A Message From Our Editor
Written by Penina Taylor
Mazal tov! It’s a…magazine! I have to admit that birthing this baby from conception to life has been hard work, but it’s also been a labor of love. And I certainly couldn’t have done it alone. I have the most amazing team working with me, and there’s so much to say, but that’s for another letter.
Recently the media has taken to creating shows that portray Orthodox Judaism in the most unflattering, extreme, and oppressive light. There has been a backlash within our community, especially on social media, making a big deal about proving to the world that we can’t all be painted with the same broad brushstroke – that many of us (especially women) are not oppressed, we are fulfilled and happy, and the world has got it wrong.
Many people might mistakenly think that UNORTHOBOXED is part of that response. That we are here to show the world…something. But UNORTHOBOXED isn’t about the rest of the world. It’s about us. It’s not designed to show the outside world how advanced and free and liberated Orthodox Jewish women are. It’s not an answer to the question of how “modern” we can be while still adhering to the tenets of our faith. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This magazine isn’t for the rest of the world. It’s for Jewish women. It’s for those of us who recognize that while we are spiritual beings, we are also very much physical beings who get pleasure from and enjoy many of the same things our non-Jewish sisters enjoy, only we do it within the boundaries of halacha.
Unfortunately, it’s not only the outside world that wants to put us in a box. Within the Jewish community, we do it too. Every group has decided what the definition of “Orthodox” is and they’ve created a box. But not just any box, it is a lead box, hermetically sealed, and so impenetrable that even Superman couldn’t see within it. And this box is so small that each group’s own definition of what it means to be Orthodox excludes the vast majority of us. So, finding themselves outside that box, many observant women (and men), instead of simply choosing to express themselves by a more liberal definition while still being observant, have decided that there is no box for them. Since there is no box for them and the community can’t accept anyone who doesn’t fit inside the box, they might as well not be observant at all. And as the aphorism says, they throw the baby out with the bathwater, and not only leave Orthodoxy,
they spend a tremendous amount of energy railing against it.
The point is that modern Jewish Orthodox women can’t be put in a box. Orthodox women today are educated, and literate, and we have thoughts and opinions and a desire to know what’s going on in the world, and to be actively involved in it. We are spiritual but also physical.
UNORTHOBOXED is here to say, we see you, we hear you, we are here to nourish you. We are not going to define you or create a box for you to fit in.
What that means in practicality is that UNORTHOBOXED will frequently have articles that some of us may not agree with, and that’s OK. Because whether or not we agree, we must be open to consider that there are others with different opinions, and they matter. As much as possible, we are not going to silence voices that don’t agree with ours, and we are not going to define what “Orthodox” is. It also means that we are willing to discuss things that the world is discussing and our children are going to ask us about. We need to have an intelligent answer, but it starts by having the conversation.
I’ve been asked so many times if we are going to show pictures of women. It makes me incredibly sad that this is even a question. Women’s faces are not inherently indecent, God made men and women and not only put both on the planet, but gave both faces. Yes, we will show women’s faces, and bodies, too. Because our daughters need role models, not just models, and so do we.
Here’s to a new year of health, joy, and no more boxes.
