Not only are Mizrahi Jews simply not Arabs, but they are also, in fact, the embodiment of resistance to colonization. They shine as a beacon of light across the Middle East and North Africa to all oppressed and disenfranchised indigenous peoples.
Telling the forgotten story of Osnat Barzani, the first female rabbi who lived 400 years ago, is a win for Mizrahi representation
Advertisement
This essay originally appeared on Kveller.
A week ago, I was sitting in bed working on the questions for my interview with Sigal Samuel about “Osnat and her Dove.” Samuel’s new illustrated children’s book is about the first female rabbi in history, Osnat Barzani, also known as Asnat or Asenath Barzani. I had never heard of Barzani, having always been told that German Jew Regina Jonas, who was ordained in the early 20th century, was the first woman rabbi.
A week ago, I was sitting in bed working on the questions for my interview with Sigal Samuel about Osnat and her Dove. Samuel’s new illustrated children’s book is about the first female rabbi in history, Osnat Barzani, also known as Asnat or Asenath Barzani. I had never heard of Barzani before, having always been told […]