Ma’yan records

Collection

Identifier: 11-MWaLB02717

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is comprised of eleven linear feet of material documenting Ma’yan, a Jewish feminist organization based in New York. The records include reports, strategic plans, meeting agendas, class and workshop material, program and exhibit files, photographs and more dating from 1993 to 2012. Of particular note are files and photographs of Ma’yan’s seders; Ma’yan seder press files; papers from its Jewish Feminist Research Group; and Bat Mitzvah workshop files. The collection is unprocessed. A preliminary inventory is availble in the department.

Dates

Creation: 1993 - 2012, undated

Creator

Ma’yan (Program : New York, N.Y.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection is in accordance with the policies of the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University. Please contact the department for form information.

Box 1 and Box 5 contain confidential survey materials and are restricted until the collection is processed.

Some advanced notice is needed for access to these materials because the collection is stored offsite. Please contact the department for more details.

Conditions Governing Use

Requests to reproduce or publish material from the collection should be directed to the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University.

Biographical / Historical

Ma’yan: The Jewish Women’s Project was established in 1993 at the Jewish Community Center in New York City. Founded by Barbara Dobkin and Eve Landau, the organization's work initially focused on creating life cycle and holiday rituals from a feminist perspective. From 1994 to 2005, Ma’yan held feminist Passover Seders in New York City, which had about 20,000 participants over the years. They also published "The Journey Continues," a Haggadah text to accompany the seders, which sold over 40,000 copies. Other Ma’yan programs included the Jewish Feminist Research Group, a monthly forum exploring the intersection of Jewish studies and feminist scholarship, educational events for adult women ranging from financial literacy to Torah study, and a Rosh Chodesh group. In 2005, they released “Listen to Her Voice,” a report from a nationwide study on gender and the Jewish Community.

Around 2005, Ma’yan shifted its focus towards advocating for Jewish girls and young women by providing social justice and leadership training for adolescent girls and educators. Their central program is the Research Training Internship, a fifteen month program in which teen girls learn about systems of oppression, power and privilege.

References: Nussbaum Cohen, D. (2005, April 16). "Feminist Seders Reach the Promised Land." New York Times.