c. 1997 Religion News Service
(Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.)
UNDATED _ It has been 25 years since Sally Priesand broke the gender barrier by becoming the first woman rabbi. Historically, only men could become rabbis, but the entry of women into that closed fraternity has permanently transformed Jewish life.
Since 1972, more than 500 women in the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism have followed in the footsteps of Rabbi Priesand. Even in the Orthodox Jewish community, where there are currently no women rabbis, the feminist movement is growing stronger each year.
My former associate, Conservative Rabbi Lori Forman, one of the first women ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and now working at the United Jewish Appeal-Federation in New York, says:”Fortunately, the novelty of seeing a woman perform rabbinical duties is over. Congregations are becoming accustomed to us, although many obstacles still remain for women rabbis.”Many people first thought we were simply rabbis for Jewish women, and, of course, that’s totally wrong. Like men, we are spiritual leaders for the entire community. Another myth that had to go was the wide-spread belief that women rabbis were all ultra-liberal in their theology, or were all `touchy-feeling,’ and non-traditional in religious practices. Just the opposite is true. Like male rabbis, we cover the entire spectrum, and can’t be placed in one big cubbyhole.””In fact, an increasing number of older women are making mid-career, mid-life changes and entering rabbinical school. It’s not true that we march in lockstep from high school to college and then to seminary. The older women are bringing extraordinary life experiences into the rabbinate. It’s exciting.” Another former associate, Rabbi Jody Cohen, now with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and based in Miami, believes women have redefined what success means in the rabbinate and women clergy have also brought about profound changes in worship and liturgy: “BWR”(before women rabbis), male rabbis frequently adopted all the destructive elements of the proverbial `Puritan work ethic.’ Indeed, I vividly remember three male colleagues in the 1960s who used nearly identical language when they proudly asserted they were `married to the congregation,’ and happily put in long hours at the synagogue as part of the `contract.’ Not surprisingly, all three workaholics were soon divorced from their wives. Clearly, a mistress, even in the form of a house of worship, is a destructive force in marriage.
Rabbi Cohen continues,”The presence of women rabbis has given men permission to change their own views of our profession. Women clergy provide a different role model from the traditional male version. While some women still play the `bigger is better’ game, many women rabbis are much more committed to the quality, not the quantity of their congregations. Numbers matter less than substance.” Both rabbis agree that the increasing number of women rabbis has encouraged the introduction of inclusive prayer language into worship services and rituals. Gender neutral traditional prayers have been enriched with the specific mention of the matriarchs of Israel _ Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel _ in the liturgy.
Women rabbis have helped reclaim from anonymity Miriam, Moses’ sister, and other ancient Jewish heroines of the spirit, whose stories have been infused with new spiritual meaning for modern Jews.
As in so many other areas of American society, a restrictive”glass ceiling”still exists in the rabbinate that unfairly prevents many women rabbis from realizing their full professional potential. Despite all the brave talk of”empowerment”and”equal access,”discrimination still exists.”If a woman wants to climb the ladder of `success’ just like a male colleague, that’s her choice,”says Rabbi Cohen.”But she should not be penalized in that quest because she’s a woman.” Rabbi Priesand’s ordination 25 years ago was not an aberration. Indeed, the lonely path she first trod has been made permanent. Women now constitute between 35 percent and 50 percent of non-Orthodox rabbinical schools, and that figure is likely to remain constant. Clearly, the Jewish community is strengthened when 100 percent of its population is eligible for the rabbinate.
To illustrate how far we’ve come, my daughter _ who along with her husband are both rabbinical students _ likes to recount what happened when a youngster who had only known women rabbis in her family’s synagogue met her first male rabbi. The surprised youngster exclaimed,”Gee, I didn’t know men could be rabbis, too. That’s really neat.” MJP END RUDIN
