In 1973, Maralee Gordon of Chicago, Illinois founded Lilith’s Rib, a Jewish feminist newsletter distributed throughout the United States. The publication was a vehicle for women throughout the country to share ideas, philosophies, and news relating to the feminist circles with which they were involved. Contributing to and inspired by Chicago’s counterculture community, Maralee was focused on expanding Jewish practice beyond tradition to make it more inclusive of women and their unique life experiences.[1] At the American Jewish Historical Society, among the Jewish Student Organizations Collection (I-61), we keep issues #2-4 of Lilith’s Rib, published in November of 1973, June of 1974, and March of 1975 respectively.
Maralee begins each letter with a call for contributions, “The sooner you send in news of what you are doing, the sooner the next issue will appear.” Not only news, but copies of leaflets, pamphlets, papers or publicity releases are also included in the call. As far as we know, the publication was free to receive, though “donations of a quarter” were recommended to “defray printing and postage costs”- the equivalent to about $1.80 today, a pretty good deal if you ask us.
Organizations received their own space in the newsletter to share goings-on. First, we have the Los Angeles Jewish Feminist Coalition reporting on its Women’s Day Conference held on June 3rd, 1973. Women attended workshops representing a host of diverse identities within the greater community, like “Jewish Mothers,” “Gay Jewish Women,” “Women in Alternative Lifestyles,” and “Professional Career Opportunities in the Jewish Community” to name a few.
The group Bat Kol in New York, named to mean “daughter of a voice or echo”, shared a bracha (blessing) for menstruation in their allotted space. In this way, the issue holds true to Maralee’s original intention of thinking creatively about the expansion of traditional practice to reflect women’s needs and experiences. The blessing is as follows:
Blessed are you our God, who puts the world in order, and who is the creator of our mothers. I am awed by the cycles of life that are like the moon in her path. Blessed are you, my God, who has created me a woman.
Within Issue #4 (1975), we find contributions from individuals in a sort of ‘classifieds’, though some women simply share announcements or news from their respective regions. Particularly exciting is a notice by Sharon Geltner of Oklahoma City, OK who writes:
Feminism is spreading…At the southwestern regional United Synagogue Youth Board Meetings it was decided to have a Project Equality. This project would encompass studying the role of women (and men) in Judaism and how to improve-equalize them…With luck, enthusiasm and a lot of hard work, hopefully Project Equality will spread to other regions of the U.S.Y…the southwestern region ALREADY has girls conducting services and reading the Torah. We’ve still got a long way to go though and we are hoping that Project Equality will be the launching board for more innovations.[2]
The enthusiasm and urgency so present in the contributions to Lilith’s Rib reveal to us that Maralee Gordon’s original goal to broaden the boundaries of religious engagement for women was a goal shared by a vast group. Women of all ages, social status’, sexual orientations, etc. were involved in grassroots movements throughout the country and eager to share their progress with a greater community. Where, though, did the inspiration for Gordon’s title come from?
The publication may be named for Lilith, who, according to Jewish mythology, was the first wife of Adam. The tale goes that Lilith refused to be subservient to her husband and left Adam in the Garden of Eden[3] where God would eventually create another woman, Eve, from the man’s rib. The publication, Lilith’s Rib, may very well be a play on this tale. Though the newsletter and community building efforts, it’s creator Maralee Gordan seems to propose: If woman was made from Adam’s rib, what can be made from Lilith’s?
[1] Jewish Women’s Archive. “Maralee Gordon.” (Viewed on April 7, 2025) <https://jwa.org/feminim/gordon-maralee>.
[2] Sharon Geltner, “Lilith’s Rib”, March 1975, Series 1: Periodicals – United States, Jewish Student Organizations Collection (I-61), The American Jewish Historical Society.
[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lilith-Jewish-folklore
