How can Judaism stay current with people’s lives today?
Schwarz: To the extent that we can retrieve the wisdom of our tradition, we need to make that wisdom apply to our lives today. I think it is essential to adapt Judaism’s existing rituals to give people meaning. This is one of Moving Traditions’ leading contributions: it uses an understanding of gender to make Jewish wisdom relevant to people’s lives. Why should gender be a focus for Jewish organizations in America? Schwarz: Moving Traditions is one of the few Jewish organizations that recognize gender as an important category, is aware of the problems with gender in Judaism, and works toward solutions. Gender roles today, whether for men or women, boys or girls, are too constricting. Judaism’s weight and authority can help the conversation about gender to be taken seriously. At the same time, Judaism, precisely because it has evolved from a patriarchal culture, needs to speak to the issue of gender. When did you first become interested in gender as a topic for activism? Schwarz: For me
