We used a chapter from Rebecca Golstein's Mazel - "The View From Behind
the Partition" - in our anthology The Jewish Street and I think this
passes the test. It features a mother, Sasha, and daughter, Chloe,
talking while taking a walk on Shabbat; the main topic of discussion is
Phoebe's (their daughter/granddaughter) upcoming wedding and the future
mother-in-law and the community. The future husband is mentioned only
in passing and there is a flashback–not part of the conversation–about
what happened to the Sasha's partner/Chloe's father/Phoebe's grandfather
in the story. There are no men in the present scene. All the
characters are named.
We also included the "Mayor Puttermesser" chapter from Cynthia Ozick's
novel. The two main characters are Puttermesser and Xanthippe, the
female golem she created. They discuss political strategy and, though
men are mentioned, they are discussed as political opponents to be dealt
with. Technically, I think it passes the test, but I don't know know if
that's what the test creators had in mind (but a female golem has to be
a plus).
Also, we included the short story "When Skeptics Die" by Yael Goldstein,
which features a conversation between two former former classmates in a
diner in NYC after a chance encounter. I noticed that neither women is
ever named - it's told in the first person and the 2nd person is just
called "my friend." The topic of the conversation begins about how
people relate to NYC and then shifts to the story of the friend's sister
and her tragic marriage. There is a flashback to the narrator's late
husband, but I don't think you could say that the conversation was about
a man.
We couldn't get permission to include a selection from Nancy Richler's
novel The Imposter Bride. There are only three male characters, and
they are fairly passive and peripheral to the action. There are many
scenes featuring only the women characters, all named. I'm sure you
could find plenty of material that could pass the test. The main topic
of conversation throughout the novel is the title character.
There are a lot good Jewish women's anthologies that might provide
additional leads. Obviously, the story doesn't have to be written by a
women but I'm thinking you are more likely to find one that passes the
test in such a collection.
The Tribe of Dina
Daughters of Sarah
Nice Jewish girls : a lesbian anthology
Nice Jewish girls : growing up in America
Echad 5: Global anthology of Jewish women writers
Found treasures : stories by Yiddish women writers
America and I : short stories by American Jewish women writers
Shaking Eve's tree
Speaking for ourselves
The House of Memory: Stories by Jewish Women Writers of Latin America
Beautiful as the Moon, Radiant as the Stars:
Her Face in the Mirror: Jewish Women on Mothers and Daughters
Arguing with the Storm
Joining the sisterhood
Contemporary Israeli women's writing
New women's writing from Israel
Ribcage : Israeli women's fiction
Mordecai's first brush with love
The Woman who lost her names
Where we find ourselves : Jewish women around the world write about home
The modern Jewish girl's guide to guilt
Friday the Rabbi wore lace : Jewish lesbian erotica
The oy of sex : Jewish women write erotica
I think they're out there; it just will take more digging.
Lee Jaffe
co-editor The Jewish Street / The City and Modern Jewish Writing
https://www.createspace.com/4348018
Planning & Assessment Librarian
Philosophy • Theater Arts • Jewish Studies
2290 McHenry Library
University of California
Santa Cruz, Calif. 95064
831-459-3297
ldja...@ucsc.edu
http://people.ucsc.edu/~ldjaffe/
On 11/22/13, 6:48 AM, Steven M. Bergson wrote:
I was recently given the challenge of finding a Jewish story / folk song / folk tale /
legend / myth / fairy tale which can pass the "Bechdel test".
from http://bechdeltest.com/ :
To pass the Bechdel test
* 1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
* 2. Who talk to each other
* 3. About something besides a man
The "named" in brackets is part of the way the Bechdel test is written and I'm
fine with the women being unnamed, since many Jewish stories have nameless characters
anyways.
I've run Google searches, looked at a Chassidic story website (probably not the
best place to look), and looked through stories in 6 anthologies I borrowed
from my local library (including a Yemenite one).
I've had no luck so far.
Can anyone on the list point me in the right direction &/or suggest a story
(not biography)?
You may reply off-list at safran-...@yahoo.com (or on-list if you want to share
it with everyone).
Much thanks for any and all help.
Steven M. Bergson
Toronto, Canada
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