Sanctuaries and battlefields: Two worlds of Judaism and two orthodox feminisms

Orthodox Jewish feminism arose in North America during the 1970s. In Israel, Torah study for women grew simultaneously, but more radical changes in the ritual and leadership realms only gained prominence in the twenty-first century. This chronology suggests that regarding Orthodox feminism, the gap between Orthodox life in these centres narrowed. This conclusion, however, only accounts for a certain way that religion manifests itself in Israel. The following highlights women's Israeli army service as a strand of Orthodox Jewish feminism that is unique to the Israeli milieu. Taken together with the more conventional perceptions of expansions in religious roles, the current study indicates the emergence of two divergent forms of Orthodox feminism, albeit with notable overlaps. One has its roots in North America but has since developed a transnational character. The other is unique to the Israeli sovereign Jewish setting.