In a groundbreaking appointment, the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJR,CA), has selected Tamar Frankiel as its new president, making her the first Orthodox woman to lead an American rabbinical school. Frankiel, 66, is a professor of comparative religion and an expert on Jewish mysticism.
This year in Los Angeles, the Reform Movement\’s Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Region ordained 16 new rabbis. The Conservative Movement\’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies ordained 10. And the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJR, CA) ordained 11. Never heard of the AJR, CA? You\’re not alone. Just six years old, it remains unknown to many in the Jewish community, though its impact is growing rapidly.
For years, Min Kantrowitz resisted the pull. Sure, the books on her nightstand were more likely to be a reference guide to the Talmud rather than the latest best-seller. But a rabbi?
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