The Politics of Gender Exclusion
Naomi Paiss, NIF Director of Communications

Since the founding of the state, women in Israel have made great strides.  Yet, in a nation with no separation of religion and state, these advancements have always been juxtaposed with the demands and rules of a patriarchical Orthodox rabbinate.  And today, an increasingly radicalized ultra-Orthodox minority in Israel are attempting to undo even the most basic rights for women. The exclusion of women in Israel has become a hot topic of debate around the world.  From the Knesset to Israel’s Supreme Court to the front pages of the NY Times, the issue is generating conversation about the status of women, the right to freedom of – and from – religion and the limits of power for a fundamentalist minority.  This session will discuss the  activists working to ensure equal rights and religious freedom and ways that you can take action and make your voices heard.