Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
News

Women’s Roundtable: Thoroughly Modern ‘Balebustes’; Welcoming a More Inclusive Prayerbook

In the latest episode of the Women’s Roundtable Podcast, host Gabrielle Birkner speaks with Forward Editor Jane Eisner, Lilith magazine Editor Susan Weidman Schneider, and Lilith Associate Editor Sonia Isard about whether modern Jewish women should be embracing or eschewing the moniker “balebuste,” Yiddish for homemaker, and the domestic work that it implies. The panel also discusses why Haiti’s tent cities are such dangerous places to be female, and weighs in on the new, more inclusive Conservative movement prayerbook. Then, each woman shares her mother’s favorite saying — be it wacky, witty or wise (or some combination therein).

See also these Sisterhood blog posts:

• Repudiating My Inner Balebuste

The Problem With Balebuste

• Balebuste Means Homemaker — Not Cleaning Lady

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.