Tokom 2024. godine, Jevrejska opština Beograd pokrenula je novu inicijativu koja preispituje kako danas  može izgledati savremeno jevrejsko sestrinstvo. Kreiranje NJENEpriče: Gradimo žensko jevrejsko sestrinstvo, uz recepte i priče iz Talmuda je serija događaja koji okupljaju žene uzrasta od 18 do 35 godina, gde se spaja kuvanje, učenje i razgovor u Jevrejskoj opštini Beograd.
Inspirisan knjigom Feeding Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves Kendan Alfond, ovaj projekat okuplja učesnice da pripremaju vegeterijanska jela nadahnuta pričama o ženama iz Talmuda, dok zajedno otkrivaju njihove vrednosti, snagu i poruke koje su sveprisutne i danas. 

Cilj projekta je jednostavan, ali duboko značajan: da ženama u našoj zajednici ponudi prostor za neformalno 
jevrejsko obrazovanje koje je ispunjeno sa simcha (radost) i autentičnošču. Kreiranje NJENEpriče otvara 
vrata jednom novom pristupu. Ovde se ženstvenost, mekoća, igra i ranjivost ne posmatraju kao slabosti, već 
kao izvori unutrašnje snage i povezanosti. Pored toga, projekat ruši ukorenjene predrasude - kako o učenju, koje se često doživljava kao suvoparno ili „rezervisano“ za druge, tako i o ženskim odnosima, koji se nepravedno prikazuju kao konfliktni. Umesto toga, stvaramo prostor isceljenja i podrške - za telo, duh i zajednicu.
Izdvojeni trenuci: 
Jalta na Seder večeri
Na prolećnom susretu pred Pesah, glavna tema bila je Jalta, smela i neukrotiva žena iz Talmuda, poznata po tome što je razbila burad sa vinom kada joj je uskraćeno učešće u ritualima Seder večere. Njena priča otvorila je prostor za razgovor o samopouzdanju, izražavanjusopstvenih granica i borbi za svoje mesto u tradiciji. Učesnici su, osim učenja, kreirali i koktele inspirisane Jaltinim vrednostima kreativnost u destrukciji, hrabrost biti drugačiji i jasna svest o sopstvenoj vrednosti.

Na jednom od susreta, okrenule smo se liku Agrat bat Mahlat, misteriozne žene iz jevrejskog misticizma, koja je poznata kao demon. Umesto da je odbacimo zbog njene prirode, zapitale smo se: šta nam ona može reći o delovima nas koje često potiskujemo? Kroz pokret, pripovedanje i zajedničku refleksiju, ušle smo u svet senki – strahova, želja, besa i intuicije – ne da bismo ih izbacile, već da bismo ih integrisale i razumele kao deo našeg identiteta. Bilo je to veče koje je otvorilo prostor za ranjivost, ali i za slobodu.

Trag koji ostaje

Na završetku projekta, svaka učesnica kreiraće sopstveni recept i priču, inspirisane nekom od jevrejskih junakinja – ovog puta ne iz Talmuda, već iz Beograda. Te priče i ukusi postaće deo malog kolektivnog nasleđa koje povezuje našu zajednicu danas sa onom sutra, i koje dokazuje da je učenje, kada se prenosi srcem, uvek živo i novo.

Kreiranje NJENEpriče je poziv: osnaživanje, ponovno pripovedanje i razigrano preispitivanje jevrejske tradicije kroz ženski ugao.

Ovaj projekat je u potpunosti podržan od strane Nevatim programa, inicijative namenjene razvoju i jačanju inovativnih zajedničkih projekata unutar jevrejskih zajednica širom Evrope.

Autorka teksta: Isidora Jurjević

Creating HERStory: A New Space for Jewish Women in Belgrade

In 2024, the Belgrade Jewish Community launched a new project designed to reimagine what Jewish sisterhood could look like today. Creating HERStory: Building Jewish Sisterhood, One Recipe and Talmud Story at a Time is a creative, educational, and deeply empowering initiative that brings together young Jewish women aged 18–35 for a series of gatherings centered around food, text, and storytelling.

Guided by Feeding Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves by Kendan Alfond, the project invites participants to prepare plant-based meals inspired by the stories of women from the Talmud. Each event combines cooking, learning, and conversation in a warm, welcoming space where women can connect more deeply with their Jewish identity, each other, and themselves.

The idea behind the project is simple yet powerful: to offer Jewish women in Belgrade an opportunity to learn in a way that feels personal, joyful, and relevant. In our community, meaningful spaces for informal Jewish education are rare – especially ones that speak directly to the experiences and perspectives of women. This project fills that gap by providing a space where women can embrace every part of their identity – including parts that have often been dismissed or diminished, like playfulness, femininity, or softness – and reframe them as sources of strength.

At the heart of this initiative is a desire to challenge stereotypes: both about Jewish learning, which is often seen as dry or inaccessible, and about women’s relationships, which are too often assumed to be competitive or fragile. Instead, we’ve built a space for nourishment – of the body, the mind, and the spirit – where women support one another and find strength in community.

Highlights from the Series:

Yalta’s Place at the Seder
In our spring event ahead of Passover, we turned the spotlight on Yalta, a bold and complex woman from the Talmud known for smashing wine barrels when denied access to ritual wine. Her story became the centerpiece of an evening that invited participants to reflect on themes of power, self-expression, and reclaiming space. In addition to a spirited discussion on Yalta’s defiance and agency, participants created custom cocktails inspired by her values – creativity in destruction, courage to be different, and knowing one's worth. It was an evening that blended ritual and rebellion in the best possible way and reminded us that the Seder table, and Jewish tradition more broadly, must have room for every voice.

Agrat: Dancing with Shadows
For one of our more daring and poetic workshops, we explored the enigmatic figure of Agrat bat Mahlat, a lesser-known woman from Jewish mystical texts, often labeled a demoness. Rather than shy away from her darker image, we asked: what might Agrat teach us about the parts of ourselves we’re taught to suppress? Through guided movement, storytelling, and reflection, we explored shadow work in a Jewish context – looking at fear, desire, rage, and intuition not as things to reject, but as parts of the whole self. The night offered a rare space for honesty and healing, inviting women to step into their full, complex humanity.

A Lasting Impact

By the end of the project, each participant will have created her own recipe and story inspired by a Jewish heroine – this time not from the Talmud, but from Belgrade itself. These contributions will form a small but powerful legacy, connecting our community’s present to its future, and ensuring that Jewish learning is not only preserved but continually reimagined through the eyes and voices of its women.

Creating HERStory is more than a series of events – it is a movement toward inclusion, resilience, and joy. It’s about claiming space, rewriting narratives, and making Jewish tradition feel like home.

This project is partially financially supported by the Nevatim program, an initiative aimed at developing and strengthening innovative joint projects within Jewish communities across Europe.

Author: Isidora Jurjević