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Anthology Endorsements
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| AUTHORS & EDITORS Body Outlaws PROFESSORS Barnard College-Columbia University "I have long felt the need for such a book as The Flying Camel, and for a representation of the voices and perspectives within it." Leila Ahmed
"The Women's Studies Program and Religion Department at Temple University find The Flying Camel of great importance in teaching courses in "International Women's Writing" and "Women, Religion and Society."" Rebecca Alpert
"The Flying Camel provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on an unjustly neglected identity and to see it through the eyes of those who have lived it. It is certainly true that the lives of Jewish women from the Arabic-speaking world are unknown to too many in our society and that our understanding of questions of Arab, Jewish, and American identities are diminished by our ignorance. I find this book useful in the courses I teach on questions of identity and ethics in the contemporary world." Kwame Anthony Appiah
"The Flying Camel is a powerful anthology of creative works by North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women whose voices have rarely been heard either in the United States or in Israel. These women embody the “impossible”: They are Jewish and Arab, feminist and lesbian, women of color, and indigenous to North Africa and the Middle East. Their stories of struggle and sacrifice give us reason to hope that in this time of terrible suffering and war, peace and justice may continue to be our twin aspirations. This book could not be more timely, and is of great benefit to those of us teaching in Women's Studies and Jewish Studies programs." Bettina Aptheker
"The Flying Camel fills a gap in three separate academic areas – Women's Studies, Jewish Studies, and Multicultural Studies. I will speak to the area of Women's Studies, since that is the area in which I teach: First, there is not enough literature or knowledge about Jewish women in general. Second, for those of us who teach in the Northeast, Jewish women are often a large percentage of our students. I have usually about 50% Jewish women in my “Women's Lives” class. Third, and perhaps most important, this book will offer something that does not exist now – a recognition that not all Jewish women are from European backgrounds. There is a real need for a multicultural analysis of Jewish people and therefore also Jewish women. This book offers just that analysis. Beyond the needs of Women's Studies, I think that in this moment in time, a multicultural analysis of Jewish people, including Jewish people from African and Middle Eastern backgrounds, is crucial. What happened on 9/11 has finally taught us that we need to learn more about the world outside of the U.S.A., and the Middle East violence has taught us that we need to understand more fully the problems in that area. This book breaks down the falsely constructed duality between Arab and Jew and offers us a more complex and complete picture of identity in that region." Judith Barker
"I am interested in this book for my course, 'Women in the Modern Middle East.'" Joel Beinin
"The Flying Camel is a truly innovative and original contribution; there is no other book dealing with this topic in the literature on Women's Studies." Lila Braine
"The Flying Camel illuminates the ethnic diversity among Jewish women and explores the misconceptions that many Americans (and others) have regarding the Jewish population and the Middle East conflict, e.g., that there cannot be an overlap between Arabs and Jews. The trend today is for Women's Studies curricula to become increasingly diverse and international in scope, and therefore I think that the book would be of interest to many faculty teaching women's studies courses. The collection also is very timely. It clearly counters the stereotypes of Arabs that have been so unfortunately fueled by the recent tragic events, and brings more understanding of the complexity of the Middle East conflict." Jill M. Bystydzienski
"The Flying Camel fills an important curriculum gap in Anthropology and Gender Studies. It is particularly timely now, as questions regarding the culturally prescribed rules and variations in practice by Middle Eastern women is most relevant. I teach courses in Gender Studies and find a book on this topic most helpful." Janet Chernela
"Loolwa Khazzoom has compiled a captivating collection of first-person accounts that makes us alternately cry for and celebrate the all-but-forgotten Jewish women of Africa and the Middle East and their American descendants. Stories of adventure, loss, degradation, courage, and personal triumph provide insight into the fascinating mix of Moslem and Jewish culture and its collision with contemporary American values. At this time in our history, we as Americans are starting to wake up to the world around us, especially to the plight of women in the Middle East. Khazzoom's work makes a fine contribution toward lifting the veil from our own eyes." Carrie Yang Costello
“A provocative collection that attempts to untangle complicated webs of anti-Semitism, racism, and misogyny, The Flying Camel presents a chellenging introduction to complex struggles around issues of identity and community.” Angela Y. Davis
“Blasting away every bagels-and-lox cliche, these writers reveal the rich, vital, and shamefully overlooked dimensions of Jewish identity, reminding us that Jews are a rich strand of multicultural, global communities.” Ophira Edut
"There is no question that The Flying Camel fills a gap in the available literature on the intersections between gender, ethnicity, nationality, and religion. I know of no such book of first-person, experiential accounts by Jewish women of color; the very idea of the book complicates the notion of "the Jewish community" in interesting and useful ways. This book is a useful undergraduate teaching tool for Women's Studies courses, Ethnic Studies courses, Judaic Studies courses, and for Sociology courses that deal with the complexity of collective and individual identities." Joshua Gamson
"The Flying Camel is a much-needed and welcome addition to the voices of women oppressed not just because of gender but also because of race, ethnicity, or religion. The voices of the many Jewish women in the text cry out with anger and also conviction against the injustices committed against them. This is an excellent text for Women's Studies programs as well as Theology, Sociology, and Anthropology courses. It exposes the reader to new understandings of Judaism and challenges all of us to listen and learn." Diana L. Hayes
"While there is a great deal of literature on Jewish women, very little of this work specifically addresses the experiences, perspectives, and issues of Jewish women of color. The Flying Camel is timely and offers a much-needed discussion of diversity within Jewish culture and among Jewish women. The insights that it providea on the Arab-Israeli conflict are especially important, given the on-going tensions and violence in the Middle East. The book is useful for Women's Studies as well as Jewish Studies classes and fills a void in the study of Gender and Jewish Culture." Janet Jacobs
"It is most exciting to learn that there is a book which deals with the North African Jewish women's experience, which has been ignored until now. It is a necessary addition to any study of Jewish culture, and especially the lives of women." Aliza Keddem, Ph.D.
"I have been teaching "The Jewish Women: Some Historical and Cultural Perspectives" since 1995. A primary aim in all my courses is to provide students with a perspective that includes the diverse and international history and culture of Jews. I have had great difficulty in balancing my syllabus with materials specifically on North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women and generally on Jewish women of color, because not many materials have been available. I was, therefore, greatly pleased to find the work of Loolwa Khazzoom in an issue of Bridges magazine and have included in my syllabus her article, "A Bridge Between Different Worlds" since its first appearance in 1995. Its feminist passion and commitment to honoring and maintaining North African and Middle Eastern Jewish identity was an eye-opener to my students of European background and an inspiration to those from non-European backgrounds. Ms. Khazzoom has contributed other materials to Bridges magazine, which I have also used. But clearly many voices and perspectives are needed. The rich and complex experience of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women cannot be captured in a single article or story. I am heartened that Ms. Khazzoom has edited an anthology which begins to address this complexity. The Flying Camel helps provide the broader perspective that is needed in all Jewish courses, a perspective that many of my colleagues seek.” Irena Klepfisz
"The Flying Camel explores Jewish identities in all of their varieties and complexities. Through critical essays and creative narratives, readers are introduced to deeply emotional identity searches and long-held cultural practices. The collection is not only timely, dovetailing with multicultural efforts in our communities and in our universities, but also necessary. For Jewish Studies instructors who wish to introduce their students to the continued struggles of and range of voices among the Jewish people, this text should be a requirement; for Women’s Studies instructors who wish to diversify stories about and by women of the East, this collection is equally essential. This text cuts across many academic fields in honestly and openly confronting issues of identity, gender, and social isolation." Miriamne Ara Krummel
"Today, good teaching and scholarship demand that the diverse voices of women be heard and represented first hand. I am therefore always on the lookout for books like The Flying Camel that provide these voices, along with a commentary that reflects current trends in scholarship." Becky R. Lee
"As the interest in Jewish Women's Studies continues to grow, we become more sensitive to the gaps in our knowledge. It is imperative that we include in our understanding of the field the historic and contemporary experience of the full range of Jewish women. Loolwa Khazzoom's book fills in an area which is often overlooked and thus provides ample material both for those engaged in the academic study of the field and for the large group of non-academic interested readers." Professor Anne Lapidus Lerner
"I am impressed by the wide spectrum of writers and issues in The Flying Camel. This insightful and rich volume contributes significantly to the current knowledge about women in modern Arab societies." Yoram Meital
"The Flying Camel is a useful addition to those texts on ethnic and religious diversity available to professors teaching courses with a cultural diversity component. The chapters are both compelling and accessible to an undergraduate audience, and describe the experiences of individuals with whose backgrounds many will be unfamiliar. This book can be used for courses in Sociology, Women's Studies, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, World Cultures, and Cultural Diversity." Bonnie J. Morris
"The Flying Camel is exactly the sort of collection that is needed in both Jewish Studies and Gender and Women's studies today. Jewish studies is far too Euro- and U.S.-centric, and the perspectives offered by these essays helps students and faculty alike understand the many different cultures and communities that fall under the rubric of Judaism worldwide. Nearly all the essays expose the ethnic and racial cleavages that lie hidden within the supposed unity of "the Jewish community," and many provide deep insights into the political as well as cultural implications of these cleavages. The collection also has much to offer the field of Gender and Women's Studies. Given both current events and recent world history, there is a good deal of unexamined anti-Semitism in this field. By demonstrating the multi-ethnic constitution of global Jewry, the essays help break down the first-world/third-world tension that often crops up in Gender and Women's Studies courses, placing Jews on the "politically incorrect" side of that divide. In addition, the essays' sensitivity to sexual identities within Jewish communities fit very well with ongoing concerns about this issue within the field." Sonya Michel
"For too long, the overlapping movements for Jewish and feminist visibility have ignored North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women, but Loolwa Khazzoom's new anthology challenges that posture of exclusion. Especially now, it is urgent that activists concerned with both Jewish survival and female empowerment hear the voices of women whose traditions and experiences are not those of hegemonically represented Eastern European Judaism. In The Flying Camel, contributors challenge notions of Western "Jewish culture." They also have much to say to the men of their own communities and to anyone who identifies with the struggle of being an exoticized "other." The anthology is a much-needed letter from women who cross ethnic and gendered borders in their daily lives as Jews. And the book is an enormous asset at a moment when American scholars and media seek authentic representation of Middle Eastern women's issues." Margaret O'Neal
"There is no question that a more thoughtful view of the role of North African and Middle Eastern Jews, particularly those of the women, is crucial to an understanding of many issues relating to Middle Eastern society and history, and The Flying Camel is a most valuable contribution.” Lawrence Rosen
“It’s about time! The Flying Camel is an important, long-overdue book that will make an indelible, desperately needed mark on American Jewish life.” Danya Ruttenberg
"The Flying Camel is desperately needed by those of us who teach courses within Jewish Studies and within Women Studies. While we have a selection of undergraduate and graduate texts on white Ashkenazi (Central/Eastern European) Jewish women, we do not have a single anthology on North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women. As a result, Jewish women of color are almost always rendered invisible within the university curriculum. At best, they make a very token appearance. Ms. Khazzoom's book makes an important contribution towards rectifying this serious (and intolerable) omission." What a treasure this book holds! for many of us whose Eastern European culture has for so long been taken as the Jewish norm, The Flying Camel provides the missing tiles in the mosaic puzzle which is the global story of Jewish women’s lives.” Susan Weidman Schneider
“The experiences, ideas, and values of Jewish women are not monolithic. Khazzoom, founder of the Jewish multiculturalism movement, brings us the plethora of voices present in global Judaism. The fact that these voices are female makes this collection of essays all the more exciting and ground-breaking. Jewish women, in all our difference and diversity, unite!” Rivka Solomon
"I strongly support the publication of The Flying Camel. This anthology is desperately needed by those of us who teach courses within Jewish Studies and within Women Studies. While we have a selection of texts on white Ashkenazi women, we do not have a single anthology on North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women. As a result, Sephardic and Mizrahi women are almost always rendered invisible within the university curriculum. At best, they make a very token appearance. Ms. Khazzoom's book will make an important contribution towards rectifying this serious omission." Shelly Tenenbaum
"The Flying Camel is an important contribution to the literature about women's lives and voices. Ms. Khazzoom does a great job of compiling the voices of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women. This book shows a part of Judaism that is virtually unknown to most people, including Jews." Diane Kholos Wysocki
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