Reimagining my Rebbetzin Role with Avital Chizhik-Goldshmidt

In this powerful finale to our "Finding Myself in Torah" series, we sit down with Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt — journalist, Rebbetzin, and one of the most honest voices in contemporary Jewish discourse.

Avital takes us on her journey from feeling overwhelmed by serious Torah learning to becoming a woman who uses her platform to advocate for deeper spiritual engagement for Orthodox women. As both a community leader and community critic, she offers a unique perspective on the gaps between women's intellectual capacity and the limited spiritual offerings they often receive. We explore how she evolved from someone who advocated women’s engagement and influence in the frum community, to a community leader herself who lives the model of female Torah leadership she wrote about for so long. We dive into her insights on materialism in Orthodox communities and how lifestyle influence has overshadowed women's engagement with Torah.

This candid and refreshing conversation is an invitation to reimagine our relationship with Torah and the role Rebbetzins play in shaping their communities through Torah learning.

Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt is a journalist, Rebbetzin at Altneu Synagogue, and former features editor at the Forward. Her writing on Orthodox life has appeared in the New York Times, Tablet, and other publications. She lives in New York with her husband, Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt, and their children.

This concludes our "Finding Myself in Torah" series. Thank you for joining us on this journey of discovery, learning, and growth.

https://traditiononline.org/materialism-and-the-rise-of-modern-orthodoxy/

https://forward.com/life/437687/haredi-women-talmud/

https://www.instagram.com/avitalrachel/?hl=en

https://x.com/avitalrachel?lang=en