by Rebecca Honig Friedman

Sarah Silverman and other women comics shaking things up, even in Britain. The new wave of American female comics have more confidence, social impact, and star power than their predecessors, and they’re coming to the UK’s Edinbrugh Fringe Festival. A British analysis. (And you know it’s not an American writing because she uses the phrase “pro-abortion” instead of our softer branding of “pro-choice.” [Sunday Herlad]
Cheers for report on gender imbalance in Judaism. Women’s eNews sees the dominance of Jewesses in liberal strains of Judaism in positive light. [Women’s eNews]
Tzipi Livni urges Israelis to repeat a mantra of unity and afiirmation.In her “State of the Nation” address, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged Israelis to remember the importance of having a Jewish state and being proud of it “because our ability to achieve our objectives depends, among other things, upon the world’s willingness to accept some of our fundamental principles”:

We must first remind ourselves of the common denominator between all of us here. I repeat it like a mantra, because it has to be the writing on the wall, and it is Israel’s supreme goal: its existence as a Jewish and democratic state, with those values integrated rather than in conflict, a state that is as secure as possible and living in peace with its neighbors in the Land of Israel.

The full text of her speech is posted online. [Isria.info]
Progressive Jewess shares her thoughts on Anglican theology. British rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah argues that the Church of England should accept women into the clergy because progressive Judaism has done so:

Of course, it is not for me, a Jew, to suggest that the C0E should be prepared to split over the issue of women bishops. Nevertheless, as a female rabbi it seems reasonable to point out that, however well-disguised by arguments about the historical and theological foundations of Christianity, the continuing attempt to deny the legitimacy of female bishops is all about the preservation of male power.

Yes, and however well-disguised in progressive discourse, Rabbi Sarah’s overarching point is that Judaism’s just plain better than Anglicanism. [The Guardian]
British Jewesses rich enough to handle the domestic abuse they’re not experiencing? “The Board of Deputies has expressed concern over a reference in a government document suggesting that Jewish women do not experience domestic violence and are wealthy enough to fund their own support services.” The comment was reportedly made in reference to government funding for Jewish Women’s Aid. [The Jewish Chronicle]
Girls gone modest. “A new ‘modesty movement’ aims to teach young women they don’t have to be bad, or semiclad.” The movements largely led by religious groups, including Orthodox Jewess author Wendy Shalit who’s written books about it. [Newsweek]

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 Filed under: Roundups |