Vanessa L. Ochs

Vanessa L. Ochs (born November 2, 1953) is an American scholar of religion at the University of Virginia, an ordained rabbi and an important figure in the fields of Jewish feminism and Jewish ritual. She is a member of the Jewish Studies Program at the University, where she teaches courses in Judaism, the anthropology of religion, and spiritual writing.[1][2][3]

Ochs' writing was recognized by a Creative Writing Fellowship through the National Endowment for the Arts[4] and she is the winner of a National Jewish Book Award in the category Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice for Inventing Jewish Rituals.[5][6]

Career and thought

Vanessa L. Ochs was born in Rochester, New York, November 2, 1953.[7] She received her B.A. in Drama and French from Tufts University (1974), M.F.A. in Theater from Sarah Lawrence College (1977),[8] and Ph.D. in Anthropology of Religion from Drew University (2000).[9] In 2012, she was ordained as a rabbi.

While working as a professional writer, Ochs began her academic career at Colgate University (1980–86) before taking various positions in writing at Yale University, Hebrew University, and Drew University (1990–97).[10] She was a senior fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL) in New York City (1995-2001).[11] Ochs was a founding member of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Virginia and its first Ida and Nathan Kolodiz Director (2001-2006).[12]

Ochs's research in the study of religion has focused on Jewish feminism, material culture, and Jewish ritual.[13] An ongoing interest in the subfield of material culture is the question of what makes a home ‘Jewish.’[14] Her work on ritual has explored how recent innovations in Jewish practice have both expanded to more fully incorporate the experience of women.[15] This research, along with others, testifies to the continued importance of ritual in the lives of modern Jews, exemplified in the ways religious practices have adapted to modern conditions while referencing ancient practice,[16] sometimes creating rituals marking specifically woman-centered events (e.g., menstruation, divorce, menopause).[17]

Her writing has been featured in The New York Times,[18][19] Huffington Post,[20][21] The Washington Post,[22] Haaretz,[23][24] Tablet Magazine,[25][26] The Jewish Review of Books,[27] The Forward,[28] Tikkun,[29] among others, and was a regular consultant for Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.[30] She is a writer and contributing editor for Sh’ma Journal,[31] a guest editor for Nashim,[32] and has served on the editorial board of AJS Perspectives,[33] among others.[34]

Through her analyses of feminist ritual, Ochs has contributed to the movement in Jewish thought of transforming modern ways of knowing, or epistemologies, through a sensitivity to gendered lenses;[35] feminist critique thereby seeks to contribute not only deeper understandings of texts and practices, but to also open a space for reconsidering the normative implications of those texts and practices on the contemporary scene.[36]

Major works
  • Inventing Jewish Rituals (2007),[37] winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Contemporary Jewish Life & Practice,[38] is an ethnographic work with a sustained focus on the themes of innovative ritual practice among American Jews (e.g., naming ceremonies for baby girls, Rosh Chodesh groups, women's seders, healing services).[39] The book was an inspiration for the Reinventing Ritual exhibit at The Jewish Museum in New York City.[40]
  • Sarah Laughed: Modern Lessons from the Wisdom and Stories of Biblical Women (2004 [1st ed.],[41] 2011 [2nd ed.][42]) offers gendered readings of biblical texts and new accounts of biblical women.[43]
  • Words on Fire: One Woman’s Journey into the Sacred (1990),[44] one of the first ethnographic study of feminism in Orthodox Judaism,[45] is an account of Ochs's stay in Jerusalem learning Torah and Talmud from women.[46] She details the continued difficulties women face when trying to continue Jewish learning at advanced levels in the Orthodox world.[47]

She was commissioned by Princeton University Press's “Lives of Great Religious Books” series to contribute a book on The Passover Haggadah, which she has worked on as a fellow with the Virginia Seminar in Lived Theology.[48]

Two other books by Ochs are practically oriented: Safe and Sound: Protecting Your Child in an Unpredictable World (1995),[49] deals with the phenomenon of parental over-protection,[50] and The Jewish Dream Book (2003),[51] written with her daughter Elizabeth, applies lessons from Jewish mysticism to dream interpretation.[52]

In “Jewish Sensibilities” (2003),[53] drawing upon the thought of Max Kadushin and Yitz Greenberg, Ochs introduces a framework of Jewish sensibilities—‘Making Distinctions’ (Havdalah),[54] for instance—that characterizes particularly Jewish ways of thinking about what it means to be human. She argues that Jews tend to draw upon these sensibilities in their daily lives, even if they do not practice any of the ritual aspects of Judaism.[55] The notion has been used to understand contemporary Judaism[56] and the future of the community,[57] as well as having been incorporated in various educational programs, both youth[58] and adult.[59]

Women of the Wall

Ochs has been a major figure in the Women of the Wall (WoW) movement, a movement in Israel to allow women full access to the Western Wall, for almost thirty years.[60] She was one of the directors of the International Committee for Women of the Wall before joining the Original Women of the Wall (OWOW) in protest of compromises made by WoW, agreeing to an off-site location for women's prayer.[61] OWOW has insisted on authorities allowing women to use the tallit (the prayer shawl) and thetefillin (prayer straps) at the Western Wall itself, not an alternate site, as integral to its mission.[22]

Personal

Ochs is the daughter of artist Barbara Grandis (1932— ) and pediatrician Bernard A. Yablin (1928 - 2016).[62] She is married to Jewish philosopher and theologian Peter Ochs.[63] They are the parents of two daughters,[64] Juliana Ochs Dweck, chief curator at the Princeton University Art Museum,[65] and Elizabeth Ochs, an educator and co-author of The Jewish Dream Book with Ochs.[66]

References
  1. "| Department of Religious Studies". Religiousstudies.as.virginia.edu. 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  2. Archived 2015-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Keller, Catherine. “Shades of Theology: A Response to Rabbi Artson.” Conservative Judaism 62/1 (2010): 53.
  4. "Vanessa Ochs | NEA". Arts.gov. 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  5. "NJBA Winners". Jewishbookcouncil.org. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  6. "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  7. "Ochs, Vanessa 1953–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  8. “Vanessa Ochs.” Contemporary Authors Online (Gale, 2008)
  9. Ochs, Vanessa L. Miriam’s Object Lesson: A Study of Objects Emerging in the New Ritual of Jewish Women (Diss. Drew University, 2000).
  10. Ochs, Vanessa L (2010). "Vanessa Ochs · CV". AJS Review. 34 (2): 452–454. doi:10.1017/S0364009410000620. S2CID 161793442. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  11. "Ochs, Vanessa 1953– - Dictionary definition of Ochs, Vanessa 1953". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  13. Hazard, Sonia. “The Material Turn in the Study of Religion.” Religion and Society 4/1 (2013): 59.
  14. Moskow, Michal Anne. “Possessions as Indicators of Culture Retention and Change among a High Status Group, American Jewish Women.” Anthropos (2003): 104.
  15. Siegel, Sharon R. “Jewish Welcoming Ceremonies for Newborn Girls: The Modern Development of a Feminist Ritual.” Modern Judaism (2012): 338-39.
  16. Gasztold, Brygida. “Crossing the Virtual Partition: Changing Jewish Rituals in Women’s Narratives.” Romanica Silesiana 9 (2014): 117.
  17. Glanzberg‐Krainin, Deborah, and Laura Levitt. “Feminist Theory and Jewish Studies.” Religion Compass 3/2 (2009): 245.
  18. Mark Oppenheimer (2011-09-30). "For Jews, Breaking the Fast After Yom Kippur Gets a Makeover". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  19. Vanessa L. Ochs (1987-06-07). "Connecticut Opinion - Illusions Inspired By A First House". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  20. Ochs, Vanessa L. (3 February 2016). "Abrahamic Feminisms". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  21. Dr. Vanessa L. Ochs (2016-12-07). "Women Are Denied the Right to Read From a Torah Scroll at the Western Wall". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  22. Ochs, Vanessa L. (2016-02-05). "Why we will not negotiate our rights to pray at the Western Wall (COMMENTARY)". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  23. Malkayesterday, Elad (2008-01-22). "Create-as-you-go rituals abound in the U.S. - Haaretz - Israel News". Haaretz. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  24. Malkayesterday, Elad (2016-02-07). "At Western Wall, one woman's victory is another's defeat - Israel News". Haaretz. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  25. "Ritual du Jour - Tablet Magazine – Jewish News and Politics, Jewish Arts and Culture, Jewish Life and Religion". Tabletmag.com. 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  26. "On the Bookshelf - Tablet Magazine – Jewish News and Politics, Jewish Arts and Culture, Jewish Life and Religion". Tabletmag.com. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  27. Penslar, Derek J. (2013-08-11). "Passover on the Potomac". Jewish Review of Books. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  28. Vanessa OchsMay 19, 2017 (2017-05-19). "Vanessa Ochs – The Forward". Forward.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  30. "Looking Back: Rituals | February 24, 2017 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly". PBS. 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  31. Archived 2017-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  32. "Nashim Journal | Publications | The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute | Brandeis University". Brandeis.edu. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  33. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2017-06-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. "CrossCurrents - Editorial Board - Wiley Online Library". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  35. Berman, Lila Corwin. “Paula Hyman and the Engendering of Modern Jewish History: A Defining Scholarly Life.” Jewish Quarterly Review 103/1 (2013): 124.
  36. Greniman, Deborah. “Israeli Feminism: The Impact of Women’s and Gender Studies on Jewish Studies.” Tikkun (Sept. 1999): 60.
  37. Vanessa L. Ochs (2008-07-01). "Inventing Jewish Ritual | The Jewish Publication Society". Jps.org. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  38. "NJBA Winners". Jewishbookcouncil.org. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  39. “Inventing Jewish Ritual: New American Traditions.” Publishers Weekly 254/17 (2007): 48.
  40. Dan Friedman (2009-09-02). "Ritual By (Re) Design – The Forward". Forward.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  42. Vanessa L. Ochs. "Sarah Laughed | The Jewish Publication Society". Jps.org. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  43. Drucker, Johanna. “Resident Artist (Guest): Testament Of Women.” Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Womenss Studies & Gender Issues 15/1 (2008): 202.
  44. Vanessa L Ochs (1991). Words on fire : one woman's journey into the sacred. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. OCLC 301965232.
  45. Laura Levitt, and Miriam Peskowitz. “Feminism” in Oxford Bibliographies in Jewish Studies.
  47. Brightman, Robert, et al. “Magical Landscapes and Moral Orders: New Readings in Religion and Ecology” Religious Studies Review 21/2 (1995): 83
  48. Vanessa Ochs. "Vanessa Ochs - The Project on Lived TheologyThe Project on Lived Theology". Livedtheology.org. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  49. "Safe and Sound by Vanessa L. Ochs". PenguinRandomHouse.com. 1995-08-01. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  50. Carpenter, Kathryn. “Safe and Sound: Protecting Your Child in an Unpredictable World.” Booklist (Aug. 1995): 1919.
  51. "The Jewish Dream Book: The Key to Opening the Inner Meaning of Your Dreams". Jewishlights.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  52. “The Jewish Dream Book: The Key to Opening the Inner Meaning of Your Dreams.” Publishers Weekly (2003): 58.
  53. Ochs, Vanessa. “Ten Jewish Sensibilities.” Sh’ma 34/606 (2003): 1-3. shma.com/2003/12/ten-jewish-sensibilities/.
  54. "Dangerous Distinctions – The Forward". Forward.com. 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  55. "Dr. Vanessa Ochs". The Modern Rabbi. 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  56. Claussen, Geoffrey (2014). "Introducing Jewish Studies through Jewish Thought and Practice". Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. 32 (4): 64. doi:10.1353/sho.2014.0038. S2CID 143576930.
  57. "Episode 37: Jewish Sensibilities - Jonathan Woocher and Lee Moore — Judaism Unbound". Judaismunbound.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  58. "Jewish Sensibilities". Hillel.org. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  59. Archived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
  60. Goktepe, Katherine. “Women of the Wall: An Interview with Vanessa Ochs” Iris: A Journal About Women (2003): 16-20.
  61. Archived 2017-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
  63. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2017-06-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  64. Rubin, Lois. “’We Have Deeper Selves to Write From’: Motherhood and Writing.” Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement 4/2 (2002): 32.
  65. "Staff Biography | Princeton University Art Museum". Artmuseum.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  66. Ochs, Elizabeth. "The Jewish Dream Book | Book Reviews | Books | Spirituality & Practice". Spiritualityandpractice.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
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