Daughters of the King explains women's involvement in and around the synagogue from its antecedents in the biblical period to contemporary times. The role of women in the synagogue is a most timely but potentially divisive issue. Grossman and Haut have demonstrated the historical diversity of women's roles in Judaism, to record first-person accounts of the innovative practices now being introduced for and by women throughout the Jewish community, and to consider how these new realities will help to shape the religious life of Jewish women in the future. The contributors represent an...

An Inspiration to All Who Struggle for Religious and Gender Equality

"Our souls yearn to pray, in peace, in the sacred place, to read from our holy Torah, together with other Jewish women."
--from the

In Israel today, the historic Western Wall, known as the Kotel, a holy site for Jewish people, is under the religious authority of the Orthodox rabbinate. Women have only limited rights to practice Jewish ritual in its precincts.

This passionate book documents the legendary grassroots and legal struggle of a determined group of Jewish women from Israel, the United...