February 26, 2010

The Agudath Israel Council of Torah Sages has issued a statement suggesting that a New York rabbi should no longer be considered Orthodox because of his decision to ordain a woman.\n\nLast month, Rabbi Avi Weiss announced that one of his female students would now be known as rabba — a feminized version of rabbi — replacing her previous title of “maharat.” He declared in a statement that the name change “makes it clear that Sara Hurwitz is a full member of our rabbinic staff” at Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in the Bronx where he is the spiritual leader.\n

An influential Jewish political action committee switched its endorsement in a Chicago-area congressional race to a Democrat for the first time in years.\n\nThe Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs, an influential Chicago-area PAC, on Thursday endorsed Dan Seals as a candidate in a suburban congressional district with a substantial Jewish presence.\n