WHAT CAN THE HISTORY OF THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN RABBIS TEACH US ABOUT THE MOVEMENTS OF AMERICAN JUDAISM?
Ray Frank - The first woman rabbi?
Courtesy of the American Jewish Historical Society
Historically, women did not fill leadership roles in the Jewish community. Indeed, in Europe prior to the Enlightenment, women's role in Judaism was basically home-based and private. Beginning in the early 19th century, during the period of the Enlightenment, this began to change both in America and in Europe. Slowly but steadily, women began to attend synagogue, become Jewishly educated, and finally become Jewish educators. At the same time, the discussion of the possibility of women rabbis began to take place on a communal level in the American Jewish community.
The first American woman rabbi, Sally Priesand, was ordained by the Reform Movement in 1973. The Conservative movement began ordaining women in 1985. Orthodox Judaism has yet to ordain women rabbis, but innovative leadership roles for women in Orthodox synagogues have been developing over the past decade.
By examining the history of the ordination of women in the Reform and Conservative movements, and the expansion of leadership roles for women in Orthodox Judaism, we can learn a great deal about the philosophical underpinnings of each movement. We can extrapolate from the example of female religious leadership and gain enormous insight into these movements as a whole.
As we begin this investigation, think about the following questions:
- What role has the rabbi historically played in American Judaism? What role does the rabbi play now? Does this role differ from movement to movement?
- What factors unique to the American Jewish community influenced the view of the rabbi and thus the debate over having women rabbis?
- What does it mean philosophically, halachically and practically for each movement to make a decision to ordain women?
Click on any link below to begin!
1. Early women religious leaders
2. The Reform Movement