On Seams and Seamlessness

Abstract

When Laura Levitt, my friend and colleague at Temple University, asked me to participate in this forum, my first response was a categorical no. Laura and I have talked about our different perspectives about postmodern approaches to Jewish feminism infrequently over the last several years. The conversations always end with us restating our differences, agreeing to disagree. Because my feelings are so strong about this subject, I was reluctant to have this conversation in public. Yet Laura persuaded me to consider participation, in full knowledge that this would be an airing of our differences, and I have taken the risk to do so. My contribution, a letter to Laura, is an effort to bring my love for her into the context of what is, for me, a passionate and acrimonious intellectual debate that has important implicationsfor the future ofJewish feminism.