A History of Women's Ordination as Rabbis [View All]

[The Straight Story]

A History of Women's Ordination as Rabbis
by Avi Hein

Up until the haskalah, the Jewish enlightenment, the idea of women rabbis would have seemed farfetched. Women did play an important role in Jewish life prior to modern times. But only in the last few decades, have we seen an increasing number of women graduating from rabbinical schools. Most women rabbis today have been ordained from Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionists seminaries. But a few Orthodox women have also become rabbis — and an effort is underway to incorporate more women into the Orthodox rabbinate.

The word rabbi literally means teacher. Traditionally, a rabbi was an observant Jewish male who obeyed mitzvot, knew Jewish law (halacha) and tradition, resolved halakhic disputes, and instructed the community. A rabbi does not have to serve as shliach tzibur (prayer leader), and has no more authority to lead services than anyone else. Prominent Orthodox feminist thinker Blu Greenberg believes that female rabbis, like their male counterparts, don't need to serve in a congregation or to be prayer leaders. "There are countless men," she writes, "perhaps the overwhelming number, who are ordained in the Orthodox community, yet do not perform any functions additional to those of their lay fellows. So be it for women." (Greenberg, Judaism, 31).

The role of women in the rabbinate has been hotly debated within the Jewish community. The Reform movement was the first to ordain women rabbis, in 1972. The Reconstructionist movement, followed suit by graduating their first woman rabbi in 1977. The Conservative movement lagged slightly behind, ordaining their first woman rabbis from its rabbinical school in 1983. The Orthodox movement has yet to officially accept women in its rabbinate, although a few Orthodox women have ordained in some seminaries.

Each movement, except the Orthodox, has come to accept the right of women to become rabbis after long periods of reflection and debate regarding their own religious philosophies.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/femalerabbi.html

Any female rabbi's on DU by chance and what have you faced in regards to discrimination?