‘Word-by-Word: A Jewish Women’s Writing Circle’ from Sefaria welcomes 20 inaugural cohort members.

(Courtesy of Sefaria) Sefaria, the nonprofit organization that digitizes and freely shares Jewish texts in Hebrew and in translation, has announced the launch of “Word-by-Word: A Jewish Women’s Writing Circle,” a new cohort program designed to increase and elevate Jewish scholarly publications authored by women. The 20 cohort members, who are all engaged in serious Torah scholarship, will receive writing support and guidance to complete books on Jewish texts that will contribute significantly to any Jewish library.

The program is led by Sara Wolkenfeld, chief learning officer at Sefaria and a member of Class Six of the Wexner Field Fellowship, and Dr. Erica Brown, vice provost for values and leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership.

“It has always been a dream of mine to create a sisterhood of female writers who value Jewish texts and their teaching at the center of their lives. With Word-by-Word, we’ve realized that dream. We hope that each book expands the platform of Torah influence for each woman in this cohort,” said Brown. “Women Torah scholars are now entering the next serious phase of contribution when they occupy more shelf space.”

Word-by-Word cohort members receive a three-year stipend to develop their talents through skill-based workshops, professional coaching, peer mentoring, an annual retreat and networking opportunities with publishers and experienced authors. Book projects can range from commentaries on the Bible, Talmud or related rabbinic literature to mysticism and other text-based inquiries. The program is funded by Micah Philanthropies, Walder Foundation and the Arev Fund.

“Beyond the support provided, we will create a close-knit community of skilled, deeply knowledgeable writers who can grow together,” added Wolkenfeld. “This community will receive the support it warrants and deserves for a rich future of Jewish teaching and learning.”

Sefaria is one of the most widely used tools for Jewish learning in the world, with reach and expertise that cohort members will access. Throughout the program, participants will refine their book proposals with the intended outcome of at least 15 books ready for publication from the cohort.

Sefaria is excited to welcome each Word-by-Word scholar. Below are some of the awardees:

Rabba Wendy Amsellem teaches at Yeshivat Maharat and directs the Beit Midrash Program, a joint project of Maharat and YCT. She received semikha from Maharat and is an alumna of the Drisha Scholars Circle and Harvard University. She is working on a book about trajectories of transformation in Tanakh, provisionally titled “Stories of Transformation in the Bible.”

Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz is the Tanakh department chair at SAR High School in Riverdale, New York and the founding director of Makom B’Siach, an immersive adult education program at SAR. Her book, “Vayikra: A New Guide for Parents and Children,” will offer adults and children access to the deep treasures in Vayikra by integrating Midrash as a catalyst for interpretive thinking, creativity and personal meaning-making.

Nechama Price is the director of Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud and Tanach Studies for Women, a senior lecturer of Bible and Jewish Law at Stern College, and a Yoetzet Halacha in several communities in New Jersey. Her first book, “Tribal Blueprints,” analyzes the lives and personalities of the twelve tribes. Her forthcoming book, “Villains of the Torah,” will analyze the duality of the villainous characters of the Torah.

Rabbanit Leah Sarna is a member of the faculty and the director of teen programs at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. Trained at Migdal Oz, Yale University and Yeshivat Maharat, she is an award-winning educator who has taught Torah in Orthodox synagogues and Jewish communal settings around the world. Her book project, “Begetting and Beginning: A Jewish Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and the First Months of Parenthood,” aims to be the go-to resource for Jewishly observant expecting parents.

Dr. Rachel Scheinerman is the editor of My Jewish Learning and the creator of A Daily Dose of Talmud: Daf Yomi for Everyone. She holds a PhD in Ancient Judaism from Yale University. Her book project, “The Accidental Origins of the Seder,” will offer an accessible, scholarly introduction to the rabbis and a new and deeper understanding of Passover.

Ariella Zirkind is a proud rebbetzin of the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx, a Yeshiva University Stern College graduate with a degree in Judaics, and a certified kallah teacher. Her book, “Choosing Niddah,” will present a hashkafic analysis of niddah through primary sources, hoping to close the gap between meticulous halachic observance and inspired Jewish living.

Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower is senior scholar and mashgicha ruchanit at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School. She has taught Talmud and Halakhah for 30 years and was a graduate of the first cohort of Drisha Institute’s Scholars Circle. Her book examines five Talmudic sugyot in which women are the focal point, engaging with them from a biographical perspective.