The Transformation of Tallitot: How Jewish Prayer Shawls Have Changed Since Women Began Wearing Them
Endnotes
1 Susan Dworkin, "A Song for Women in Five Questions", Moment (May/June 1995, v.1 n.1), p. 45.
2 Rabbi Max Ticktin, November 1996.
3 Rabbi Donald P. Cashman, "On My New Tallit and Its Tzitzit of Techelet" (sermon), 1996.
4 Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances (London: The Soncino Press, 1962), p. 18.
5 Zechariah 8:23, as cited in Aryeh Kaplan, Tzitzith, (NY: National Conference of Synagogue Youth, 1984) p. 7; brackets are his.
6 Judith Hauptman, "Women and the Conservative Synagogue," from Susan Grossman and Rivka Haut, Daughters of the King (New York: The Jewish Publication Society, 1992), p. 166.
7 Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, trans. Rabbi Eliyahu Touger (NY: Moznaim Publishing Co., 1990), p. 230-232.
8 Shirley Waxman, interview, October 1996.
9 Max Ticktin, November 1996.
10 Richard Siegel, Michael Strassfeld, and Sharon Strassfeld, The Jewish Catalog (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1973), p. 51.
11 Barbara White, survey, October 30, 1996.
12 Jacob B. Agus, "The Conservative Movement: Reconstructionism," from Neusner, Understanding American Judaism, p. 201.
13 Ibid., p. 199.
14 Ibid., p. 5.
15 Charles S. Liebman, "A Sociological Analysis of Contemporary Orthodoxy," from Neusner, Understanding American Judaism, p. 146.
16 Agus, "The Conservative Movement: Reconstructionism," from Neusner, Understanding American Judaism, p. 201.
17 Max Ticktin, November 1996.
18 Ezrat Na'ashim, "Jewish Women Call for Change," 1972.
19 Martha Ackelsberg, interview, October 1996.
20 Arlene Agus, interview, October 1996.
21 Stuart Schoenfeld, "Ritual and Role Transition: Adult Bat Mitzvah as a Successful Rite of Passage," from Jack Wertheimer, The Uses of Tradition (NY: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1992), p. 372.
22 Rabbi Sherwin Wine, as cited by Susan Schneider, Jewish and Female (NY: Simon and Schuster, 1984), p. 77.
23 Schneider, Jewish and Female, p. 76.
24Gila Gevirtz, as quoted by Ruth Mason, "Adult Bat Mitzvah" Lilith (Fall 1989, v.14 n.4), p.22.
25 I. B. Singer, cited in Marjorie Garber, Vested Interests (NY: Routledge, 1992), p. 77.
26 Rebecca Jacobs, survey, October 28, 1996.
27 Siegel, Strassfeld and Strassfeld, The Jewish Catalog, pp. 51-57.
28 Schneider, Jewish and Female, p. 76.
29 Survey, October/November 1996.
30 April Witt, "Tools of Tradition for High Holy Days," The Tampa Tribune, September 14, 1996.
31 Irene Stern Friedman, survey, October 29, 1996.
32 Pamela Nadell, interview, October 1996.
33 Suzanne Sadowsky, survey, October 29, 1996 .
34 There are three people in the immediate Washington metropolitan area who make tallitot (and more in Baltimore): Shirley Waxman, Reeva Shaffer, and Roz Houseknecht. Waxman sells about 60 tallitot each year, Houseknecht sells about twelve, and Reeva Shaffer sometimes sells as many as 400. Each tallit maker's products are distinct from the others.
Shirley Waxman, of Montgomery County, makes "wearable art." Her tallitot are made of silk dyed a variety of hues. Almost all her tallitot are striped; the stripes are made of pieced silk. Waxman frequently uses Yemenite embroidery for the atarah or on the body of the tallit. Used on the atarah it replaces the traditional words; Waxman likes to use Yemenite embroidery because, as with letters, the patterns are constructed to convey specific meanings. She frequently uses the embroidery to create patterns that are abstract and colorful, and look a great deal like conventional modern art.
Waxman began making tallitot about fifteen years ago. Her first commission was for a man who wanted something comfortable and colorful. A few years later Waxman made the tallit for the first girl in her synagogue - the Conservative congregation of Beth Tikvah - to wear one. Now approximately one quarter of her clients come from Beth Tikvah, and she has made tallitot for members of all three Conservative congregations within Washington, DC. Waxman has seen constant growth in her business: in 1981 she received three commissions; in 1996 she made approximately 60 tallitot. Over these same years all craft Judaica has seen a rise in popularity. Although initially Waxman received commissions from more men than women, she found that most women were more comfortable going to her for a tallit than they were buying one in a Judaica shop.
Roz Houseknecht is a weaver. Like Waxman she incorporates stripes into her designs: some are traditionally horizontal, while others are vertical. Some of her tallitot use both, creating a plaid design. A very few of her tallitot include lace-pattern stripes; these were commissioned by women who were concerned about their tallitot matching their outfits, and liked the idea of their clothes showing through the lace. According to Houseknecht, many women are concerned that their tallitot match their outfits.
Houseknecht made her first tallit twenty-two years ago. She wove the first few for male relatives. Houseknecht's first paying customers were women becoming bat mitzvah, who wanted feminine tallitot. Now, however, she receives more commissions for men than for women.
Reeva Shaffer is a calligrapher who paints atarot by hand. Her tallitot are made of hand-woven silk, with stripes of colored silk pieced on. Shaffer also uses ribbons and trims as decorations. Some of her tallitot are a traditional rectangular shape; others are quite narrow. Although Shaffer has found no differences in the patterns men and women choose she has noticed that women are more likely to choose pastel colors than men.
Shaffer has been making tallitot since 1989. From the start, she received commissions from both men and women. She sells her tallitot all over the country, through conferences and art festivals. She herself began wearing a tallit only after she gave a recent sermon during which she felt it was appropriate to wear one.
Both Waxman and Houseknecht ask their customers to tie the tzitzit themselves. Houseknecht asks the entire family to take part when the tallit is for a bar or bat mitzvah, and each member ties a corner. Waxman says that people are sometimes nervous, as the specifications for tying tzitzit are exact. She takes pictures of the customers tying their tzitzit. This ritual makes the tallit more personal, and the acquisition of a tallit more of an event. .
35 Sara Karon, survey, October 30, 1996.
36 Elisabeth R. Goldstein, "The Women at the Wall", Daughters of Sarah (March/April 1990, v.16 n.2), p. 13.
37 Judith Plaskow, "Im and B'li: Women in the Conservative Movement," Tikkun (January 1995, v.10 n.1), p.55.
38 Witt, The Tampa Tribune, September 14, 1996.
39 Emily Faust Korzenik, "On Being a Rabbi," from Grossman and Haut, Daughters of the King, p. 252.
40 Pamela Nadell, interview, October 1996.
41 Neil Reisner, "Shawl of Fame," Friday Forum: A Supplement to the Jewish Exponent. (June 22, 1973, n.13).
42 Ibid.
43 Barbara Bauman, survey, November 13, 1996.
Bibliography
Print Resources:
Rafael Alvarez. "She Weaves Her Faith Into Her Fabric." The Baltimore Sun, June 21, 1996; page 1B.
Helen Mintz Belitsky. "Tale of the Tallit." Washington Jewish Week, September 26, 1996; page B8.
Rachel Biale. Women and Jewish Law. New York: Schocken Books, 1984.
Rabbi Donald P. Cashman. "On My New New Tallit and its Tzitzit of Techelet" (sermon). B'nai Sholom Reform Congregation, Albany, NY, 1996.
Susan Dworkin. "A Song for Women in Five Questions." Moment, May/June 1975, v.1 n.1, pp. 44-54.
Encyclopedia Judaica, v.15 (Sm-Un). Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House Jerusalem, Ltd., 1978.
Ezrat Na'ashim. "Jewish Women Call for Change." Handout from around 1972.
Marilyn Felt. "The Women's Gallery: Laurie Gross." Lilith, Winter/Spring 1982-3, Issue 10, inside front cover.
Marjorie Gerber. Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing and Cultural Anxiety. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Elisabeth R. Goldstein. "The Women at the Wall." Daughters of Sarah, March/April 1990, v. 16 n.2, pp. 12-15.
Susan Grossman and Rivka Haut. Daughters of the King: Women and the Synagogue. New York: The Jewish Publication Society, 1992.
Steve Gushee. "Equal Rights: Jewish Women Dressing the Part." Palm Beach Post, ?.
Susannah Heschel, ed. On Being a Jewish Feminist. New York: Schocken Books, 1983.
Samson Raphael Hirsch. Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances. Trans. Dayan Dr. I. Grunfeld. London: The Soncino Press, 1962.
Aryeh Kaplan. Tzitzith: A Thread of Light. New York: National Conference of Synagogue Youth, 1984.
Elizabeth Kolton, ed. The Jewish Women: New Perspectives. New York: Schocken Books, 1976.
Lilith Interview. "The Jewry Is Still Out" (interview with Paula Hyman and Arlene Agus), Lilith, Fall/Winter 1983, v.8 n.11, pp. 20-24.
Maimonides. Mishneh Torah: The Laws [Governing] Tefillin, Mezuzah, and Torah Scrolls. Translation and commentary by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger. New York: Moznaim Publishing Corporation, 1990.
Judith Manelis. "A Morning of Firsts." Congress Monthly, December 1976, v. 43 n.10, pp. 14-16.
Ruth Mason. "Adult Bat Mitzvah." Lilith, Fall 1989, v.14 n.4, pp. 21-24.
Janet McCall. "Artist Explores and Restores Women's Image in Judaism." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 4, 1995; page C6.
Rela Geffen Monson. "From Facilitators to Participators." Friday Forum: A Supplement to the Jewish Exponent. June 22, 1973, n.13.
Jacob Neusner, ed. Understanding American Judaism: Toward the Description of a Modern Religion, v.2. New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1975.
Judith Plaskow. "Im and B'li: Women in the Conservative Movement." Tikkun, January 1995, v. 10, no. 1; page 55.
Neil Reisner. "Shawl of Fame." Friday Forum: A Supplement to the Jewish Exponent. June 22, 1973, n.13. (Reprinted from Hadassah Magazine).
Susan Weidman Schneider. Jewish and Female: Choices and Changes in Our Lives Today. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984.
Richard Siegel, Michael Strassfeld, and Sharon Strassfeld. The Jewish Catalog. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1973.
Amy Stone. "Gentlemen's Agreement at the Seminary." Lilith, Spring/Summer 1977, v.1 n.3, pp. 13-18.
Adon Taft. "Jewish Women Coming of Age in Prayer Books." The Bergen Record, January 17, 1986; page B17.
Isaiah Tishby. The Wisdom of the Zohar: An Anthology of Texts. Trans. David Goldstien. New York: Oxford University Press. 1989.
Jack Wertheimer, ed. Conservative Synagogues and Their Members: Highlights of the North American Survey of 1995-96. New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1996.
Jack Wertheimer, ed. The Uses of Tradition: Jewish Continuity in the Modern Era. New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1992.
Marion Wilen. "The Changing Role of Jewish Women." Friday Forum: A Supplement to the Jewish Exponent. June 22, 1973, n.13.
April Witt. "Tools of Tradition for High Holy Days." The Tampa Tribune, September 14, 1996; page 4.
Ellen M. Umansky and Diane Ashton. Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality: A Sourcebook. Boston: Beacon Press. 1992.
Rochelle Saidel Wolk. "The Bitter Letter of the Law." Moment, Jan/Feb 1980, v.5 n.2, pp. 62-64.
Interviews:
Martha Ackelsberg, member of Ezrat Na'ashim, October 1996.
Arlene Agus, member of Ezrat Na'ashim, October 1996.
Susan Fendrick, director of The American University Hillel, October 1996.
Lauren Granite, anthropologist, October 1996.
Laurie Gross, artist, November 1996.
Roz Houseknecht, weaver, November 1996.
Pamela Nadell, writer, October 1996.
Elaine Orner, at Alef Judaica, October 1996.
Rabbi Gerald Serotta, director, George Washington University Hillel, October 1996.
Aliza Schapiro, choreographer, October 1996.
Reeva Shaffer, caligrapher, November 1996.
Aviva Shore, Brown University student, October 1996.
Shirley Waxman, fabric artist, October 1996.
Surveys:
Answers to a survey regarding the wearing of tallitot came from members of the Bridges and Faubrangen listservs (an Internet resource), as well as various others in the Washington area.
Synagogues surveyed for counts of congregants wearing tallitot were Tifereth Israel, Adas Israel, and Fabrangen. The counts were taken over two consecutive Saturdays in November.
Rabbi Max Ticktin of the Jewish Studies Department at George Washington University was also consulted on this project. |
