Women as Rabbis

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that women rabbis, who can be found in Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and even a few Orthodox Jewish communities, are largely a product of the Jewish feminist enlightenment, which has experienced the greatest change over the last few decades. The author points out that Jewish feminism perceives that historical Judaism is based on a broad patriarchal world view in which Torah, Israel and God have been construed from the male perspective. The paper concludes that the theology has never been opposed strongly to the idea of women as Rabbis; however, tradition and history have been the major reasons for denying it in the past. The paper includes several quotations.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Separation
The Reform Movement
Women and Judaism
The Role of Women
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"As Ruth Adler notes, the process of inclusion for women has been ongoing for some time. For two centuries, men and women claiming liberal Judaism have been learning what it means to include women in prayer. She notes that at the Hamburg Temple in 1818, "inclusion meant allowing women's voices to be heard in the choir." At a synagogue in 1851, it meant relocating women from the women's gallery to "the family pew" beside their male relatives. "For the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative Judaisms of the 1970s and 1980s, it meant beginning to ordain women as rabbis.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adler, Ruth. Engendering Judaism: An Inclusive Theology and Ethics. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998.
• Asheri, Michael. Living Jewish. New York: Everest House, 1978.
• Bronner, Leila Leah. From Eve to Esther: Rabbinic Reconstructions of Biblical Women. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994.
• Darr, Katheryn Pfisterer. Far More Precious Than Jewels. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox, 1991.
• De Lange, Nicholas. An Introduction to Judaism. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

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• Book Review # 36028 : "Women as the Cause of Evil"

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