Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Women and Their Reproductive Lives
Ultra-Orthodox women are known to adhere to strict societal roles and religious tenets. But according to new research by Michal Raucher, assistant professor of Jewish studies, these women challenge male religious authority when making decisions about their reproductive lives.
Raucher will discuss her findings with Forward journalist Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, whose essays, including a recent piece on Orthodox women and abortion, often analyze the intersection of religious devotion, gender, and individualism. Raucher will draw on her new book Conceiving Agency: Reproductive Authority among Haredi Women, which offers a new view of ultra-Orthodox Israeli women. According to Raucher these women insist on autonomy and control when they make decisions regarding the use of contraceptives, prenatal testing, fetal ultrasounds, and other reproductive practices—even while contending with interference from doctors, rabbis, and the Israeli government.
The event is presented by the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life with support from the Sagner Family Foundation.