Empowering Women’s Leadership in the Jewish Community: Study Session with Rabbi Olya Weinstein

Following the empowering nationwide retreat led by Rabbi Olya Weinstein just before the High Holidays, discussions on women rabbis, cantors, and scribes have flourished within the Project Kesher Israel (PKI) community. For many new immigrant women who hail from backgrounds where reform and conservative Judaism are less visible, the prospect of female leadership in the Jewish community is both inspiring and significant.

In response to this enthusiasm, Rabbi Olya facilitated an insightful study session focused on pivotal societal changes that have influenced the development of various branches of Judaism. She addressed the critical importance of women’s rabbinical leadership, the contrasting halachic views on women's status in Judaism across different denominations, and the complex relationship between state and religion in Israel.

More than 200 participants joined the session online, with many others viewing the recording afterward. They were introduced to illustrious women rabbis, including Regina Jonas and PKI’s own Naamah Kelman Ezrachi and Alona Lisitsa (PhD), along with the esteemed Israeli Rabbi Tamar Elad-Applebaum. This enlightening session broadened perspectives on the diversity within the Jewish community and emphasized the ongoing need to advocate for equal status for women in an intersectional manner, irrespective of political dynamics.