B'Not Esh records

B'not Esh was founded in 1981 by a small group of committed Jewish feminists who were involved in various counter-cultural Jewish organizations and who wanted to create a space for Jewish feminists to meet, talk, study, and pray together in a sustained way. Their goal was nothing less than the transformation of Judaism into a tradition that fully incorporates women's history, perspectives, and experiences. With the exception of 1982, the group has met for four days over Memorial Day weekend every year since its founding, at the Grail retreat center in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. Each retreat includes come combination of discussion of cutting edge feminist issues, study, creative expression, and feminist liturgical innovation and experimentation. Among the topics that have received attention over the years are God-language and the nature of God, sexuality and spirituality, politics and spirituality, embodiment, class, gender, race, group dynamics and family systems, Israel, competition, power, and internalized oppression. Attention to group process has emerged as a serious part of the agenda, and so have issues around cost-sharing—a commitment of the group. There is no formal structure to the group outside the weekend, but participation in B'not Esh has had a profound impact on the work of many members as they have both shared new projects within the group and incorporated insights gained through the group into their work and their Jewish lives. There are roughly thirty people in the collective at any given time (people have left and come in over the years), twenty-four of whom can fit in the space any given weekend. All members are committed Jewish feminists, knowledgeable about Judaism and feminism. Despite shifts in membership, the group has maintained a commitment to meet every year as a community. Members have included rabbis, graduate students, professors, social workers, psychologists, musicians, writers, and community activists. Over the years, the percentage of rabbis in the group has increased.