DR. RACHEL ADLER AWARDED
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR JEWISH THOUGHT
BY JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL

Dr. Rachel Adler has been awarded the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought for Engendering Judaism: A New Theology and Ethics, announced Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, President, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Presented by the Jewish Book Council, the National Jewish Book Awards recipients were announced on March 1, 1999.

"Dr. Adler continues to bring honor to HUC-JIR. Engendering Judaism is one of the most significant works of Reform Jewish theology to appear at the end of the twentieth century, and it is only fitting that Dr. Adler be honored by the Jewish Book Council for her contribution," said Rabbi Zimmerman.

Dr. Adler is the Assistant Professor of Jewish Religious Thought and Feminist Studies at HUC-JIR and Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California. She holds the first joint appointment between the two institutions.

"Dr. Adler is one of the pioneer thinkers of the Jewish feminist movement and an authority in the areas of Judaism and Gender and Modern Jewish Thought. We are thrilled that her book Engendering Judaism has been recognized for its contribution to modern Jewish thought," said Dr. Lewis Barth, Dean of the Los Angeles School of HUC-JIR.

Dr. Adler's book challenges both mainstream Judaism and feminist dogma. It evaluates the impact of gender and sexuality on Judaism's classic texts and brings this assessment to bear on three areas of Jewish thought and practice: law, liturgy, and the ethics of sexuality and relationships. She is one of the first theologians to integrate feminist perspectives and concerns into the construction of Jewish theology. Her articles are found in collections including Blackwell's Companion to Feminist Philosophy, Beginning Anew: A Woman's Companion to the High Holy Days, Contemporary Jewish Religious Thought, Lifecycles, and On Being a Jewish Feminist.

Dr. Adler holds a Ph.D. in Religion and Social Ethics from the University of Southern California with a conjoint certificate in Judaica from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She serves on the editorial boards of Tikkun, Shofar and Nashim and on the executive board of the Western Jewish Studies Association. She is also a member of the academic board of the Institute for Progressive Halakha.

The Jewish Book Council will present its award to Dr. Adler on Thursday, March 11, 1999 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.