This chapter reviews the book Jewish Voices in Feminism: Transnational Perspectives (2015), by Nelly Las, translated by Ruth Morris. Originally published in French in 2011, Jewish Voices in Feminism explores the connections and gaps between feminism and Zionism. In particular, it offers a comparative description of Jewish feminism in the United States and France, the two largest Jewish diaspora communities. Las argues that “French feminism, with its solid footing in secularism, does not have anything similar to the English-speaking countries’ new interpretations of Christian theology nor postmodern Biblical exegesis.” She places a great deal of emphasis on Zionism as a component of diaspora Jewish identity, and the ways that Zionism interacts with feminism. Las also identifies the range of attitudes toward Israel and Zionism among non-Jewish and (especially) Jewish feminists.
