Growing from the motto “Austin Born, Torah Raised,” Congregation Agudas Achim is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the city, founded more than 100 years ago. To fulfill the 613th mitzvah, or commandment, members of the synagogue joined together to contribute to the new Torah, which will have a dedication ceremony this weekend. Each individual wrote a letter to be included in the scroll, and now the community excitedly awaits the celebration and creation of the new Torah. All are welcome to this event—Jewish and non-Jewish—in the spirit of solidarity.
To celebrate milestone of equality and inclusion, the synagogue welcomed soferet, or woman scribe, Jen Taylor Friedman to write the Torah with the Austin Jewish community. No more than 10 women in the world are trained for this feat, and this will mark the first full Torah written in Texas by a woman.
But Friedman doesn’t consider the “firsts” important. “History is really good at not recording what women do,” she says. “So for me, what it’s about is being part of a community that’s proud and out about what they’re doing. The difference nowadays is that we can be a part of communities that are accepting women as part of the leadership, and also the flip side is that you can reach other women. You can show other people that you can do this too.”
Friedman, a scribe, educator, and scholar, has made other major milestones for the female Jewish population. She is credited with five Torah scrolls and created the Tefillin Barbie, a Mattel doll dressed in the Jewish fringed garment called a Tallit, accompanied by traditional scrolls. The Barbie generated a wide and ranging response. When asked about the reaction to Tefillin Barbie, Friedman explained the historical tension that has resulted in mixed emotion.
“Any piece of art is going to have some negative reaction— otherwise it’s not good art,” she explains. “Some people are troubled by the idea of combining this very serious religious feminism—the idea that men’s ritual practice should be open to women. Avoiding Barbie is this quintessential feminist thing. There are some people who are disturbed by pushing those two things together: the antifeminism of Barbie and the feminism of women having access to traditionally male ritual items.”
The Torah Dedication is part of a weekend-long celebration starting Feb. 9. All events are free to the public, with featured fundraisers benefiting the 10,000 Faces of Torah campaign. This endowment fund will allow Congregation Agudas Achim to continue prospering in Austin. On Sunday, there will be a children’s concert at 9 a.m. prior to the dedication. Other highlights include an evening of entertainment with Lisa Loeb and a panel discussion with four prominent women in Judaism, titled Jewish Wit, Jewish Wisdom, Jewish Women. The Jewish a cappella group, The Maccabeats, will also be performing.