Jen Taylor Friedman
Encyclopedia
Jen Taylor Friedman is a soferet
(Jewish
ritual scribe
). On September 9, 2007, she became the first woman known to have completed a Torah scroll. Taylor Friedman's sefer Torah was commissioned by United Hebrew Congregation, a Reform
temple in St. Louis
, Missouri
.
Taylor Friedman was born in Southampton
, England
, and educated at Oxford
. While studying at Oxford, she became interested in halakha
(Jewish law) and calligraphy
, and by a "chance combination of happy circumstances" she met a sofer (a male scribe) who helped her realize that becoming a soferet would allow her to pursue both interests. Taylor Friedman continued her scribal studies in Jerusalem and New York City
, where she now resides.
Taylor Friedman's first project as a soferet was Megillat Esther
, a scroll of the Biblical
Book of Esther
that is traditionally read in synagogue
on the holiday of Purim
. She completed the project on Purim 2004 (March 6). Since that time she has prepared six more megillot, including one for Congregation Ansche Chesed, a synagogue on Manhattan
's Upper West Side
. In May 2010 she completed her third Torah scroll for Congregation Dorshei Emet
, the first synagogue in Canada and the third in the world to receive a Torah handwritten by a woman.
Taylor Friedman is one of five known contemporary soferot (female scribes).
Taylor Friedman is also known for her Tefillin Barbie
, which has been featured in a number of prominent Jewish publications.
Sofer (scribe)
A Sofer, Sopher Sofer SeTaM, or Sofer ST"M is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Torah scrolls and other religious writings such as those used in Tefillin and Mezuzot.By simple definition, a sofer is a copyist, but in their religious role in Judaism they...
(Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
ritual scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
). On September 9, 2007, she became the first woman known to have completed a Torah scroll. Taylor Friedman's sefer Torah was commissioned by United Hebrew Congregation, a Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
temple in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Taylor Friedman was born in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and educated at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. While studying at Oxford, she became interested in halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
(Jewish law) and calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
, and by a "chance combination of happy circumstances" she met a sofer (a male scribe) who helped her realize that becoming a soferet would allow her to pursue both interests. Taylor Friedman continued her scribal studies in Jerusalem and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she now resides.
Taylor Friedman's first project as a soferet was Megillat Esther
Book of Esther
The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
, a scroll of the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
Book of Esther
Book of Esther
The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
that is traditionally read in synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
on the holiday of Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
. She completed the project on Purim 2004 (March 6). Since that time she has prepared six more megillot, including one for Congregation Ansche Chesed, a synagogue on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
. In May 2010 she completed her third Torah scroll for Congregation Dorshei Emet
Congregation Dorshei Emet
Congregation Dorshei Emet is a Reconstructionist synagogue in Hampstead, Quebec. It was founded in 1960 by Lavy Becker, who served as volunteer rabbi. Ron Aigen was hired as the congregation's first paid rabbi in 1976, and Heather Batchelor was hired as the first cantor in 2009.Dorshei Emet...
, the first synagogue in Canada and the third in the world to receive a Torah handwritten by a woman.
Taylor Friedman is one of five known contemporary soferot (female scribes).
Taylor Friedman is also known for her Tefillin Barbie
Tefillin Barbie
Tefillin Barbie is a creation of Jen Taylor Friedman, first produced in 2006. It is a Mattel Barbie doll wearing a tallit and tefillin. Tefillin Barbie has also been depicted as reading from a Sefer Torah, holding said Torah aloft in the performance of Hagbaha, holding a siddur, and studying a...
, which has been featured in a number of prominent Jewish publications.
Further reading
- Elissa Strauss, "Women Who Write Torah: A New Generation of Female Scribes Makes History", The ForwardThe ForwardThe Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, November 19, 2010.