Jewish Women: Looking Backwards ... Looking Forward

Since the 1994 publication of the “Women in the Jewish Community” report, we have moved into a new century and have a new generation of Jewish men and women participating in all areas of community life. Over the intervening years I have frequently been asked: what happened to your report and the recommendations it contained? So I have begun the search for some answers. And I need your help. This is a call to men and women from all parts of the community to give their views.

The goal of this new effort is to understand developments since the last report and, most importantly, to highlight the emerging concerns and needs of women and men across the community for the coming decades.

As some may remember, the original study was commissioned by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks. On this occasion, the Board of Deputies is supporting the project which will yet again be undertaken by a band of volunteers ably assisted by community professionals and lay leaders.

How have the findings of the extensive research set out in the 1994 Report affected community life in the past 15 years? Were the accompanying recommendations addressed and acted upon by community leaders and if not, why not? And, perhaps most importantly, what are the key issues – some old, some new – which need the community’s urgent and close attention?

We will again research the following areas: Education; Synagogue and Prayer; Social Issues; Children; and Get and Agunah. We will be reaching out for views from individuals in every section of the community; those closely and intimately involved together with others who are more distanced but wish to have their voices heard.

To help provide insights into all these questions we invite women and men of all ages and persuasions, but most particularly those who were too young to participate in the earlier Review, to respond to this invitation.

Please follow the links below, read the major recommendations, and send us your views. Feel free to forward a link to this page to anyone else you think may be interested in responding. Alternatively, if you would like hard copies of any of these documents, please phone 020 7831 4461.

Rosalind Preston OBE

The 1994 major recommendations

The survey itself

The 1994 full recommendations