Join us on December 3rd for a special guest speaker, Tamar Biala who will speak about her book, Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash, the first-ever English edition of a historic collection of midrashim composed by Israeli women. Using classical forms, the contributors express their religious and moral thought and experience through innovative interpretations of scripture. The women writers, from all denominations and beyond, of all political stripes and ethnic backgrounds, contribute their Torah to fill the missing half of the sacred Jewish bookshelf. This book reflects dramatic changes in the agency of women in the world of religious writings.

Editor and author, Tamar Biala, will teach a sampling of texts from the collection and discuss what inspired her and her fellow contributors to work on this project.

Tamar Biala earned her Master’s Degree in Women's and Jewish Studies from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem.  She taught at the Shalom Hartman Institute, trained teachers and IDF army officers. She coedited volume I of Dirshuni with Nehama Weingarten-Mintz, (Yediot Aharonot/Jewish Agency for Israel, 2009) and, in 2018, edited volume II (Yediot Aharonot).  She teaches in various batei midrash, rabbinical schools, and adult education programs in the US and Israel.   She lives in Jerusalem and is raising her two daughters Nahara and Nofet, along with her husband, Yehudah Mirsky. 

This program is free and sponsors are welcomed. Registration required. Light refreshments will be served.