In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Chava Green—an emerging scholar who wrote her doctoral dissertation on “the Hasidic face of feminism”—about how the Lubavitcher Rebbe infused American sensibilities with mystical sensitivities, paying particular attention to the role of women.

Some stereotype mysticism as something out of this world. But the Lubavitcher Rebbe showed us the importance of having mysticism inform our everyday lives, emphasizing the cosmic impact of the mitzvos done by men, women, and children. In this episode we discuss:

• Was the Rebbe really “the biggest feminist”?
• How did the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s mysticism translate to the lived experience of his followers? 
• How did Green come to be a self-identified Hasidic feminist? 

Tune in to hear a conversation about how both the Jewish and feminist worlds contain a wider range of ideas than one might expect. 

Interview begins at 8:55.

Chava Green is a writer, teacher, and perpetual student. After graduating with her B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies, she attended Mayanot Women’s Program in Jerusalem and Machon Alta in Tzfat. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Jewish studies at Emory University and lives with her family in Morristown, New Jersey. Her work considers the relationship between Chabad teachings and feminism.

References:

Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age by Ayala Fader

Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Generation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn by Ayala Fader

Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers by Stephanie Wellen Levine

Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World by Philip Wexler

Chava Green on Chabad.org