ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the very beginning of the #MeToo movement and my difficulty in saying these words because of the status of the person who assaulted me and the interconnectivity of Jewish academia and an insular community. I share my thought process, a pivotal conversation, and what occurred when I finally spoke truth to power. This chapter also discusses clergy abuse of adult Jewish women in a historical context and how Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism institutions and communities responded. It explores abuse of female clergy by other clergy and by congregants. The fetishization of Jewish women of color and how race impacts their experiences are critically important intersectional dimensions of #MeToo. I describe the relationship between gender inequity, power disparity, sexual misconduct, and abuse of power. Well-known perpetrators include sociologist Steven M. Cohen, mega philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, and journalist Ari Shavit.
