{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Why Are We So Afraid of Female Voices? | Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt","description":"What does it take to be a woman with a loud voice in a world that keeps telling you to be quiet? In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt \u2014 journalist, rebbetzin, and co-founder of the Altneu Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side \u2014 for a conversation about ambition, authenticity, and what it really means to lead. Avital's path has been anything but conventional. A Russian-born writer who published her first viral essay at 20, landed bylines in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, and Foreign Policy, and spent years as a features editor and news editor before pivoting to co-build one of New York City's fastest-growing Orthodox synagogues \u2014 all while navigating the deeply complex terrain of being a bold female voice in the frum community. This episode is about far more than one woman's story. It's a frank, urgent conversation about the cost of conformity, the crisis of female spiritual leadership in Orthodox communities, and why, if we don't change, we're going to lose an entire generation of women. Timestamps: 2:39 \u2014 Avital's background: growing up Russian-speaking, a literary home, and big dreams 5:34 \u2014 The power of teachers and mentors in igniting ambition 6:37 \u2014 Being told her drive for ambition was a "yetzer hara" \u2014 and going for it anyway 9:07 \u2014 Writing for Haaretz, personal essays, and finding her voice as a religious woman 11:36 \u2014 The Forward years: breaking stories on the Orthodox community and navigating controversy 12:52 \u2014 Going viral before going viral was a thing; the tznius essay at age 20 17:41 \u2014 Writing about her dating life and using authenticity as a filter 20:28 \u2014 Freelancing and hitting her byline bucket list: NYT, The Atlantic, Vogue, and more 21:08 \u2014 The reality of gatekeeping in journalism and being relentless despite rejection 22:07 \u2014 "Winners always find a way to win" 22:22 \u2014 Meeting her husband: the story, the promise she broke, and the NYT essay that brought them back together 26:32 \u2014 Writing a book: 700 words a day and the unglamorous daily discipline 29:13 \u2014 Why the digital world has flattened us \u2014 and why that's dangerous 30:01 \u2014 On shidduchim, being yourself, and differentiation in dating 31:37 \u2014 "It's gonna be really hard to build leaders \u2014 especially women \u2014 who aren't bold enough to be authentic" 31:45 \u2014 Building genuine belonging vs. conformity in frum community life 35:30 \u2014 The controversy and the courage: hate mail, threats, and choosing truth anyway 36:09 \u2014 Post-October 7th: a shift in priorities and the luxury of community criticism 36:49 \u2014 How the Altneue Synagogue was born \u2014 out of crisis, pregnancy, and 40 people in a living room 38:27 \u2014 The convergence: how Avital's journalism career and community building came together 42:32 \u2014 From a living room minyan to 600 people and the Pierre Ballroom 45:28 \u2014 October 7th and the surge of young Jews searching for connection 46:23 \u2014 Building real commitment: charging membership before they had a building 47:33 \u2014 The shul as a product: finding the gap and doubling down on differentiation 51:37 \u2014 "When you engage the women, you engage the whole family" 51:40 \u2014 "We felt the hand of God in this" \u2014 722 member families and counting 59:30 \u2014 "There should be leadership on both sides of the mechitza" \u2014 Avital's defining statement 1:02:03 \u2014 Women spiritually checking out vs. going "woke" \u2014 what Avital is actually worried about 1:05:08 \u2014 Materialism as the symptom of women with no inner spiritual life 1:08:14 \u2014 Halacha vs. Masorah: having the honest conversation 1:12:14 \u2014 "If we don't change, we're going to lose" \u2014 what senior Rabbonim are actually saying 1:15:09 \u2014 "We are so afraid of female voices" \u2014 the media we consume and the messages it sends 1:18:45 \u2014 The JWE's mission and why this podcast exists 1:19:25 \u2014 Modeling: the text from a young woman that Avital saved 1:20:10 \u2014 Blurred girls' faces in magazine ads and the message sent to young women 1:37:39 \u2014 Fast Five: controversial thing she's ever done, her superpower, and her final message About the Guest: Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt is a journalist, rebbetzin, and community builder based in Manhattan. A daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, she grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey, in a deeply literary home, and knew from childhood that she wanted to be a writer. She studied at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University) and went on to build a distinguished career in journalism, with bylines in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, Glamour, Haaretz, and The Forward, where she served as features editor. She later served as news editor at The Real Deal, covering New York City politics and real estate. Avital is also the co-founder of the Altneu Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which she built alongside her husband, Rabbi Benji Goldschmidt. What began in 2020 as a living room minyan of 40 people has grown into a community of 722 member families \u2014 known for its intellectual rigor, inclusive spirit, and vibrant women's section. The shul has become a model for engaged, differentiated community building in the modern Orthodox world. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Avital is currently at work on her first book. She is passionate about female leadership in the frum community, the importance of authenticity, and helping women reconnect to a rich inner spiritual life. This episode was made possible by our friends at *Roth & Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory. We are grateful for their continued partnership in making these conversations possible.* ","author_name":"Inspired to Lead","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/514468","html":"