An Orthodox Jewish feminist, Rivka Haut advocated on behalf of agunot (chained wives) and wrote feminist prayers for Orthodox Jews. Through her work for Agunot, Inc. and GET (Getting Equitable Treatment), Haut sought to raise awareness of the problem of agunot and create pressure within the community to force husbands to grant their wives religious divorces, an ongoing struggle in the Orthodox community. Haut also worked for women’s inclusion in prayer as director of the International Committee for Women at the Kotel and founder of the Women’s Tefillah Network, and organized the first women’s prayer service at the Kotel. She taught midrash at Hebrew Union College-Academy of Jewish Religion. Haut co-wrote three books, Daughters of the King: Women and the Synagogue with Rabbi Susan Grossman, Women of the Wall: Claiming Sacred Ground at Judaism’s Holy Site with Phyllis Chesler, and Shaarei Simchah: Traditional Prayers, Songs and Modern Inclusive Rituals with Adena Berkowitz.
How to cite this page
Jewish Women's Archive. "Rivka Haut." (Viewed on December 17, 2018) <https://jwa.org/people/haut-rivka>.