Soferet (film)
Soferet: A Special Scribe is a 2006 television documentary about Aviel Barclay, who studied to become a sofer, which is a traditionally male position transcribing Jewish Hebrew texts. The documentary explains how she became the world's first known traditionally trained female scribe in October 2003.[1][2] The film explores the importance of the Torah in Jewish life, the perfection required to execute a kosher Torah scroll, and a feminist perspective on the battle waged by some Jewish women to assume responsibilities traditionally reserved for men.
| Soferet: A Special Scribe | |
|---|---|
 Aviel Barclay writing a Torah scroll | |
| Directed by | Donna and Daniel Zuckerbrot |
| Produced by | Donna and Daniel Zuckerbrot |
| Cinematography | Andrew Binnington |
| Edited by | Michèle Hozer |
| Music by | Aaron Davis John Lang |
Release date |
|
Running time | 48 min. |
| Countries | Canada Israel United States |
| Language | English |
Summary
Barclay was born into a Christian family in Prince George, Canada.[3] As a girl, she enjoyed calligraphy and taught herself the letters of the Hebrew alphabet by the age of 10.[3] She converted to Judaism as an adult and joined the Orthodox Jewish community.[3] The film chronicles Aviel Barclay studying to become a sofer (Jewish scribe) in Orthodox Judaism.
References
- "Simchat Torah with a Soferet's Torah | Jewesses with Attitude". Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
- Lowenstein, Alice (June 3, 2005). "A Female Scribe's Trailblazing Effort". The Forward.
- "Soferet [videorecording]: A special scribe". University of Toronto Libraries. Retrieved 15 December 2015.