TheJewishWoman.org Gets a Makeover
TheJewishWoman.org—the premier destination on the web for Jewish women of all backgrounds—is relaunching with new content, a new design and a renewed commitment to help its readers “graduate in their Judaism.”
“We have put a lot of our time and passion into making the site the best it can be,” says the site’s editor, Chana Weisberg, “so that Jewish women from all over the world, from all backgrounds, can come to one central location online and find what they need to enhance all aspects of their lives.”
The site will now comprise two main sections—a “Learning Center” and “Magazine”—says Weisberg. New content will be added each week.
The Learning Center is geared towards women who want to grow and graduate to a new level of Jewish observance and understanding. The Magazine will include practical information and timeless inspiration to help readers lead more meaningful and enjoyable lives.
The Learning Center will contain video classes on a wide assortment of topics, including spiritual development, prayer, women from the Bible and more. Articles on the weekly Torah portion will explore various Torah commentaries and lessons, and how they relate to contemporary Jewish women.
The Halachic Forum will explore everyday topics and situations, showing that the Torah can govern all aspects of a person’s life―like a “People’s Court,” of sorts. It will offer practical examples of situations that women may find themselves in and how to handle them based on what the Torah says, as well as based on precedents from similar examples.
Magazine Provides Practical Information and Inspiration
The Magazine portion of the site will include an infertility blog, which can help women facing pregnancy- and fertility-related challenges; it can also offer advice on issues like how to react gracefully to insensitive people. The blogger, who remains anonymous, has a keen sense of humor and sensitivity to deftly address emotional topics.
In the home décor section, the writer includes practical advice on matters like how to set a beautiful table for the Rosh Hashanah meal, or how to transform an old credenza into a chic buffet table for lighting Shabbat candles.
And in the home-efficiency section of the Magazine, dubbed “Frazzled No More,” Rivka Caroline, author of the book and popular blog From Frazzled to Focused, will advise women on how to achieve their goals of becoming more organized in and out of the home.
“Productivity isn’t just about a global initiative to just be doing more; it’s about doing more of the things that allow us to bring us closer to our goals, and maximizing our potential is something that I know certainly appeals to me,” says Caroline.
On Rosh Chodesh and All Month Long
The site will also include a regular feature called “Women of Distinction,” geared to highlight those from the recent and distant past who have had great outlooks on life. The hope is that these examples serve to inspire and create modern-day mentors.
Also new to TheJewishWoman.org is a new Rosh Chodesh site. Appearing on the first day of each Jewish month, but sure to be enriching all month long, this monthly mini-site includes articles, recipes, insights, video classes, crafts and more, all created so that Jewish women can learn and celebrate together their special monthly Jewish holiday—and also includes a Jewish Woman’s Events search box where readers can find women’s learning programs that will be taking place throughout the month at local Chabad centers.
There will be a joke section on TheJewishWoman.org for a little levity, as well as advice on marriage, parenting and relationships, with articles from Sara Chana Radcliffe, Miriam Adahan and many other acclaimed writers. Says Weisberg: “This type of website is unprecedented.”
Design and Navigation Tools Emphasize User-Friendliness
Careful planning has gone into not only the depth and breadth of the site’s content, notes Weisberg, but also its overall design and user-friendliness. The team—including writers, editors and graphic designers from around the world—has created a new home page design, and an overall look and feel for the site that simplifies the experience.
TheJewishWoman.org will also draw on a wealth of material on its parent site, Chabad.org, the world’s most popular and content-rich Jewish website. “There was already so much useful material,” says Weisberg. “It is a matter of continually enhancing what was there and making it as user-friendly as possible.”
Since its inception in 2006 under the leadership of Sara Esther Crispe, now director of communications for Chabad on Campus, TheJewishWoman.org has had a profound impact on the lives of tens of thousands of Jewish women and on the coverage of women’s issues, with its articles reprinted and cited in numerous magazines, books, websites and blogs devoted to Jewish women.
The revised site builds on that work while providing simplified navigation, allowing women to quickly and easily access the main topics and sections. The design team has chosen to utilize the full home page so that when visitors come to the site, they can easily determine which area best suits their needs without having to click through too many pages.
“I feel we are showing our vision for the site in a graphic way,” she says.
Weisberg is the author of Tending the Garden: The Unique Gifts of the Jewish Woman and four other books, and she lectures worldwide on issues relating to women, faith, relationships and the Jewish soul—all of which she says has prepared her well for her new role.
“The Jewish woman is at the center of her family and at the core of her community,” affirms Weisberg. “The goal is for our site to become a home to every Jewish woman—a place where she can find understanding, inspiration, knowledge and continued growth in all areas of her life.”
