Reading Response, Replying to : "Placing Jewish Women into the Intersectionality of Race, Class and Gender" by Jessica Greenebaum (original) (raw)

Jessica Greenebaum’s 1999 article “Placing Jewish women into the Intersectionality of Race, Class and Gender” is an introductory article on many themes of intersectional feminism and its ties to the (American, Ashkenazi) Jewish Woman’s reality. Though our reading was rather critical, the author did succeed to analyze many themes of power dynamics and oppression, without discrediting the necessary accountability of being at a meeting node of oppressed and oppressor. That is to say, Greenebaum remained lucid throughout the text of the complexity of the Jewish Woman’s identity, especially in regards to other more marginalized folks. Overall, the author expressed the need to value Jewish women’s voices, not to have them speak over other women (POC), but rather to simply having their specific and incomparable reality heard. The twenty pages article was somewhat implicitly divided in themes, addressing the topics of Race and Class separately, to depict the reality of the Jewish woman. In our analysis, we will divide the text in the same manner, to raise a few of the issues addressed, and to evaluate how their delivery was executed, especially in regards to its relevance a quarter of a century later. It is important to recognize that intersectional feminism exists in a high pace velocity of progressiveness, meaning that often times things we held for granted as radical and inclusive might not age well and be canceled shortly after. We bring this up, as it is important to contextualise Greenebaum’s article in time, to properly address how we compliment and criticize their approach. Indeed, there were many points brought up by the author that are still acutely relevant to today’s feminist discourse. However, certain elements are worth being critiqued, so that they may adapt to our modern times. Yet overall, this essay was a good introduction to intersectionality and the place of Jewish women within it. To value the significance and solidity of the author’s claims, we’ve decided to divide this reading response in two sections. The first one, and arguably the most important, tackles the “race” argument in regards to Judaism and it’s debated whiteness. The second segment will overview a few of the “class” elements raised by the author, with their converge to gender (or rather cisgenders/ women). Finally we will conclude this text by responding directly to one specific argument brought up by Greenebaum, “the need for a new nemesis”.