Sharon Cohen Research Paper

Feminists in the Jewish community have been making the religion more gender inclusive. Judaism was once a male focused religion that did not offer equal opportunity to women. Since the early 1970’s, Jewish feminists have advocated for gender equality and reform to the sexism present in the religion (Hyman). Sharon Cohen was born in the midst of this gender revolution. She was born in Miami, Florida in 1969. Cohen eventually became a Jewish Rabbi and has been a leader in many Jewish communities. Her life has pushed the boundaries of societal gender norms both in Judaism and outside the realm of religion. Rabbi Sharon Cohen uses anecdotal evidence that establishes credible ethos to strengthen the argument that she is a progressive feminist who

Feminism is the belief that everyone is equal regardless of gender. It does not fight for the superiority of women, but rather the equality of all. With her many titles: rabbi, chaplain, educator, VA worker, etc. it is clear that Cohen is a female leader in not only the Jewish world, but in every aspect of her community. Her point that she is an influential feminist is clearly seen when Cohen recalls her experiences as a child. At that point in Jewish culture, feminism within the religion was just beginning to rise and gender equality was unusual. She recalls that time, ”…we grew up--and that point, um, women did not have equal access to things...women were not rabbis…” (Cohen 11 00:15:15). Here Cohen shows her experiences of women being given unequal opportunities to prove to the audience that she worked to get to where she is today. She is creating a picture of

It is common for Americans to get married and begin families in their 20’s and 30’s. Many people will often disapprove of females who wait to have families until later in their lives. But, Rabbi Cohen pushed the limits of societal norms by having children late in her life. She did not feel the need to fall down to invalid social constructs of what a woman should be and what a family should look like. She did what was right for her. She tells her story of having a child and facing society, “…to have a child at…forty-four and forty-six, um is, is a—beyond a gift, in my mind…people tend to look at that and say, ‘Well, we want a younger parent because we don’t want an older parent,” (Cohen 44 01:23:17). She proves that her feminism is not contained just to her Judaism, but also to other aspects of her life. She shows that women should not be seen just as carriers of children, but as decision-making people. The story proves that she has experience in being a feminist who pushes the boundaries of gender standards in more than just one aspect. Not only is she advocating against women gender norms, but she is living her life against women gender norms. This is shows that she has expertise in being a feminist in many areas of her life. She is someone who can fight for gender equality in profession, but also in family life. Her character and