May 12, 2006 -- Tzelem, an incubator project of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future, hosted its first large-scale program in April with a national conference for kallah teachers. Titled “The Multifaceted Role of the Kallah Teacher,” the conference, organized by Jennie Rosenfeld and Koby Frances of Tzelem and co-chaired by kallah teachers Abby Lerner and Peshi Neuburger, sought to provide a wide range of resources for the more than 80 kallah teachers who attended. The women –– mostly from the tri-state area, but also hailing from Atlanta, South Carolina, Baltimore and Michigan –– teach premarital classes to observant Jewish brides. Kallah teachers meet with brides for several sessions before their wedding day to teach them the laws of Taharat HaMishpacha (Jewish family purity), which include spouses not being intimate during the woman’s menstrual cycle and for a period afterward, and the woman using the mikvah (ritual bath) at the end of that time. Brides usually find kallah teachers through their rabbis or friends. Many kallah teachers also become informal counselors to brides, answering their questions about family, relationships, sex, and childrearing. “Whereas in the past it might have been enough for the kallah teacher to teach Hilkhot Niddah (the laws pertaining to a woman’s menstrual cycle), today's bride looks to the kallah teacher as her source of not only the laws, but also of the basic biology and psychology of intimacy,” said Ms. Rosenfeld. “The expanded role of the kallah teacher brings with it an expanded responsibility; Tzelem seeks to give kallah teachers the professional training and background they need for their new role.” The conference offered sessions on female sexuality; male and female sexual dysfunction; intimacy and communication; domestic abuse prevention; and new perspectives on the age-old halakhot (laws) of Taharat HaMishpacha. The attendees commented that they wished the conference was longer, and would like future conferences to address issues of biology and sexual dysfunction in more depth. “There will be happier marriages because of this conference,” said Dr. Rivkah Blau, a noted author, lecturer, and kallah teacher. “In one day, more than 80 kallah teachers learned accurate gynecological and psychological information, as well as how to present the halakhot –– not as negative restrictions, but as positive protections for the well-being of a marriage.” Tzelem, established in the fall of 2005, seeks to bring out the holiness in how religious Jews view themselves and their most intimate relationships. Tzelem is working on several programs for the fall, including a pilot program on Jewish attitudes toward sexuality for yeshiva high schools. “It is crucial for CJF to support an organization like Tzelem. We bring fresh ideas to light by incubating start-up programs,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, dean of the Center for the Jewish Future. “Moreover, Tzelem’s goal of bringing expertise to the area of intimacy is a celebration of the kedusha created through the synthesis of Torah Umadda."