Episode description

This bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk. Once a month, their podcast -- called The Dybbukast -- releases a new episode, and we are proud to feature episode eight of their podcast as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's channel. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast in Apple Podcasts, or anywhere else that podcasts are found.

Written in Italy in the 16th century by Jewish dramatist Leone De' Sommi Portaleone, who also wrote what is considered to be the oldest extant Hebrew-language play, the poem "In Defense of Women" touches on the role of women in drama and reveals a great deal about the cultural considerations and power dynamics of this time when women were coming to the fore on the theatrical stages of Northern Italy, Rome, and Venice in the professional world of the commedia dell’arte.

Intercut with selections from the poem and other works of the era performed by theatre dybbuk actors, scholar Erith Jaffe-Berg, PhD unpacks the text's meaning and its relevance to both historical and contemporary issues of equity and belonging. "In Defense of Women" was originally presented as a hybrid of theatre and live podcast at San Diego Repertory's JFEST and premiered at the festival as a YouTube event on May 20, 2021. The audio from that presentation has been adapted for distribution on The Dybbukast in this episode.