White Fire: A Portrait of Women Spiritual Leaders in America

by Malka Drucker, Gay Block (Photographer)

They struggled to clear a new path for women;
these are the stories of modern spiritual pioneers. "I imagine this book as a dinner party where women have eagerly gathered for a conversation about being a woman, a person of faith, and a leader. While some know each other, many do not, but it doesn’t matter. Listening to them in ensemble reveals that all their differences are less important than how much they share as women of faith. Since community and interconnection tend to be feminine traits, sisterhood is important, and I hope that upon finishing the book, the reader may feel that she or he has found a teacher that offers a new way to see women and the Divine."
―from the Introduction There is an ancient mystical legend that the Bible was written with black fire on white fire. Now, we can only read the black fire (the letters), but someday we might be able to see the white fire. Today, with their voices and their presence growing ever stronger, women spiritual leaders in America are like white fire, and we can see the previously untapped power of female leadership. This remarkable book gives voice and image to the too often invisible, ignored, or overlooked narrative of women’s spiritual leadership in America today. Revealed through insightful interviews and compelling photographic portraits, the women represent both diversity and sisterhood. They offer us new ways of relating to each other, and the Divine.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Malka Drucker is an American rabbi and author living in Idyllwild, California. Ordained in 1998 from the Academy for Jewish Religion, a transdenominational seminary, Drucker was the founding rabbi of HaMakom: The Place for Passionate and Progressive Judaism, in Santa Fe for fifteen years.

Reviews

[Darleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling short biographical sketches on women religious leaders. Good overview of the variety of women's skills and visions for leadership.