Can Orthodox Jewish Women Be Rabbis?
For PRI’s The World, Matthew Bell writes on ordination for women, or the lack thereof, in Orthodox Judaism. In October, the Rabbinical Council of America “issued a proclamation that prohibits its members from ordaining women as rabbis or hiring women who assume the title of rabbi,” Bell reports. But that has not stopped some women with rabbinical degrees, like Lila Kagedan, from taking on the title of rabbi. “I really am a rabbi,” Kagedan says. “The title rabbi might be a bit surprising and might feel new, but actually women have been in leadership roles in the Orthodox community for many, many years.”