Women’s Initiative for Jewish Studies (WIJS) at Young Israel of New Rochelle is proud to present Dr. Michal Raucher on Tuesday, December 7 at 8 p.m. (ET) on Zoom. Raucher will be the third speaker of the 2021-2022 season in the monthly scholarly programming offered by WIJS at YINR.

Raucher will speak on the topic “Books and Babies: Reproductive Literacy Among Haredi Women in Israel,” a topic she researched as a Fulbright Fellow and on which she based her first book, “Conceiving Agency: Reproductive Authority Among Haredi Women.” In her talk, she will look at pregnancy advice books read by Haredi women and consider how they use these books to cultivate their authority over reproduction.

Raucher is an assistant professor of Jewish studies at Rutgers University. She earned her PhD in religious studies from Northwestern University, has a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in bioethics, and graduated from the Joint Program with The Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Hebrew Bible and a bachelor’s in religion. Her extensive research lies at the intersection of Israel studies, the anthropology of women in Judaism, and religious authority. Raucher has published many articles, has consulted for and serves on the board of several organizations related to her field of study, and is currently working on a second book.

All WIJS programming is open to women and men. Please visit www.yinr.org/wijs  to view the complete WIJS 2021-22 schedule. For more information, to be added to the WIJS email list, or for Zoom information, please call 914-636-2215 or email: [email protected]. Individuals on the WIJS mailing list will automatically receive the Zoom information.

By Tamar Croog