Interview with Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman

Partial Transcript: Today is April 20th, 2015. My name is Chelsea Cornelius and I am with Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman...

Partial Transcript: I'm kinda curious just about, your sort of growing up where you grew up, your family...

Segment Synopsis: Laurie describes her upbringing in Cincinnati starting with her birth in 1974. Describes her childhood as “happy and uneventful.” Discussion of life in a reformed and culturally Jewish family and community, and also being encouraged and affirmed in her wanting to have a career.

Keywords: Cincinnati; Jewish; Ohio; childhood; community; culture; family

Partial Transcript: And, uh, where there any women rabbis?

Segment Synopsis: Discussion of how important it was for Laurie to have women Rabbi role models growing up—especially in school and summer camp. Further discussion of when she began thinking about being a Rabbi in high school and college. Laurie describes moving from small family and community life to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her undergraduate degree.

Keywords: Madison; University of Wisconsin; high school; rabbi; role models

Partial Transcript: My freshman year, I hadn't even heard of women's studies...

Segment Synopsis: Laurie describes taking her first (among many) Gender & Women’s Studies course—the 102 introductory course. She majored in History, but in taking many Gender & Women’s Studies courses, she explains that she was introduced to many new ideas and ways of thinking about women and feminism. Talks specifically about the “issue of power,” and that Gender & Women’s Studies was about equalizing power between men and women. Also describes taking the 103 women’s health course and learning a lot about women’s bodies she had not known before. She also describes having arguments with her scientist father about the biases in scientific research and writing, conflicting with the traditional view of objective factual analysis. She also notes the change in her thinking about men and women that incorporated race and class.

Keywords: Jewish; class; classes; college; equality; feminism; gender studies; housing cooperative; major; rabbi; race; research; science; women's studies

Partial Transcript: And so what, if you can remember, kind of what was the experience of just kind of being a woman on campus at this time...

Segment Synopsis: Discussion of identity as a woman and Jewish on campus during this time (1990s). She talks about knowing many women with eating disorders, in violent relationships, and facing the messages towards women about beauty standards. She notes, however, that she felt secure and taken seriously as a student and woman on campus. She notes coming to a college with a large Jewish population, so she felt a sense of community during her time at UW. She also took Jewish and Hebrew Studies courses and studied abroad in Israel.

Keywords: Hebrew Studies; Israel; Jewish Cooperative; Jewish Studies; Jewish community; Take Back the Night; The Beauty Myth; campus; eating disorders; rape; study abroad; violence against women; violent relationships; woman; women

Partial Transcript: And, in the times you were taking Jewish Studies courses and history courses, was there any kind of overlap there...

Segment Synopsis: Laurie talks about how Gender & Women’s Studies shaped her thinking and ability to critique texts. She also mentions Linda Gordon, and a poster on her door that has stayed with Zimmerman her whole life that said, “Until the lions have their own historians, the hunters will still be glorified.” She talks about the department being shaped by interpersonal relationships and the attention professors game to student writing. Also notes the importance of being introduced to queer theory and criticism. Notes not remembering anything about transgender studies being part of the queer studies framework.

Keywords: Jewish Studies; Linda Gordon; Women's Studies; criticism; history classes; queer theory; text critiques; transgender studies

Partial Transcript: I did come out as a lesbian; I have a partner and two kids now, but um, I do think that the ideas I learned in women's studies...

Segment Synopsis: Talks about how the experience in Gender & Women’s Studies gave her the confidence to come out as a lesbian after college. Talks about coming out to her parents, and them thinking it was her courses in Gender & Women’s Studies that influenced her lesbian identity. Talks also about how her friendships and learning about queer writing helped her to be gain the confidence to come out and date women.

Keywords: Women's Studies; coming out; lesbian

Partial Transcript: And so did you also kind of, during these years, in undergrad, identify as a feminist?

Segment Synopsis: Discussion of feminist identity during her college years (also against her parents interests). Tells a story about visiting an old boyfriend in college and sharing a GWS 102 paper assignment with him, and him responding rudely about the content of the course. Talks about how in the confines of Gender & Women’s Studies scholarship it seems everyone believes these ideas, but outside the academy she realized these ideas were not supported.

Keywords: feminist; identity; parents

Partial Transcript: So then, kind of transitioning out of undergrad, having taken all these courses, what did you do during that year off?

Segment Synopsis: Laurie talks about the year between her undergraduate degree and rabbinical school, where she hiked the Appalachian Trail on her own. During her trip, she made a point of watching the “Ellen” show when it became clear that Ellen DeGeneres planned to come out as a lesbian on the show. She befriended a group of other hikers and watched the show together, where Laurie articulated a sense of wanting to come out as a lesbian. Talks about this year being a formative experience for her in terms of understanding her own identity and dating women in rabbinical school.

Keywords: Appalachian Trail; Atlanta; Ellen DeGeneres; Springer Mountain; dating; hiking; identity; rabbinical school; year off

Partial Transcript: I'm curious too during this time, when you started rabbinical school, what was it like to kind of hold a pretty secure feminist identity...

Segment Synopsis: Discussion of intersection of feminist and Jewish identity in rabbinical school, noting how open and affirming the Jewish community at the Reconstructionalist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia was. Talks about her time there and visiting Israel again where she was able to connect with Israeli feminists and lesbians.

Keywords: Israel; Israeli feminists; Philadelphia; Reconstructionalist Rabbinical College; feminist; lesbian community; rabbinical school

Partial Transcript: And then after rabbinical school, did you move back to Madison?

Segment Synopsis: Laurie talks about moving back to Madison after rabbinical school and working there since, but traveling and commuting some during the first few years while her partner was still finishing rabbinical school. She talks about her family and children, as well as reconnecting with some faculty at UW in the history department.

Keywords: London; Madison; family; partner; rabbinical school

Partial Transcript: And so what has it been like ever since you've kind of settled back here and started a family...

Segment Synopsis: Laurie describes what her feminisms looks like now—namely, for her, being a parent and having a career simultaneously. She describes how her and her partner try to balance work and family, calling it the “great juggling act” of “child time” and “work time.”

Keywords: family; feminism; job; professional; work-life balance

Partial Transcript: I do think my feminism has shaped my politics...

Segment Synopsis: Discussion of how her feminism has shaped her politics, especially in the Israel-Palestine peace movement. Discussion of how women have been at the forefront of this movement in Israel. Names specific paradigms of race, class, power, narrative, and “us versus them,” that shape her understanding, that she says are rooted in her background in Gender & Women’s Studies.

Keywords: Israel-Palestine Peace Movement; Jews; Palestinians; Women's Studies; class; feminism; politics; power; race

Partial Transcript: I'm curious too, kind of, as you kind of occupy this intersection of religious identity, feminist identity, lesbian identity...

Segment Synopsis: Laurie talks about what she thinks feminism will look like in the Jewish community in the future, as well as feminism at large. She names the importance of women-led peace movements and the need to continue queering texts. She also discusses the current politics in the U.S., saying it does feel like a “war on women” in many ways. She says, “I don’t know if we’ve really gone backwards, but I don’t think we’ve really accomplished the promise of feminism.” Discussion also of the intersection of feminism and politics, specifically bringing up how Hilary Clinton as a potential future president could both fulfill and contradict feminist traditions and agendas. She holds a hopeful view of the future of feminism, especially with young feminists. She notes her gratefulness for the Gender & Women’s Studies program and professors for not only teaching her how to think critically, but affirm her identity.

Keywords: Israel; Jewish community; Palestine; Women's Peace Movement; Women's Studies; feminism; feminist identity; feminist movement; intersectionality; lesbian identity; religious identity; war on women

Partial Transcript: Well that's basically kind of what I have in terms of questions...

Keywords: Women's Studies; identity