Coursework Example - Interview Questions for Miriam Gonczarska: A Jewish Religious Leader

Miriam Gonczarska is a woman religious leader of Polish descent and has spent over two decades participating in activities of reviving the Jewish community in Poland. She has created educational magazines for Jewish faithful of all ages, involved herself in the broadcast to impart knowledge at home and abroad and also employed her leadership skills in several Jewish cultural and religious workshops across the globe. In the Jewish Religious Communities Union of Poland, she is the secretary of the council and a board member of the Association of Jewish Women in the country (www.yeshivatmaharat.org/class-of-2015/2014/5/21/miriam-gonczarska). Gonczarska's passion for religious studies has seen her spend academic years in Israel and the U.S. where, in the latter, she was the first Polish woman to be conferred a degree in Orthodox Maharat that is, a spiritual woman leader in Europe. The following are the possible interview questions to ask Miriam Gonczarska in a potential future interview concerning her beliefs, struggles, and successes.

How and why did you choose your faith? This question seeks to explore the interviewee Miriam Gonczarska's history since infancy with a complete discretion to her Jewish faith. Are there other sources of your religious knowledge other than the Hebrew Bible? This question exploits the interviewees wits of research to identify additional sources of study to gain such cognisance with the Jewish faith other than the Hebrew Bible.

How would you interpret textual sources and why are there misunderstandings? Nearly all of the studies of different religious factions have been interpreted and recorded to text. The sole purpose of this question is to dwell on the interviewees interpretation of Jewish religious sources and her explanation of its misunderstanding.

Describe the expectations of women in religion by the Jewish culture? The interviewee is supposed to delve into the issues afflicting women in the religious sphere through this question. Specifically, the interviewee will focus on the Jewish religion and address the problems of discrimination against women if they still exist.

In this era of globalisation, has women roles changed in religion over the years according to you? In todays interconnected world of capitalist free markets, this question aims to spark the interviewee to discuss trending issues of the roles played by women in religion(Bernstein, 2012). The interviewee will be able to compare and contrast the functions and positions of women in the past and present religious state

Have other religions influenced your view of the Jewish faith and the world at large? Since the world is comprised of multiple religious denominations, every faction has different beliefs and cultural practices. This question strives to trigger the interviewee to talk more about other religions and their influence on the Jewish faith.

Describe the Jewish traditions and practices? Knowing that the Jewish traditions and practices are numerous, the interviewee will be encouraged to summarise and occasionally expound on new or unfamiliar traditions that should educate the multitude.

Describe the effects of being a woman religious leader has had on your personal life? This question solicits information of the interviewee's personal life concerning her religious accolades. Her leadership in religion and its effects on her private life primarily as a woman will be significant to underscore this context.

What would you say are the pressures of being one of the women pioneers in religious leadership? The burden women in leadership positions in religion bare will go a long way to emphasise this question, particularly the interviewee, being the pioneers in this field that has through the years been dominated by men (Kaufman, 1991). Thus, the interviewee will be psyched to expose these pressures she faces and of other women in the same situation.

Tell me about the systems put in place to support women who already are or aspiring to be religious leaders? The interviewee will be in a position to confirm, affirm and re-affirm that the systems in place are assisting women in the discipline of religion and if not, recommend excellent ways to achieve it.

References

Bernstein, D. (Ed.). (2012). Pioneers and Homemakers: Jewish women in pre-state Israel. SUNY Press.

Kaufman, D. R. (1991). Rachel's Daughters: Newly Orthodox Jewish women. Rutgers University Press.

10 inspiring religious women. (2011, August 15). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/15/women-religious-leaders_n_924807.html

50 powerful women religious leaders to celebrate on International Womens Day. (2014, March 10). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/08/women-religious-leaders_n_4922118.htmlwww.yeshivatmaharat.org/class-of-2015/2014/5/21/miriam-gonczarska