M
any of the new and provocative rituals Ochs began gathering a decade ago are now seamlessly woven into Jewish practice: naming ceremonies for baby girls, Rosh Hodesh groups, women’s seders, healing services. “What is utterly novel today,” she concludes, “may be the 'traditional’ Judaism of tomorrow.” Ochs, author (Sarah Laughed
; Words on Fire
) and professor of religious studies, is herself a ritual innovator, crafting ceremonies for teenagers who receive their driver’s licenses and office-warmings with “interactive mezuzot.” Ritual innovation, she says, remains based in texts, actions, objects and understandings about God, spurred by a “democratic” search for spirituality and Jewish feminism. Her explorations of the origins and context of rituals, from red threads to chocolate Seder plates and prayers for September 11, are eye-opening. Three larger case studies focus on Miriam’s tambourine, Holocaust Torahs and wedding booklets, and lists of resources, books and Web sites abound. Ochs doesn’t gloss over questions of authenticity, endurance and discomfort, but offers a clear, informative discussion of a dynamic process that will continue to change the face of American Judaism. (July)
