Who were the “Matriarchs” who started the Jewish family tree? Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel are the The Matriarchs whose names were traditionally repeated over and over again in our Jewish prayers.  There were also other women in the same families who created the next generations. Right from the beginning our Jewish mothers were in complex families that included varieties of spirituality, ethnicity, family status, tensions, love and commitment. What did they each have to face? How did they respond to the choices they had? What can we discover from their lives that will help us in ours? What questions are we left with? We will bring open minds, imagination and curiosity to an inclusive exploration of the founding female generations of our own story.

Session 2 - Women’s Power in the Second Generation of the Jewish Family

Rebekah carried on the legacy of family-building in what was to become the Jewish family tree. We will look at women’s power, then and now, and how it played out in both private and public realms. We will ask questions of the text and create some of our own answers.

Assignment: CLASS TWO TEXTS and QUESTIONS

Extra references and further questions:

Rebekah’s story is in the Book of Genesis, including:

Chapter 24: What do we make of Rebekah’s experience meeting Isaac?

Chapter 25: 21-28 How does Rebekah struggle within her own family?

Chapter 27: How does Rebekah act to shape the future of her family tree?

The third session will be on June 2 at the same time. You can attend any  of the sessions.

Guests are welcome and must register to receive the Zoom link. A donation of $18. is suggested for guests who are not members oF Leyv Ha-Ir.