Vagina Monologues

Next Saturday, March 8th at 7:30 P.M., the Sisterhood of Monmouth Reform Temple will present Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" as part of the global V-Day campaign. This is a tzedakah performance that our sisterhood is staging in order to help raise funds for the City of Joy, a project of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Women of Katrina. Buy your tickets on-line by clicking here or call the temple office 732-747-9365.

In a recent book "The Still Small Voice: Reflections on Being a Jewish Man" (URJ Press), HUC rabbinical student Neil Hirsch explored "What 'The Vagina Monologues' can teach you about being a man." Hirsch initially resisted his female classmates' efforts to present the show at HUC because it lacked explicit Jewish content and excluded the male population of the school. He found, however, that the greatest impact of "The Vagina Monologues" was not in the performance itself but in its preparations. He recalls, "Through the women's meetings and rehearsals, my female classmates had an opportunity to bond through the sharing of similar experiences. They derived strength from one another." That strength and bond had a positive impact on the rest of the community beyond the rehearsals and cast members. It is also true that the tzedakah funds and awareness raised through the show reflect some of our most important Jewish values.

Our experience at MRT has likewise shown great successes even before the curtain goes up. The energy, interest and engagement of so many women in a temple project is inspirational. The women in the show's cast and supporting functions run the gamut of ages, interests, and hometowns. The show has also drawn in our brotherhood - they built the stage and helped provide sound and technical support. The project is the first time our temple is using on-line commerce to reserve seats and make donations. The project started when one woman from our congregation read an article about the terrible violence against women in the DRC and wanted to do something about it. She turned to the temple and our community as a venue for taking action. It's a story about the possibilities that arise from community connection, open and encouraging attitudes at every level of the temple, and a sky's the limit sense of possibility. Some of our guys may squirm a bit at the language and content of the show, but they should also step up to the level of engagement and energy that the Monologues has produced among our women.

See you at the show.