Women’s Rosh Chodesh Gatherings
Rosh Chodesh—the beginning of a new month in the Jewish calendar—is considered a minor holiday, and traditionally holds special significance for women. While not as widely observed as other Jewish festivals, its association with women is rooted in midrashic and halachic sources and continues to inspire various customs and spiritual practices today.
According to Jewish tradition, when the Israelites sinned with the Golden Calf, the women refused to contribute their jewelry for the idol. As a reward, God granted them Rosh Chodesh as a special time of spiritual merit. This idea appears in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer and other rabbinic sources. The holiday became linked with women’s cycles, renewal, and inner strength, reflecting the lunar calendar’s symbolism of rebirth and hidden growth—qualities traditionally associated with femininity in Jewish thought.
Alison Tranbarger Epstein started this program in memory of her late mother, Virginia Rives Tranbarger..
Each month a speaker was chosen to address women in Ashkelon. It was a way for women to learn and to socialize with each other.
The program will run until after the Yamim Noraim of 2025.
Past speakers:
Rabbanit Anne Gordon
Rabbanit Sarah Sharman Moser
Judy Snowbell Diamond
Catriella Freedman
Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll
Dr. Lisa Fredman
Alison “Elisheva” Epstein
Lisa “Elisheva” Rabinowitz
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