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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@saber.towson.edu>
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 23:30:01 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Curriculum & Syllabus for Women

Alexis Rosoff in v31n91 eloquently states

>>>>>>>>
Similarly, study seems to be the province of the man, and I find this
worrying. I don't mean smicha or kollel level study; I'm talking
ordinary yeshiva high school education, seminary, et cetera. Even if my
daughters never become rabbis (and I admit it, I'm a bad feminist, I'm
not comfortable with the concept of women as rabbis) I want them to have
the sort of Judaic education I didn't. I want them to be able to
understand a passage of Talmud and understand the process that brought
it into being and keeps it alive. Even women's shiurim are often on a
lower level, and I think it becomes a cycle of women not reaching the
levels needed for more advanced learning, so new shiurim aren't started,
so women stay at the same low-to-middle level.
>>>>>>>>>

I wholeheartedly agree that (a) women should be communal leaders (like
Sarah and Ester) (b) they should understand basic texts (c) they need
not be Rabbis.

The question becomes however, how do we BEST implement the above goals
suggested by Alexis. Or, to use an operational term, what CURRICULUM and
SYLLABII (for K-12) will help the community best implement the above
goals for women. Will teaching them Gmarrah help or hurt? Should we
emphasize Tnach? Which parts of the Shuchan Aruch (code of Jewish law
are best)

In other words I would like to accept the general tenure of Alexis
values and get down to the details of operational implementation.

Russell Jay Hendel; phd asa; RHendel@Towson.Edu
Moderator Rashi is Simple
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/