Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
In Farsi, “Sheer Zan” is an expression used to describe a fierce woman, literally “sheer” lion “zan” woman, a lioness.
Deborah, Yael, Judith and Me–“Sheer Zans” Who Slay
Author: Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
I Had Planned a Midlife Hair Makeover— Then Covid Showed Up
Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
Dear Reader, In the midst of a terrible season, allow me some self-indulgence. During the winter of 2020 before the world derailed with Covid-19, I was 49 years old, facing my 50th birthday with a mix of excitement and resignation. Certainly, I was glad to be healthy, in an intact marriage, with growing wonderful children,… Read more »
Why I Started—and Then Stopped—Wearing My Tallit
Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
When I chose to refrain from wearing the tallit, it was the result of the creeping realization of my own naivete: My personal convictions notwithstanding, men and women are not treated equally, are not equally safe in synagogues or the world-at-large.
The Persian-Israeli Singer Who Makes Me Feel Whole
Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
A musician who affirms that the melding of the Persian, Jewish, American and feminist identities I have aspired to is possible—and beautiful.
Why I Didn’t Talk for The Duration of Yom Kippur
Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
I permitted myself the luxury of not feeling forced into small talk banalities about hunger, achy feet, boredom, religious disagreements.
Why I Became Fascinated by a Teshuvah on Women and Mitzvot
Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
I take no comfort in the theology which patronizingly tells us that women are on a pedestal.