Quest Continues for Women to Be Ordained As Rabbis

Some 100 members of a new organization seeking to persuade the faculty of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) to accept women as rabbinical candidates for Conservative Judaism met here last night in the second public action by the group for that goal.

Elaine Kahn of New York, one of the six coordinators of the Group for the Rabbinic Ordination of Women (GROW), told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the primarily lay audience attending the forum last night at the Conservative Synagogue of Riverdale comprised roughly half of men and half of women. She also told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that four of the GROW coordinators are men.

The first GROW-sponsored lobbying meeting, held March 19 in front of the JTS building, was called to demonstrate to the JTS and to the public “widespread dissatisfaction” over the decision last Dec. 20 by the JTS Faculty Senate to postpone indefinitely any Seminary faculty action on the issue.

RECOMMENDATION DEFERRED

A resolution calling on the JTS to admit women for rabbinical training was approved by delegates to the 1977 convention of the Rabbinical Assembly, the association of Conservative rabbis. The delegates agreed to postpone action on that resolution after Dr. Gerson Cohen, JTS chancellor, promised to set up a commission of 14 members, with himself as chairman, committed to submitting the commission’s findings to the JTS faculty for action.

Cohen said at the time that the commission’s findings, expected to favor admittance of women, would be submitted with a commission request to act on the findings early in 1979. In its final report, the commission submitted a recommendation to the 1979 RA convention declaring it found nothing in Jewish Law barring women from becoming rabbis and proposed that “qualified women be ordained.” That was the finding and recommendation which the JTS Faculty voted to defer indefinitely.

The forum last night heard Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz, Professor of Talmud at the JTS; Rabbi Linda Holtzman, a 1979 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, who is rabbi for Beth Israel congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Coatsville, Pa.; and Frances Klagsbrun, one of the members of the Cohen commission.

FINDS NO RESISTANCE

Holtzman told the forum that not only had she found no resistance or objections to her as rabbi of the Conservative congregation but that, in fact, she was sought out for such ceremonies as weddings within the congregation. Asked whether she was getting the same salary as a male rabbi, would in that pulpit, she replied “definitely, yes.”

Klagsbrun, who said she has been traveling extensively for a book she has written, told the forum that everywhere she went she was asked about women rabbis. Declaring she was “angry” over the JTS Faculty postponement decision, she said it was “ridiculous and unfair” to exclude women from the Conservative rabbinate. She also asserted that the overwhelming majority of members of the movement did favor such ordination.

Rabinowitz said the major issue in the debate was not Halochic but political. He said the question of women rabbis serving as witnesses was a legal question but one which could be resolved by rabbinic interpretation. He said that, in respect to other rabbinic duties, such as preaching, teaching and counseling, there were no Halochic barriers.

Bernice Balter, wife of Shlomo Balter, rabbi of the synagogue where the forum was held, and executive director of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, told the forum that while the issue “has been tabled in the Seminary, it has not been tabled in the community. “Reporting that the issue will be raised at the Women’s League convention in November, she told the forum that “women all over the country are asking” for ordination of women. She said, “Let’s not pretend that they are not.”

Kahn told the JTA that GROW’s next action will be at the RA 1980 convention, scheduled for Kiamesha Lake, May 11-15. She said four non-rabbinical JTS students would attend the convention, as well as other JTS students. She reported that GROW’s membership includes some 200 Conservative rabbis.