Women’s empowerment for Shavuot
By ALAN SMASON
Last week, the Rabbinical Council of America, one of the largest unions of Orthodox rabbis in the world, with over 1,000 members in 14 countries, announced its refusal to accept the impending “ordination as clergy” of the first three women to graduate from Yeshivat Maharat.
Second year Yeshiva Maharat student will be part of the panel of women clergy leaders at Beth Israel tonight. (Courtesy Lila Kagedan)
Whether these three women will eventually be addressed as rabbis or some other term remains to be seen, but the empowerment of women as members of the Orthodox clergy seems to be at a historic crossroads.
“In light of the opportunity created by advanced women’s learning, the Rabbinical Council of America encourages a diversity of halachically and communally appropriate professional opportunities for learned, committed women, in the service of our collective mission to preserve and transmit our heritage,” read the statement. “Due to our aforesaid commitment to sacred continuity, however, we cannot accept either the ordination of women or the recognition of women as members of the Orthodox rabbinate, regardless of the title.”
The RCA statement concluded by regretting the yeshiva’s actions and stated it “views this event as a violation of our mesorah (tradition).”
Locally, a Shavuot program in Metairie is being co-sponsored tonight by Reform Congregation Gate of Prayer and Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation and will be held at Congregation Beth Israel, a modern Orthodox synagogue. The title of the timely program will be “Authority and Leadership in the Jewish World” and will feature two candidates for ordination from Yeshivat as well as a Conservative movement rabbinic candidate and a Reform movement candidate likewise studying for ordination.
Jewish Theological Seminary student Sarit Horowitz. (Courtesy Sarit Horowitz)
All three congregations’ respective movements are being represented and the three local rabbinic spirituals leaders weighed in on the RCA statement
Victoria Sutton and Lila Kagedan are third- and second-year students, respectively, at Yeshivat Maharat, the controversial New York yeshiva being criticized by the RCA .
Sarit Horowitz and Alexis Pinsky are both third-year students at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary and the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion of the Reform movement, respectively. Both Horowitz and Pinsky will be ordained as rabbis when they graduate from their respective institutions. Sutton and Kagedan will have to wait to determine what designation they acquire upon their graduation.
Third-year Yeshiva Maharat student Victoria Sutton. (Courtesy Victoria Sutton)
“Obviously, they (the RCA) are struggling with th notion of women in these positions, which is what I think is interesting,” said Rabbi Uri Topolosky of Beth Israel. “I doubt 50 years ago they would have made the same statement, so you can look and see how the role of women has evolved.”
“The concept of women as rabbis is old news for us as Reform rabbis as we’e had many wonderful women ordained as rabbis since 1972,” continued Rabbi Robert Loewy of Gates of Prayer. “That being said, I certainly understand how challenging this is to Orthodox Judaism and the Rabbinical Council of America. I look forward to the time when, perhaps, even they will fully be able to embrace women as rabbinic colleagues.”
“It’s shortsighted to simply decide that women cannot be members of the Orthodox clergy,” added Rabbi Ethan Linden of Shir Chadash. “It shows a jaundiced view of what a rabbi can be. Over time I think they will grow to regret that statement.”
Reform rabbinic candidate Alexis Pinsky. (Courtesy Alexis Pinsky)
Linden believes the challenge from the RCA is only one part of a larger movement of resistance to female spiritual leaders that exists in society and is seen in other religious institutions particularly the Catholic Church. “Obviously, it shows the women who are becoming members of the Orthodox clergy in the Orthodox world are going to have an uphill battle,” he mused.
The study sessions, which are scheduled to go all night long with the women clergy candidates and rabbis, are part of the traditional form of study on the first night of Shavuot.
It will also be the last Shavuot for Topolosky, who is scheduled to leave Beth Israel in a few more weeks and take up a new position as the rabbi of Beth Joshua, a school located in Aspen Hill, MD not far from the home of his parents in nearby Silver Spring.
“Were very sad about it,” Linden considered and speaking for Loewy. “It’s been a great match with Beth Israel and for his rabbinic colleagues in Metairie.”
Loewy went on to extend greetings to all the women clergy candidates. “I’m looking forward to learning form these four wonderful young women who are committing themselves to professional Jewish life and I welcome them as future colleagues,” he concluded.
