With so much emphasis on egalitarian values, lines of distinction are often blurred to a fault. So the Jewish community of Stroudsburg, PA, welcomed a fresh perspective at a recent Sunday when they turned out to hear Rivka Slonim on “Jewish Women in Jewish Law: a Critical Look at Critical Issues.”

“The question or issue of greatest interest was the direct way that Judaism (Torah) address the the very real differences between men and women, and how  each one's mission is  reflective of that,” said Mrs. Sterna Bendet, Chabad representative with her husband, Rabbi Mendel Bendet, to Chabad of the Poconos, which sponsored the event.

Many questions followed Mrs. Slonim’s presentation. “It was a real eye opener,” Rabbi Bendet told Lubavitch.com.

Mrs. Slonim, Chabad representative to Binghamton University, speaks widely on issues of women in Judaism. She is the author of Total Immersion, a book on mikveh.