Can Orthodox women lean in?<\/p>\n
Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz believes they can.<\/p>\n
The phrase \u201cLean In\u201d was popularized by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her book of the same name. \u201cThe time is long overdue to encourage more women to dream the possible dream,\u201d she wrote. For Sandberg, leaning is the call for women to devote more time and energy in the workplace and rise to leadership positions to help other women along with maintaining a healthy family life.<\/p>\n
Perhaps there is no better woman to discuss leaning in for Jewish women than Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz. Schwartz is a mother of five, who holds a Ph.D. in history from Princeton, and serves as the director of general studies at the Frisch School in New Jersey and the rebbetzin of Mt. Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights. Schwartz spoke to a packed auditorium at the Orthodox Union\u2019s headquarters on March 22 as a speaker for the Orthodox Union\u2019s Women\u2019s Affinity Group.<\/p>\n
Throughout the course of her hour-long lecture, Schwartz stressed that both aspects\u2014a productive family life and meaningful work\u2014are important to Orthodox women. \u201cBecause we have such a deep sense of value and respect for the family, and the role of women in the family\u2014and as Torah observant women we have an appreciation for the contributions women make in the greater societal realm,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Though Orthodox women face different challenges than their secular counterparts.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust look at the November issue of a magazine and read how they prepare for Thanksgiving; it\u2019s one meal, eaten once,\u201d she said. \u201cOn Sukkot I do that four times and a week later another four times\u2014and if it\u2019s a three day yomtov I do it six times followed by another six times a week later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Compounding the difficulties of leaning in for Orthodox woman is family size, since Orthodox families are typically larger than non-religious households.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than simply four, six, eight or more children to care for\u2014those are more years of incoherent sleep and days of kindergarten. That many more years of teenage hood,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
Schwartz\u2019s message was that for the Orthodox women, given the strong values placed on both work and home life, there is no single way to lean in, but leaning in to both family and work are equally valuable.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Torah observant women, we must address our own profound ambivalence and communal ambivalence regarding women\u2019s contributions within the family, within the workplace, within roles of leadership,\u201d Schwartz emphasized.<\/p>\n
Schwartz issued a call for unity between Jewish women, whether they focus on the family or their occupation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing in it for us to think only my choices are right and everyone else is wrong. That is a toxic culture among women and we must build a healthy supportive culture among us instead,\u201d she stated. \u201cWe must acknowledge the deep value at home with family and the deep value in women\u2019s contribution in the broader world, to be able to understand how different women balance those values.\u201d<\/p>\n
These different roles, she concluded, are vital pieces to creating a whole, vibrant and healthy Jewish community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Can Orthodox women lean in? Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz believes they can. The phrase \u201cLean In\u201d was popularized by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her book of the same name. \u201cThe time is long overdue to encourage more women to dream the possible dream,\u201d she wrote. For Sandberg, leaning is the call for women to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":775,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\n