organization profile

The Fania Gottesfeld Heller Center for the Study of Women in Judaism is an interdisciplinary research institute, within the Faculty of Jewish Studies at Bar-Ilan University. , Including Jewish history, presented male history, "his story" (history = his story), and it was time to focus on "her story", her story (or hi-story). .

In order to highlight the dramatic changes that have taken place in the status of women in contemporary society, the center is interested in female Jewish identity in the context of classical Jewish sources such as the Bible and the Talmud, as well as the place of women in Jewish history, Hebrew culture and literature.

The center encourages interdisciplinary research in these fields and annually awards scholarships to outstanding students engaged in these fields and initiates and participates in conferences dealing with issues related to the identity and status of the Jewish woman.

As part of its activities, the center strives to make a significant contribution to the development of public consciousness in relation to the place of women in Judaism, both past and present.

The center was established in 1998 by Ms. Fania Gottesfeld Heller of New York, a Holocaust survivor philanthropist, author, educator, lecturer and leader in attempts to create a strong Jewish identity.