Story of Dinah

The Story of Dinah examines the intersection of rape culture and Jewish tradition by tracing over two thousand years of Jewish commentary on Genesis 34. Using a definition of rape derived from the Hebrew Bible, Ruit scrutinizes the commentaries on the text for reflections of what would be deemed “rape myths” today. This book journeys through time and tradition as it uncovers the evolution of Jewish thought regarding women, rape, and women who have been violated. Every period examined, from the biblical account and the intertestamental writings all the way through to present day, reveals surprising and powerful insights about Jewish tradition and its attitudes towards women and sexual violation.

In an age marked by often toxic expressions of masculinity, and a relentless assault on women’s bodies and autonomy, revisiting authoritative texts becomes an act of resistance, liberation, and illumination. Rabbi Gavi Ruit, with deep learning, attention to nuance, and a clear moral compass, charts our way through the ancient Biblical story of the rape of Dinah. Her survey of the commentaries is worth its weight in gold. Her call to attend to the implications of the story today is crucial. I grew from reading this brilliant book, and so will you., Gavi Ruit has written a masterpiece: a thoughtful and profound analysis of Genesis 34, the rape of Dinah, and the long and complex history of Jewish commentaries on the passage. More than a study of the past, this book illuminates the culture of rape that permeates our society and presents ways Jewish tradition can foster radical cultural change., This careful and eye-opening study of the history of Jewish interpretation of the rape of Dinah makes clear the ways that Jewish tradition has both contributed to and resisted the notion that women who are raped are somehow responsible for the violence against them. Ruit’s nuanced evaluation of centuries of commentary sheds important light on contemporary rape culture and on the complexity of Jewish tradition., The Story of Dinah: Rape and Rape Myth in Jewish Tradition is a genuinely rare combination of superb scholarship and contemporary moral concerns. Rabbi Ruit provides an erudite and breathtaking textual analysis of how the rape of Dinah has been presented over the millennia in Jewish exegesis, and she does this against the backdrop of present-day sexual ethics. She speaks throughout in a judicious yet powerful voice. The depth of her scholarship and the clarity of her vision will delight academics and laypersons alike. This is a genuinely important book that deserves a wide readership!, Gavi Ruit offers us a scholarly masterpiece with the publication of The Story of Dinah. This multidisciplinary study of the Biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern commentaries on the Biblical narrative of the rape of Dinah is an important contribution to the fields of Biblical, Rabbinic and gender studies. Ruit demonstrates that the responses to Dinah’s story and its uses in other varied texts throughout Jewish history correlate and contribute to the establishment of attitudes toward rape, women, and the ideologies that determine the potential for post-rape cultural justice. The depth and breadth of this exploration of The Story of Dinah is essential for understanding the emergence of rape culture today and thanks to Ruit we can now also learn from the past how the society might yet redeem itself.

Gavi S. Ruit has taught Jewish studies courses at a number of Southern California universities and currently teaches adult education classes at synagogues in New England.