by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

January 22, 2008

In 1971, when Arlene Agus began to conduct intense research that focused on the role of women in Judaism, she was searching for rites and ceremonies that would speak from the perspective of traditional Judaism and the budding feminist movement.

“I wanted to find something that would legitimize the status of women in Judaism, and it was as if God reached out and put Rosh Hodesh on my desk,” she said recently. “The holiday was about inclusion without revolution. But any significant observance of Rosh Hodesh was almost nonexistent. It had been lost.”

Rosh Hodesh, or “head of the month,” celebrates the beginning of each month in the Jewish calendar and is traditionally marked by blessings and special Torah readings. Largely due to Agus’ efforts, it has also become a celebration of women and femininity.

Agus, who is on the faculty of the Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning and teaches at Temple Emanuel in New York City, discussed the festival on Jan. 7 with an audience from the Red Bank chapter of Hadassah. The event was sponsored by the chapter and took place at Congregation B’nai Israel in Rumson.

While growing up in an Orthodox home that was filled with rich Jewish traditions, Agus, who resides in New York City, concluded that most Jewish values were not gender-specific.

“I wanted to find proof that Judaism offered more that hadn’t yet become clear to us,” Agus told NJ Jewish News after her appearance. “I was convinced that there was evidence of this that could be found within Jewish text. I always believed that when God created the world, it was intended that women assume an important role in spreading Jewish mandates. And I didn’t think it was improper for women to ask for the responsibility that they want in exchange for being obligated to Jewish laws and rituals.”

By 1971, Agus was an educator and a founder of Ezrat Nashim, the first American-Jewish feminist organization in the United States. In poring through historical Jewish text, she discovered a variety of references to Rosh Hodesh.

Among these was a midrash, or homily, that teaches that each Rosh Hodesh was meant to represent one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Because of the sin of the golden calf, however, the holiday was taken away from the men and given to the women as a reward for their refusal to give up their gold or participate in the construction of the idol, Agus said.

In 1973, she published an article about the holiday and its connection to women and designed a Rosh Hodesh ceremony that acknowledged its importance in the lives of Jewish women.

Throughout the next 10 years, said Agus, women’s Rosh Hodesh celebrations would spread around the world. Young women began scheduling their bat mitzva ceremonies to coincide with the holiday, and women gathered to celebrate the new month and explore spirituality, religious education, ritual, health issues, music, chanting, and art.

As the decade passed, Agus prepared another research project that would determine why the once forgotten festival had risen in stature and importance.

“By the 1980s, the Jewish feminists determined that in many instances, Jewish women were still not achieving lead roles within their religion,” Agus said. “For example, female rabbis had been ordained but were often unable to achieve senior status on the pulpit. But there had been progress. There were new genres of Bible study, and some women rabbis became educators and participated in chaplaincy programs. They were moving in many new directions.”

As recognition of Rosh Hodesh grew, the holiday became a platform for cross-denominational cooperation and encouraged bonding among Jewish women, Agus said.

“The great power of Rosh Hodesh is that it really predates feminism,” she said. “It is so anchored in Judaism, and it stands fast. It’s referenced in the Talmud, so the holiday can’t be dismissed and it can’t be called arbitrary.”