Rabbi Sally Priesand is America's first female rabbi ordained by a rabbinical seminary, and the second formally ordained female rabbi in Jewish history, after Regina Jonas. After her ground-breaking ordination she served first as assistant and then as associate rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, and later led Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, New Jersey from 1981 until her retirement in 2006. In addition to her rabbinic roles, Priesand has served on the board of each of the major institutions of Reform Judaism, including the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
This exchange is in honour of a new anthology, The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate, of which Rabbi Priesand is a contributor.
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Dear Rabbi Priesand,
The new anthology celebrates four decades of women rabbis. To mark this occasion, we'd like to ask you a big opening question: As the first ordained female Rabbi in America, how do you feel these four decades of female clergy have changed Judaism? How different is the Jewish religious landscape from how it was when you entered the rabbinate?
Yours,
Shmuel
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Dear Shmuel,
Your question is quite comprehensive, which is why The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate is nearly eight hundred pages! Let me focus on a few points, and then encourage you and your followers to read the book for more information.
One of the major differences I see is in the definition of leadership itself. When I was growing up, rabbis were expected to be the ultimate authority, often maintaining complete control over the congregation and making whatever decisions needed to be made. Welcoming women into the rabbinate provided an opportunity to rethink previous models of leadership and make room for empowerment, networking and partnership. As shown by psychologist Carol Gilligan and others, women function best when creating relationships based on caring and concern. My twenty-five years as rabbi of Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, NJ were enhanced by the ability to work together as partners in creating a temple family in which members were always there for each other.
Another area in which we see the influence of female rabbis is that of theology. I grew up with the image of God as King, omnipotent and clearly male. Today’s children understand that God embodies characteristics both masculine and feminine. For many years now, whenever new liturgy is created, its language is gender neutral. The mothers of Israel have found their way into the prayer book, and we have learned how to talk to God and with God rather than about God, to enjoy that intimacy that comes when addressing God as “You,” knowing that every person should have the freedom to imagine God in any way he or she finds meaningful and satisfying.
When I attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion fifty years ago, there were no women on the faculty. As the number of female students increased, we began to understand the importance of training new leaders, both men and women, to be more gender aware. Today, we are grateful that dozens of distinguished female scholars serve on the faculty of our seminaries, sharing valuable lessons and insights unique to women.
Ordaining women as rabbis has also led to the discovery of new role models. We have begun to hear the stories of those whose voices have been silenced for too long, the countless number of women who have contributed to our people’s history from biblical times on. For example, my life, and that of my female colleagues, has most certainly been enriched by knowing the story of the first woman rabbi, Regina Jonas, who studied for the rabbinate at the Berlin Academy for the Science of Judaism.
Unfortunately, the professor who was her mentor died the year before she was to be ordained, and the seminary refused to follow through with her ordination although she had completed all the requirements including a thesis entitled “Can Women Serve as Rabbis?” She was forced to wait until 1935 when she was ordained privately by Rabbi Max Dieneman, President of the Association of Liberal Rabbis in Berlin. At first, she was permitted to work only in schools, hospitals and homes for the elderly, but as rabbis began to emigrate or be deported, she was invited to preach and fulfill rabbinic duties at various synagogues, gaining a reputation for her pastoral work and preaching ability.
Eventually, Rabbi Jonas herself was deported to Terezin. As I think about her life, one of the things I admire most about her is that she chose the well-being of her people over her own self-interest. She could have escaped the horrors of the Holocaust, but chose instead to accompany her people to the concentration camps, to continue to minister to their needs and help them find meaning and purpose in the values of Jewish tradition. We cannot help but stand in awe of her courage.
Now that we have discovered her story, we want to ensure that she is given her rightful place in the chain of Jewish tradition that binds together all the generations of our people – past, present and future. We have asked synagogues of all denominations throughout the world to observe her yahrzeit from year to year. The actual date of her death is unknown, but with the help of the Holocaust Museum in Washington and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, we determined that she was taken from Terezin, together with her mother, on October 12, 1944 – her name appears on the transport list – and arrived in Auschwitz on October 14, 1944 where it is assumed she was murdered that very day which happened to be Shabbat Bereishit; therefore, we have chosen Shabbat Bereishit as the date of her yahrzeit, and we hope that all Jews will join us in saying kaddish for her, thereby bringing to her memory the honor she so richly deserves. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell her story.
L’shalom,
Sally
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