CCAR Taskforce on the Experience of Women in the Rabbinate: Additional Articles and Reading Material

From the Jewish World

• Salary Transparency is a Jewish Value. Larisa Klebe. e-Jewish Philanthropy.
• Ally is a Verb. Rabbi Rachel Gildiner, Haley Schreier, and Tilley Shames. e-Jewish Philanthropy.
• Investing in Gender Equality at a Critical Time in Israel’s History.  Stephanie Blumenkranz. e-Jewish Philanthropy.
• Women forge new coalition to smash ceilings in Jewish nonprofits’ boys clubs. Cathryn J. Prince. The Times of Israel.
• The Week That All Jewish Women Turned Invisible. e-Jewish Philanthropy.
• We Too. Shifra Bronznick, Barbara Dobkin, and Rabbi Joanna Samuels. e-Jewish Philanthropy.
• Contract as Covenant: Reflecting Organization Values. Debbie Cosgrove and Jamie Allen Black. e-Jewish Philanthropy.
• The look on his Face was the Data We Needed. Sara Shapiro-Plevan and Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu. eJewish Philanthropy, August 13, 2019
• Women Who Are Rabbis Experience Their Own Brand of Harassment. Chanel Dubofsky. Lilith Spring 2018.
• Sexism is Routine for Female Clergy. Cantor Barbara Ostfeld. Lilith, August 19, 2019.
• Women in Jewish Studies: Conversations from the Periphery. Susannah Heschel. Feminist Studies in Religion, May 31, 2019.
• Judith Plaskow is Still Standing, Twenty Years On. Debra Nussman Cohen. Forward.com, January 18, 2011.
• American Jewry’s #MeToo Problem: A First-Person Encounter. Keren R. McGinity. The New York Jewish Week, Jun 21, 2018.
• The Consequences of Professional ‘Negging.’ Rabbi Leah Berkowitz. Jewish Women’s Archive, April 18, 2018.
• Safe, Respectful, Equitable: Launching a New Partnership for Jewish Communal Life. eJewish Philanthropy, March 8, 2019.
• Women in Jewish fundraising say harassment is pervasive. Debra Nussbaum Cohen. Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), February 26, 2018.
• This is a #MeToo story. But it is not a story about sexual harassment or assault. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt. eJewish Philanthropy, February 2, 2018.
• Forward opEd from Rabbi Hara Person: A 2018 Manifesto For The Woke Jewish Woman
• Jewish Exponent: Female Rabbis Contend Sexual Harassment Persists
• NY Jewish Week opEd from Rabbi Hara Person: When Women Rabbis Say ‘#MeToo,’ Communities Must Pay Attention
• “This Is a #MeToo Story. But It is Not a Story About Sexual Harassment or Assault,” by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
  This article from eJewish Philanthropy of February 2, 2018, contends that, in addition to highlighting the inappropriate behavior women deal with in the workplace, the #MeToo phenomenon should draw our attention to the societal structures, like the pulpit rabbinate, that were designed by men, for men, and that therefore hinder the advancement of women. The author suggests that congregations might support the development and success of women rabbis by representing power as shared rather than wielded by one rabbi at the top.
• “Women in Jewish Fundraising Say Harassment is Pervasive” by Debra Nussbaum Cohen
  This article from February 26, 2018, describes the struggles faced by female fundraisers for nonprofit Jewish institutions, who often deal with sexual harassment or abuse from wealthy male donors.
• “Findings of the Confidential Survey of Female Rabbis About Sexual Discrimination and Harassment”
  This study, issued by The Commission for Women’s Equality of the American Jewish Congress in 1993, represents the responses of 328 female rabbis. It provides extensive statistics regarding their experiences in both rabbinical school and the workplace, as well as a many direct quotations from the survey.
• “American Jewry’s #MeToo Problem: A First-Person Encounter” The New York Jewish Week
  A woman who is a professional in the Jewish world feels that the Jewish world needs to experience its own #MeToo movement. She recounts her own experience being sexually mistreated by a prominent Jewish figure and then feeling uncomfortable telling anyone about what happened because of his power in the Jewish world. On the importance of speaking up about improper groping, kissing and the blurring of professional and romantic relationships. For too long, anything short of rape was considered “tolerable” in the Jewish community. That is no longer– must no longer– be the case.
• “The Consequences of Professional ‘Negging’” Jewish Women’s Archive, by Rabbi Leah Berkowitz
  Leah Berkowitz writes about the dynamics of congregational job interviews, especially over “get-to-know-you weekends” and the inappropriate questions about relationship status and family plans that she has had to endure as a single, woman rabbi. She wonders aloud whether not feeling able to call out these questions as inappropriate in the moment, coupled with her internalizing a message of “I should feel lucky to have any offer from any congregation as a woman” from these experiences, caused her to accept lower compensation and sign-on to congregations under less-than-ideal circumstances. She calls this dynamic “professional negging.” She recommends training for search committees to avoid questions that distract the focus from learning about the mutual fit between rabbi and congregation.
• “Want To Help Women Rabbis Get The Respect They Deserve? Here’s A List,” The Forward, By: Kari Hofmaister Tuling

From the Wider World

• How to Respond to Microaggressions. Hahna Yoon, NYTimes.
• The Big Business of Unconscious Bias. Nora Zelevansky. New York Times.
• Opinion: Enough Leaning In. Let’s Tell Men to Lean Out. Ruth Whippman. New York Times.
• Nonprofit CEO Gender Pay Gap Persists. Ernie Smith.
• 7 Practical Ways to Prevent Gender Bias in the Hiring Process. Rebecca Knight.
• How the BBC Women are Working Toward Equal Pay. Lauren Collins. The New Yorker.
• How Medicine Became the Stealth Family-Friendly Profession. Claire Cain Miller. NYT Parenting, August 21, 2019.
• What Men Can Do to Be Better Mentors and Sponsors to Women. Rania H. Anderson and David G. Smith. Harvard Business Review, August 7, 2019.
• A model apology from a sinner-saint. The Christian Century, March 11, 2019.
• Losing my religion for equality. President Jimmy Carter. Sydney Morning Herald, July 15, 2009
• I.H. Head Calls For End of All-Male Panels. Pam Belluck. New York Times, June 12, 2019.
• Men Invented Likeability. Guess Who Benefits. Claire Bond Potter. New York Times, May 4, 2019.
• What ‘Good’ Dads Get Away With. Darcy Lockman. New York Times, May 4, 2019.
• Here’s how companies can clear the way for more women to climb the corporate ladder. Joseph Holt. CNN Business, April 30, 2019.
• Women Did Everything Right. Then Work Got ‘Greedy.’ Claire Cain Miller. New York Times, April 26, 2019.
• Do & Don’t: An Open Letter to Older Make Senior Pastors Regarding Your Working Relationships with Younger Women/Femme/Non-Binary Associate Colleagues. Andrea Roske-Metcalfe. Young Clergy Women International, June 5, 2018.
• How Boston Is Trying to Close the Gender Pay Gap. Anna Louise Sussman. New York Times, May 26, 2018.
• Picture a Leader. Is She a Woman? Heather Murphy. New York Times, March 16, 2018.
• If Only Quoting Women Were Enough. Amanda Taub and Max Fisher. New York Times, February 9, 2018.
• Children Hurt Women’s Earnings, but Not Men’s. Claire Cain Miller. New York Times, February 5, 2018.
• “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh
  This classic 1989 description of white privilege suggests that a recognition of the advantages conferred by whiteness in America might facilitate awareness in men of the advantages conferred by their gender identity.
• “If Only Quoting Women Were Enough” by Amanda Taub and Max Fisher
  This article from the New York Times of February 9, 2018, contends that the discrepancy in journalistic citation of male versus female experts—about 3-to1 according to the authors—represents the tip of an iceberg. The difficulty in finding female voices to cite stems from the challenges faced by women trying to reach the upper echelons of journalism, academia, and research institutions. Citing more female experts, therefore, is a merely symbolic gesture that should be accompanied by changes to the systems that stifle the advancement of women.
• “Children Hurt Women’s Earnings, but not Men’s (Even in Scandinavia)” by Claire Cain Miller
  This article from the New York Times of February 8, 2018, argues that parenthood exacerbates the pay gap between men and women in both Europe and the United States. The gap between childless men and women pales in comparison to that between male and female parents, a phenomenon the authors attribute to the claim that working mothers, even in societies with generous parental leave policies and subsidized child care, spend more time rearing children and maintaining a home than do working fathers.
• “Diversity fatigue in the tech world” Los Angeles Times
  Although many companies adopt diversity trainings and programs with good intentions, the lack of success and the continued insistence of using certain diversity programs has caused a sort of “I am sick of diversity trainings and initiatives” attitude among employees. Companies need to focus on not creating an us-versus-them dichotomy among their employees, which could lead to resentment and an overall feeling of discomfort with diversity initiatives.
• “Do & Don’t: An Open Letter to Older Male Senior Pastors Regarding Your Working Relationships with Younger Women/Femme/Non-Binary Associate Colleagues” by Andrea Roske-Metcalfe, Young Clergy Women International
  The author, who enjoys a highly-functional working relationship with her senior, male pastor colleague, realizes hers is an anomaly in the Lutheran Church. She synthesizes a list of do’s and don’ts from crowd-sourced responses, which are relevant for all clergy who work with senior and/or associate clergy on how to avoid gender-based power dynamics which, when unchecked, can lead to exploitative working conditions, especially for younger, female associates.
• “How Boston Is Trying to Close the Gender Pay Gap” by Anna Louie Sussman, New York Times
  This article explores a city-wide phenomenon at many companies in Boston, motivated in part by the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, which went into effect in July, 2018, to equalize pay between men and women at companies in Boston across a variety of industries. The Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement has had 223 companies sign on with them, and hundreds of women have participated in trainings through the American Association of University Women on salary negotiation. The article explores disparities between professional industries and working-class industries (which inequality is greater) and how a number of Boston companies have corrected salaries upwards for women in recent months.
• “Picture a Leader. Is She a Woman?” New York Times
  This piece focused on a study concerned with confirmation biases we have and how stereotypes about what a “leader” looks and acts like affects who we can see as leaders. Even if a woman were to exhibit the same skills and leadership potential as a man, people are more likely to associate strong leadership and a take-charge attitude with men. As a result, when asked to draw what a leader looks like, a group of executives drew figures that were masculine, and described the figures, mostly unknowingly, as “he is this, or he is that.” This was the case even among female executives who participated.
• “‘I Was Blacklisted From Employment’: Speaking Up in the Workplace” New York Times
  This 2017 article is about women in the entertainment industry who were punished or faced consequences for coming forward with allegations against male coworkers.
• “Push for Gender Equality in Tech? Some Men Say It’s Gone Too Far”  New York Times
  This 2017 article is about some men in the tech industry who feel a backlash from women reporting on sexual harassment and general feelings of the gender equality being difficult for men.
• “3 Reasons Women In Law Are Still Waiting On Equality”  Above the Law
  This 2017 article about “Initiatives” in Law firms to help women find equality with their male colleagues and whether or not this is a helpful tactic.
• “A Current Glance at Women in the Law”  American Bar Association – Commission on Women in the Profession
  This a 2017 report from the American Bar Association which is a census of sorts, a state of the association on the number of women in the field. Very interesting to have these data points.
• “‘A Bleak Picture’ for Women Trying to Rise at Law Firms” New York Times
  This 2017 article is about the realities of women trying to move toward Partner in major law firms in our country and some of the challenges they face.
• “Large Law Firms are Failing Women Lawyers” — Washington Post
  This article from 2014 says much of what the above NYT article does, but a few years old.
• “Women in Medicine: Female Physicians Get Called ‘Doctor’ Less Than Their Male Colleagues” Newsweek
  This article from 2017 is about the experience of women professionals (doctors in this case) are often called by their first names while their male colleagues are referred to by their titles. “Dr. Jones” verses “Julia”
• “Sharing the Pain of Women in Medicine” New York Times
  This is from 2012 about how women feel the difficulties of their work in a different way than men because of some institutional systems that disadvantage women.

The CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly

• Introduction – Guest Editors: Marla J. Feldman and Mary L. Zamore
• Gender Pay Equity: A Textual Exploration for Justice – Mary L. Zamore
• Responsum on Equal Pay – Jonathan Cohen on behalf of the CCAR Responsa Committee
• Pay Equity in the Reform Movement: An Unfinished History of Policy and Action – Marla J. Feldman
• Women Cantors and Dollars in 1976 – Barbara J. Ostfeld
• What the Latest Reform Movement Rabbinic Salary Study Reveals about the Gender Wage Gap – Michael J. Gan and Natalie C. Moffett
• The Gender Wage Gap in the Reform Movement: A United Data Narrative – Elise Gould
• What Is Possible: Striving for Gender Pay Equity for Congregational Employees – Esther L. Lederman and Amy Asin
• Embedding Pay Equity into the Congregational Culture – Paul Kipnes
• Rewriting the Rules and Breaking the Wage Gap Silence – Shifra Bronznick and Emma Bronznick Goldberg
• Where Do We Go from Here? Achieving Pay Equity on Our Pulpits – Richard Jacobs

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