Blu Greenberg | Jewish Women's Archive (original) (raw)
b. January 21, 1936
byAlice Shalvi and Shulamit Peck, updated by Rabba Sara Hurwitz
Last updated December 17, 2021
Activist, writer, and founding president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA), Blu Greenberg.
In Brief
Blu Greenberg grew up in a traditional Orthodox household that helped cement her love and commitment to Jewish law. As she grew, so did a growing dissatisfaction with women’s place in traditional Judaism. Her motto, “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater,” led her to examine ways that women can have greater roles within Jewish law; her book On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition inspired a generation of people to embrace being both Orthodox and feminist. Through the founding of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) she carved out the path for Orthodox women to become rabbis and explore greater participation in ritual. Through the creation of the International Beit Din (IBD), she has helped many agunot, women trapped in unwanted marriages.