children’s spouses. This is not the kind of prayer one finds in a typical siddur. However, it is a genuine appeal to a merciful G-d, and one which is illustrative of the overall tone of the book - that women have been engaged in their Judaism throughout Jewish history and that perhaps we ought to pay closer attention to Jewish herstory.

To learn more about Prof. Lavie’s upcoming appearances, which are being coordinated by American Friends of Bar-Ilan University, email Rebecca.langer@afbiu.org.

Prof. Aliza Lavie addresses the crowd from Lincoln Square Synagogue in NYC. .