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The Women's Torah

Making Jewish and feminist history while achieving a sort of personal enlightenment may not be the trifecta, but creating the first Torah known to be scribed by women is an exhilarating, breathtaking ride. In the summer of 2003, Kadima commissioned this ground-breaking first women-scribed Torah. We are well on our way to accomplishing this historic work and we cordially invite you to join us in making history.

The Women's Torah Project (WTP) has grown from a gleam in our eye to something bigger than we had ever dreamed. Commissioning the first Torah in history to be scribed by a woman is an audacious task for an organization of any size. For a small community like Kadima, it's one of the most ambitious ventures we've ever undertaken.

Other history-makers have joined us. We are greatly honored to count Rabbi Sally Priesand, the first woman rabbi ordained in the United States, and Cantor Mimi Frishman, one of the first woman cantors, among our project supporters. The Women's Torah Project has connected with makers of future history, too—several youth and study groups have sent tzedakah to the WTP, and many donors have chosen to honor a bar or bat mitzvah youth with a contribution to the project in their name. This is an expensive and ambitious undertaking, and donations are always welcome.

Some people support this work because they want equal-opportunity Judaism. Others hope their daughters and sons will see unlimited possibilities wherever they look, or want the contributions of their great-great-great-great-grandmothers to resonate as strongly as those of their forefathers. Whatever draws supporters to this project, we are profoundly grateful.

Spring Update, 2009

Be Our Facebook Fan

The Women's Torah Project is now on Facebook. Become a fan (“fans” are for Facebook entities, “friends” are for people) and invite your Facebook friends to become fans, too. It's a viral world out there and we want to spread the WTP. And, no, we aren't Tweeting....yet.

Half-way Home and a Fourth Scribe Joins In

When soferet Linda Coppleson wrote in late April that she had finished her fourth panel, it marked the half-way point towards completing the 245 columns of text that comprise a sefer Torah. That is indeed cause for celebration!

The same week, we finalized our agreement with soferet Julie Seltzer and shipped her three panels of parchment. Julie, who lives in New York City, studied with Shoshana Gugenheim and other teachers in Israel and currently studies with Jen Taylor Friedman. Read more about Julie here. And in May, lead scribe Shoshana Gugenheim started back to work after taking several months off to be with her newborn son.

This adds up to four scribes writing on the Women's Torah, including soferet Rachel Reichhardt in Brazil. Julie will scribe full-time and, once school is out in June, Linda will have more writing time, too. We are on the downhill slope towards finishing this historic first sefer Torah commissioned from, created and embellished by an international community of women.

Torah Crowns

Jewelry and metal artist Aimee Golant completed the rimonim she designed for the Women's Torah Project. Aimee used copper, silver, 22k gold and a brown diamond to create these Torah crowns, which are 3 x 10 x 11". Aimee worked with Marsha Plafkin-Hurwitz and Art as Responsa to raise money to help cover the cost of creating these crowns. Read Aimee's artist's statement.

The WTP goes to Australia

The Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne will feature the WTP as part of its upcoming exhibit, "Women in the Bible: Tricksters, Victors & (M)others". The exhibit, guest curated by Rebecca Forgasz, opens September 13, 2009 and runs through February 14, 2010.

Get 'er Done!

Women across the world are writing this Torah together. It is the change we wish to be--a cooperative, international community creating, learning from and embellishing the same Torah that binds Jews together on every continent.

Mail your donation to:
Kadima Women's Torah Project
2366 Eastlake Ave. E, #424
Seattle WA 98102
or make your donation on-line at www.kadima.org or www.womenstorah.com.

Women's Torah Project