ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the response of Orthodox, primarily national-religious, feminists to women's exclusion and marginalization by this religious patriarchy, a response which in Albert Hirschman's terms can be characterized as "voice," rather than "exit," because of these women's "loyalty" to the Halacha. Women of the Wall are a group of American and Israeli Jewish women that was formed following the first international conference of Jewish feminists held in Jerusalem in 1988. Litigants in rabbinical courts can be represented by lawyers, male or female, but they can also be represented by special "rabbinical advocates" who are knowledgeable in Halacha and are authorized to appear in these courts only. Kolech is the main Orthodox feminist organization in Israel, numbering a few hundred members and committed to "adherence to Halacha and gender equality". A bold attempt to provide a platform for Orthodox female voices through the medium of fine arts was undertaken in Matronita, the first comprehensive exhibit of religious feminist artists' work.
