Limmud Bay Area Festival 2018

Now Hannah was praying in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. (1 Samuel 1:13) Women have continued to pray in distinctive ways throughout Jewish history. The taking of challah, lighting the Shabbat candles, the birth of a child, the death of a soldier-son, marriage, divorce, in prosperity and adversity, these are some of the moments in a woman’s life that call out for prayer. In this session, we will explore a sampling of prayers and devotions written by and for women from medieval times through today and what we know about the women and men who wrote them. Selections will include tkhines written in Yiddish, German poems by Fanny Neuda, prayers from the Italian Jewish and Ladino traditions as well as contemporary Hebrew and English works.