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Shalom Hartman Institute marked International Women’s Day, March 16, 2008, with a mid-morning session of textual study by female staffers.

 

The initiative for the event came from a staff member who had said she wanted to learn more about the texts she prepares for scholars and visiting students. The encouragement for a session of interactive learning was overwhelming and the session was planned with support of Hartman Institute CEO Hana Gilat.

 

Avital Hochstein , a Hartman Institute scholar and a key staff member at the Institute’s Midrashiya middle school for girls, opened the study session with a survey of the Mishanic and Talmudic eras, and explained the structure of the canonic texts.

 

Moving away from the technical, the staff then learned Mishnaic passages in havruta style before returning to a group discussion. The group then explored different aspects of "conflict and debate" in the sources, and concluded that the Jewish tradition makes room for disagreement.

 

The staff was enriched and enlightened by the study session, which, in the words of one of the participants, "left a taste for more."