History of Women Rabbis

As I said before in my posts about Touro Synagogue and Reform Judaism, it was shocking to me to hear that women were allowed to be Rabbis in Reform Judaism. I had always been used to women and men being separated in the temple (as it was told to me that women would "distract" men from beign 100% invovled in their prayer) and that men were the only oens who could be Rabbis.  Before modern times, however, women did play an important role in Jewish life. It has been only in the past few decades that  an increasing number of women graduate from rabbinical schools. Most women rabbis today stem from Reform and Reconstructive congregations, but only a few from the Orthodox movement — and an effort is underway to include more women into the Orthodox rabbinate.

Regina Jonas - First Female Rabbi

The word rabbi literally means teacher. Traditionally, a rabbi was an observant Jewish male who obeyed all the mitzvot (plural of mitzvah), knew Jewish tradition, and instructed the Jewish community. A rabbi does not have to serve as a prayer leader, and has no more authority to lead services than anyone else.

“There are countless men,” says Orthodox feminist thinker Blu Greenberg , “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.”

The role of women in the rabbinate has been greatly debated within the Jewish community - mainly by orthodox Jews. The first female rabbi ever to be ordained was Regina Jonas of East Berlin. 

 In the United States, the Reform movement ordained its first female rabbi in 1972, the Reconstructionist movement in 1974, and the Conservative movement in 1985.

 The Orthodox movement has not yet accepted women in its rabbinate, but some women have been initiated in some seminaries.

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